Across a career defined by seismic shifts, Northlane have stared down technological anxiety, alienation and collapse, channelling it into a highly influential body of work that is as expansive as it is confrontational. With the world in dire straits, it would have been easy for them to descend into the void on album number seven. Instead, they emerged from the studio with their most hopeful and human record yet.
Executive produced by Jordan Fish, the idea for Anemoia was sparked by a mind-altering set from UK producer and DJ Evian Christ, which inspired songwriter/guitarist Jon Deiley to explore how trance – in all its emotional intensity and physical scale – could work naturally with guitars and the catharsis of heavy music. Throughout the album, Northlane’s hallmark electronic metal takes on many forms, shapeshifting through euphoric trance, seismic breakdowns, brain-bending grooves, drum-and-bass, jungle and pop, coalescing into Northlane’s own sonic singularity.
Following on from their Australian #1 album Obsidian (2022), Anemoia toys with the concept of feeling nostalgia for a time or place one has never known. This yearning opens up a dichotomy of darkness and light, where the sense of freedom of eras past buoys a carefree energy running through tracks like first single “Evian”, while feelings of anger and despair come roaring back when the present day shatters the reverie, leading to some of Northlane’s heaviest moments since their first EP.
“There’s darkness here, but it’s not nihilism – and there’s hope, but it’s not naivety,” adds Bridge.
More than 15 years into their career, Northlane continue to stand at the forefront of heavy music globally with a singular sound that shifts the genre’s landscape with every release. With multiple chart-topping albums, awards and over 500 million streams, the band has built a legacy defined by the restless pursuit of innovation. On Anemoia, they have not chosen between the worlds that shaped them – they have finally found where they meet.
