This past Friday, April 22nd, Northlane released their sixth studio album, Obsidian. So far, this has been my most anticipated musical release of the year. And, as promised, I’ve come to provide my thoughts on this ambitious record. However, before I jump into all the juicy details, I’d like to explain my history as a fan of this band, because it’s not exactly straightforward and it kind of informs a lot of my feelings and expectations for this album.
I first discovered the Australia-based band called Northlane during my freshman year of college. I was instantly hooked by their song “Quantum Flux,” a song that is widely recognized as a staple of the metalcore genre. It might honestly be one of my favorite songs of all time. But aside from that tune, none of the band’s other material really stuck with me in a significant way. So, I wound up ignoring them for several years.
Jump forward, then, to 2019, when Northlane and ERRA joined together for a North American co-headliner tour, the “Neon Alien Tour.” At this point, I was already onboard for pretty much anything ERRA did, and they were the main reason I’d be attending the show in Manhattan. However, I also looked at this as an opportunity to try to get back into Northlane.
I revisited the band’s first two albums, Discoveries and Singularity, the latter of which features “Quantum Flux,” and found I had been disastrously wrong about these two back in 2015. These are truly two masterful metalcore albums. Following those came Node and Mesmer, the band’s first two albums to feature their current lead vocalist, Marcus Bridge. These two leave much to be desired, but they still have their merits.
However, what really grabbed me was the band’s latest album at the time, Alien. Alien is what I consider a perfect album, the kind that can completely define a band; it certainly has (re)defined Northlane, to an extent. The band had been going through a bit of a rough patch for several years, but this album put them back on the map in a big way. Receiving widespread critical acclaim, Alien would go on to win the ARIA music award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album in 2019. This album left a powerful impression on me, with its raw emotional center and manic progressive tones. In time, it would grow to become one of my favorite metal albums, period.
Seeing the band live for the first time pretty much sealed the deal for me as a fan. It was like listening to their material straight out of the studio. The band’s musicianship is unmatched, and Marcus Bridge just might be one of the greatest metal vocalists of our time. Needless to say, I was fully invested in Northlane, and I knew I’d be following their career very closely moving forward.
So, when a band like Northlane releases an album like Alien, they inadvertently set a rather high bar for themselves in terms of quality. Which then finally brings us to Obsidian. As a follow-up to Alien, Obsidian had some near-impossible standards to meet. I went into this album with sky high expectations, which I think were well-founded. And after sitting with the album for a few days, I’m still not entirely sure what to make of it.
To paraphrase a friend of mine: whereas Alien was an aggressive metal album with tasteful electronic subthemes, Obsidian is more like a groove-filled electronic/EDM album with focused metal undertones. Alien was driven by its deeply personal lyrics and churning instrumentals, which were then heightened by the addition of haunting synths. Obsidian, in contrast, places greater emphasis on catchy dance beats and choruses that are backed perfectly by the band’s signature punchy guitars and blasting drums. The results are strong, for the most part.
The opening track, “Clarity,” is probably the album’s best display of everything Northlane do best. The soothing synthetic opening of the song gives way to drummer Nic Pettersen’s unrelenting beats and guitarists Jon Deiley and Josh Smith’s powerful chords. And, of course, Marcus Bridge’s exquisite vocal range is on full blast here. All-in-all, this is a perfect opener.
What follows are three of the lead singles for the album, “Clockwork,” “Echo Chamber,” and “Carbonized.” Despite my previous statements regarding this album being more deeply rooted in an electronic sound, these three songs would try to dissuade you from that idea. “Clockwork” and “Echo Chamber” are great fun start to finish; it’s tough for me to say which I prefer over the other. “Clockwork” has stronger lyrics and a more interesting progression, but the beat to “Echo Chamber” is utterly infectious and the breakdown is a lot more enjoyable. “Carbonized” is also a lyrically impressive song, with plenty of grungy guitar riffs in the background to happily headbang to.
We then turn to “Abomination,” which is perhaps the oddest song on the album. For me, this is where things took a sharp turn into some strange territory. I think what throws me off with this song is that the progression of the lyrics and instruments and synths don’t all quite match up. It all feels a little disconnected. It’s not a bad tune, per say, but it’s one that I’d probably skip over on an average listen of the album. “Plenty” picks things back up, though, in short order. Another single from the album, this is one of those songs that you just want to sing along to live. Again, this is a song that displays everything the band does best: fun instrumental progression, soaring lyrics, and fitting synthetic beats. “Is This a Test?” follows that up, then, in a somewhat curious fashion. This one, similarly to “Abomination,” sort of feels like a filler track, as it’s almost annoyingly repetitive. But with that said, it does manage to remain mostly enjoyable. I could easily see myself drunkenly dancing to this one in a crowded room and having a blast all the while.
We then jump right into “Xen,” a clear standout on the album. I don’t use any kind of recreational drugs, but if I did, this is one of those songs I would listen to while high as a kite. It’s easily the most fun song on the album, reminding me very much of “Lunar Halo” off of ERRA’s self-titled album. “Cypher” kind of feels like it was actually pulled from Alien; it’s very reminiscent of the song “Eclipse” from that album. The tune plays with some interesting, if at times repetitive, lyrical concepts, while also managing to be a full-on Matrix reference, which is certainly amusing. To follow that up, you can then blissfully float through “Nova.” The structural simplicity and smooth progression of this song allow you to easily lose yourself in Bridge’s mesmerizing vocals.
Arriving at the final act of the album, we start with “Inamorata.” This is a love song written and composed in a manner that only Northlane could. It gives “Xen” a good run for its money in terms of trying to be the most fun song on the album, but the earlier tune just manages to inch its way ahead. That said, “Inamorata” is a treat, with Bridge’s vocals being somewhat more reserved during the verses, which allow the choruses to stand out in a better light. Moving onto the title track of the album, “Obsidian” is another perfect blend of all the band’s strengths. It’s simultaneously eerie and groovy, with a wicked buildup and breakdown that are sure to leave all the metalheads in the crowd satisfied.
“Dark Solitaire” is the closing track of the album, and unfortunately, it’s a less-than-perfect finisher. This is a complex song that further demonstrates all of the band’s talents, tackling the concepts of acknowledging your flaws and needing help to confront them. But even with that complexity, it’s hard to ignore the feeling that there’s something missing here. It’s as if there’s a verse or chorus that got left out, with the song ending rather abruptly on a crash of guitars and drums before then fading out into a minute-and-a-half’s worth of ambient tones. Granted, I think that was the point—it’s meant to be open-ended—but I’m not sure the execution justifies the end result. Not to sound entitled, but I felt like I had been cheated of a better ending that could have captured the same idea.
With the album all wrapped together, it’s obvious to me that Northlane put a lot of care and attention into Obsidian. The record is teeming with the strong musicianship that fans should expect from the band at this point. However, it still simultaneously feels like an evolution and a regression of what the band achieved with Alien. It has plenty of powerful moments and a clear emotional drive, but for each of those epic highs, there are just as many awkward lows that leave me scratching my head.
The end result is a great album that unfortunately didn’t leave nearly as much of an impact as I was hoping for. But with that said, I’m sure I’ll still be blasting this one for ages to come, on account of just how much fun and technically impressive it is. All-in-all, I consider this another win for a band that certainly deserves it.
If you’re interested in hearing more about how Obsidian came to fruition, check out Ghost Cult Magazine’s video interview with Northlane’s vocalist Marcus Bridge. They break down the album track-by-track and dig into some other interesting insights insights about the making of the record. Certainly worth watching if you’ve got the time and interest.