Metalcore giants Northlane just wrapped their Obsidian Australia tour, complete with multiple sold-out shows and their biggest headline performance to date. While the band unfortunately had to deliver the bittersweet news that the North American leg of their tour would be canceled due to travel restrictions, fans are still flying high on their latest release and looking forward to the day we can hear them in person.
Obsidian, the self-produced success by the band, was released on 22 April 2022 through their independent label, Believe, and peaked as the No. 1 Australian Album on the ARIA charts.
Drummer Nic Pettersen was recently a guest on The BlackSheep podcast, but we got the chance to chat even more about Northlane’s new album and how it fits into their epic sonic evolution.
The HM team is loving your new record. What’s been the most exciting or surprising response you’ve heard so far?
Thank you! I’ve been most surprised by how well some of the more electronic tracks have been received, in fact, they seem to be getting the most love! Which is amazing considering they are arguably the most risky songs on the record for the fans that sway to the heavier side of our sound.
Can you give us a deeper look at some of the themes and concepts you were going for as you were writing?
I think the idea of merging our heavy sound with the electronic realm has been something we’ve been striving for over the past couple of years. It’s been quite a natural progression, not something that was overly thought out prior. But the concept of merging these sounds seamlessly without it feeling like we’ve mashed together two styles has been the main challenge. Thankfully these two sounds share very similar emotive, darker qualities which marry perfectly when pulled off.
“Lyrically the album is heavily based upon personal experiences or opinions, which directly have been affected by the collective global experience over the past couple of years. Overall our personal experience is what we project into our music.”
How have your personal experiences and the global experience we’ve all shared impacted your songwriting this time around? Did you have to find a balance between the two, or did one influence the record more than the other?
Lyrically the album is heavily based upon personal experiences or opinions, which directly have been affected by the collective global experience over the past couple of years. Overall our personal experience is what we project into our music.
Speaking of balance…With so much love for Alien, how did you approach your creative decisions in Obsidian? Did you feel like you had to balance the new sound you discovered with your last album and the Northlane roots that are clearly evident in the new album?
The response to Alien gave us the faith to pursue whatever sound we felt comfortable with. We trust our intuition when it comes to writing and our drive to forever push the boundaries is what motivates our creative decisions.
To me, Northlane has always represented a piece of metal that is huge, creative, technically sound, and still super emotional. How do you find that sweet spot when you’re writing or recording?
Jon is very particular with his writing and how it’s conveyed. The instrumentals already tell a story so when the vocals get introduced they need to mesh with the vibe of the song both lyrically and emotionally, which can obviously be quite challenging. Marcus and Jon worked closely on Obsidian to find the sweet spot between the instrumentals and the vocals.
What’s been the biggest challenge releasing Obsidian?
The pandemic. It completely dictated when we would be able to release the record. We didn’t want to release it without touring off the back of it, so we had to be patient and sit back and wait for the world to open up again before we could take even plan the release.
You all have never been afraid to explore texture and electronic elements in a heavy context. With so much growth in what artists can do with sound, where do you think the scene is headed?
These days there are very few boundaries in metal. So hopefully we’ll see bands try to embrace change and push their concepts into realms that have been previously unexplored.
How do you think Northlane fits into that evolution?
Hopefully, Northlane is proof that change is a positive thing and that experimentation offers the opportunity to open the doors to places that we thought were unreachable.
I always love to ask this one because the answers are so personal — is there a moment or a song on the record that exceeded your expectations?
I find it hard to pinpoint one moment, but I found the addition of vocals on the instrumental demos of the songs really opened up another dimension. Obviously, no one but the band members would experience this moment, but it’s really special to sit back and listen to the songs when they have fresh vocals on them.
Is there a certain technique or gear that you think really makes your sound unique, or something new you explored on Obsidian?
Jon obviously loves his synths, and they feature heavily throughout the whole record. Whether they create a background atmosphere or reinforce certain instruments it’s become a vital part of the band and has been the basis of a lot of the songs off Obsidian. It’s something g that Jon has been interested in during Alien, but he really went to town on it for Obsidian.
Do you have any major influences as a songwriter or a performer?
Personally, my main influence is being a torch bearer for the next generation. I want to be able to inspire people to write and perform music the way others inspired me.
On the heels of their latest success, Northlane will also be joining Architects and Sleep Token for a run in Germany in 2023. Tickets will be available for purchase on the band’s website.
