Words by Craig Hodges
2009: Northlane burst onto the local scene with their debut track, “The Deadmines”.
2011: After extensive, regional domestic touring they release their debut album Discoveries in November. Discoveries send shockwaves through the Australian scene, landing the band some important support slots for bands like August Burns Red, Parkway Drive and eventually their first international tour.
2013: The culmination of a secretive, viral marketing campaign is revealed to be Northlane’s sophomore album Singularity. The album initiates a meteoric rise in popularity for the band and sees them establish a name for themselves on the world stage.
2014: Vocalist Adrian Fitipaldes announces his departure from the band citing the impact of touring on his health and well-being. The band begins a very long and very public audition process for his replacement. Eventually, announcing Sydney based Marcus Bridge as the newest member.
And this is where things go a little haywire…The announce of Bridge as their new vocalist created a huge rift among the band’s fanbase (also spawning a tidal wave of Rocky Balboa memes). Effectively turning them into the Twilight of heavy music. You were either Team Marcus or Team Adrian.
Fast forward to 2019, and Northlane have just released Alien. Their 5th studio album, and third release with Bridge manning the helm. And boy is it a banger! Alien takes the confidence of 2017’s Mesmer and the experimentation of 2015’s Node and fuses them into a perverse amalgam of Industrial, Nu-metal, Techno and Metalcore.
Straight off the bat, ‘Details Matter’ hits hard. This track is your typical Northlane ethos of mind-bending intensity and also introduces the industrial flair that streaks throughout the album. For a band that’s copped a lot of flack for softening their sound, this opener is a big middle finger to their scene critics. Bridge roars over the top with severity and intent, screaming the hook ‘You can’t make me disappear! You tried to break me , but I’m still here!’. Initiating the more personal, lyrical themes of the record. Bridge explores the dark past of his abusive childhood and being raised by a heroin-addicted father. Making for the darkest Northlane release to date.
In a scene where heavy is the only real measure of success, Northlane have said ‘Pfft! Hold my beer’ and throw a big “Fuck You!” to all the purists with Alien. A lot of the album is still your standard metalcore fare, but the production, with its thick guitar tone and gloomy electronics morphs it into a more unique aural juggernaut. ‘Bloodline’, ‘Talking Heads’, ‘Vultures’ and ‘Paradigm’ are in line with what we have come to expect with Northlane’s sound. But, with a darker and more personal flair they hit much harder and are unique and heavy all in one. The ending breakdown of ‘Talking Heads’ is one of the most crushingly, aggressive breakdowns I’ve heard in a while.
‘4D’ is where we start to see the more experimental side of Alien. The dirty electro opening and almost drum n’ bass groove, takes the band’s use of electronic elements to the next level. The strong chords and lush, but grimy synths are reminiscent of early noughties techno.
And that’s just the beginning of the EDM experimentation. ‘Eclipse’ is just barely classifiable as metal. Instead lying in the centre of a Venn diagram of nu-metal, techno, and even trance. If it weren’t for the instrumentation and the production, it would be a dark techno track you might hear at some nightmarish rave. With a strong driving beat, distorted bass and several builds and drops make it a stand out track. A welcome and naturally progressive change to the band’s overall style that bolsters Bridge’s vocal ability and highlights the anguish and emotion in his lyrics. Bridge belting ‘I will never let myself be like you!’ over the cadence is one of the more visceral moments of the album.
Rounding out the record at the opposite end of the spectrum is ‘Sleepless’. By far the softest track. It’s mostly centered around a soft breakbeat and polyrhythms, with a highly emotive piano chord progression and muted crooning from Bridge. The addition of a treated saxophone melody is very unusual for the genre and adds an elegant almost neo-noir element. It’s very much a hybrid of ‘Weightless’ from 2015’s Node and Vangelis’ Blade Runner soundtrack. The perfect cathartic end to such a dark and tempestuous record.
In this Twilight era of Northlane, the band and Bridge, in particular, has been the butt of a lot of criticism and vitriol. Being labeled as sell-outs, complaining about Marcus’ screaming ability and his supposed hogging of the spotlight. Even so far as to be disaffectionately labeled ‘Marcus Bridge and the Northlanes’. The latter of which I never really understood. If there was ever a pitfall to Marcus it would be that he is, if anything, too subdued as a frontman. Especially when compared to the lengthy, existentialist rants that Fitipaldes used to embark upon between songs in their live shows.
I any case, Alien seems musically the response to this criticism and lyrically a response to Marcus’ inner turmoil. A triumphant expression of identity from a band who has experienced one of the worst cases of tall poppy syndrome in heavy music.
Northlane Australian Tour 2019
- Friday 11 October - UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney
- Saturday 12 October - The Triffid, Brisbane
- Friday 18 October - 170 Russell, Melbourne
- Saturday 19 October - Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
- Sunday 20 October - Capitol, Perth