Vinyl Never Forgets – Fridays are for looking back

Aoria - The Constant

Released 10 - 10 -2012

Vinyl available at Version Studio Records

Aoria’s The Constant is a brooding and hauntingly introspective experience and is an album that resonates with great emotional weight and deep, sonic precision. In July 2011, Erik Nilsson (A Swarm of the Sun), Robin Bergh (October Tide) and Niklas Sandin (Katatonia) began recording Aoria’s debut album The Constant drawing clear atmospheric parallels to A Swarm of the Sun and Katatonia with whom they share members, Aoria balances expansive post-rock textures with the grit of progressive metal. The album unfolds like a slow-burning catharsis as each track is layered with delicate piano lines, soaring guitars, and Erik’s soul-baring vocals.  

Tracks like Assassination and The Black Heart gradually build from minimal, mournful passages into these thunderous crescendos, echoing the emotional dynamics of grief, reflection, and release, while the likes of An Overwhelming Calm brings the weight and heft, giving the album great balance and polarity. The production is immaculate, never overbearing, letting each instrument breathe and elevate.  

Aoria’s debut is an overlooked masterpiece. It’s powerful, passionate, and utterly immersive for fans of emotionally driven, slow-burning soundscapes. It’s a shame that the journey ended here, but who knows what’s around the corner!  For me, this is one of those underappreciated gems that needs to be acknowledged for what it is. The Constant is an emotional experience, best absorbed in solitude, uninterrupted! 

Note – Believe it or not, this album is being sold for 10 Euro on their Bandcamp page. An absolute, no brainer. 

The Constant | Aoria

Merch | Version Studio Records