Aviana

Aviana is a metalcore and progressive metalcore act with roots in the United States, though its early history is associated with the Swedish west coast scene and Gothenburg. The project forms in 2016 and builds a sound that combines metalcore, djent, progressive metal and later post-hardcore and alternative elements.

History

The band begins with vocalist Marcus Vik, guitarists Marcus Heffler and Oscar Forsman, bassist Sebastian Colque and drummer Niclas Bergström. Its debut album, Polarize, arrives in 2017 through Rambo Music, a release linked to GAIN and Sony Music Entertainment. The record includes the single “Solar” and the track “Canvas”, and it becomes a notable early release for the group. Those songs help the band gain a strong streaming presence across major digital platforms.

Aviana tours in the UK and Europe following the debut, including headline runs and support slots with Crystal Lake. The group also appears at Crystal Lake’s True North Festival in Tokyo in 2018 and performs in Sendai, Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo during a Japan visit. In January 2018, Marcus Vik leaves the band.

Line-up changes and later releases

After Vik’s departure, Joel Holmqvist takes over vocals in 2018. He had previously been involved with Walking With Strangers and Oceans Red. Around this period the band works with different booking and label arrangements, including Arising Empire and Nuclear Blast, and continues to tour in the UK and Europe with acts such as The Word Alive, Make Them Suffer and Of Virtue.

The second album, Epicenter, follows in 2019. Later releases move the project toward a more expansive and melodic style, with Holmqvist remaining the creative centre after the lineup reduces to him as the sole original member. The 2022 album Corporation collects material released across a two-year period and becomes the band’s most streamed release, with more than 32 million Spotify streams attributed to the album. “Paradox”, which features Marcus Vik, appears as a collaboration that revisits the group’s earlier vocal pairing.

Sound and presentation

Aviana’s music is described through heavy riffs, prog-oriented guitar work, harsh vocals, atmospheric clean singing and breakdown-led arrangements. Later material adds more melodic writing, synth textures, punkier rhythms and a post-hardcore chorus style. The project also adopts masks and coordinated outfits for its later live cycle, giving its performances a more theatrical visual identity.

Selected releases

Polarize (2017), Epicenter (2019) and Corporation (2022) are the main full-length releases named for the group. Other listed singles and EP-format releases include “Canvas”, “Heavy Feather”, “My Worst Enemy”, “Red Sky”, “Frail”, “Retaliation”, Oblivion, Rage, Overcome, Obsession, Anomaly, “Paradox”, “As Above, So Below”, “Delirium” and “Father”.