By Hollie Harris
Mesmer, Northlane’s beautiful new album, represents both sides of the equation. The band’s most organic yet precise album yet, it covers familiar topics but renders them in a new way, at once paying heed to the band’s heaviest roots and looking forward to an unwritten future. It is the fullest and most accurate expression yet of who Marcus Bridge (vocals), Jonathon Deiley (guitar), Josh Smith (guitar), Alex Milovic (bass) and Nic Pettersen (drums) really are.
This award-winning Australian metalcore band from Sydney are making their way to Noosa for a performance at The V Room next month not to be missed. Northlane have released four studio albums: Discoveries (11 November, 2011); Singularity (22 March, 2013), which reached No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart; Node (24 July, 2015), a number one album and Mesmer (24 March, 2017). At the ARIA Music Awards of 2015 the group won the Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album category.
Formed in 2009 as a metalcore band in Western Sydney and named after the 2007 track “North Lane“ by British metalcore band, Architects, the band have solidified their place in this genre.
In 2016, the band announced that they had been working on a collaborative release with In Hearts Wake entitled Equinox. It was recorded in Sydney with producer Will Putney. The EP features three songs: “Refuge“, “Equinox“ and “Hologram.“
Since early 2016, the band’s live show and costumes have evolved. Jon has worn an array of masks, including an anti-pollution mask, a black medical mask and a rhinestone covered mask which conceals his entire head, plus a pair of large black contact lenses. Alex wears a long wrap-around jacket he acquired while in Japan. Nic wears a black singlet and medical mask. Josh wears a white long sleeve and Marcus wears a moth-eaten black T-shirt with bandages on his hands.
Northlane released their fourth studio album Mesmer in 2016 without any prior warning, and the album was made available for immediate purchase and streaming. Mesmer was discovered to be an album sampler/trailer, containing stems to all of the tracks on the album. Additional details about the album’s release were given by Northlane’s record label UNFD, revealing that clues about the album had been released as early as 2016, and the release date was hidden in the band’s Facebook cover image.
Mesmer debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Charts, the third Northlane release in a row to debut in the top five in Australia.
Don’t miss this performance from Northlane, with special guests The Brave on Friday 2 February- Northlane go on at 9.30pm at Villa Noosa Hotel – The V Room. Grab your tickets at www.villanoosa.com.au. This is an age 18-plus event.
