Source: Album Artwork
Node is in every sense, true to its word. Following the departure of beloved frontman Adrian Fitipaldes, Northlane were left in a ‘do or die’ scenario. Capturing ex-Sound of Seasons vocalist Marcus Bridge under their wing, Northlane 2.0 was born, and with that, a re-generation no one saw coming.
Taking their crossroads by the head, the Australian metalcore giants have taken their roots and turned them into a flourished post-hardcore masterpiece – Node is not only a new beginning, but a glorious triumph of trials and tribulations.
Node bursts at the seams with progressive melodic allure from the get go. Opener ‘Soma’ crescendos into a criss-cross of cleans and binary moments. Its a stepping stone as to who they define themselves as from this point onwards. What’s refreshing is that they’ve adapted to their new vocalist’s range – not tried to copy what they’ve done before, and it shines.
Following track ‘Obelisk’ piles in the groovy riffs – enough to pack room full of jumping kids. Underneath those riffs is an anthemic standpoint, and a very different tone to what you’d expect. Its a refreshing change from the norm of the hardcore blueprint that saturates the rock community.
As the album progresses, their fallback hard hitting qualities continue to take a back seat to their new offerings. Fiery at core ‘Ohm’ and ‘Impulse’ are more of the gut-busting belters you’d expect with their low and steady, heavy soul.
But its ‘Nameless’ and ‘Rot’ that truly surprise in this 11-track splendour. The vocals are elegant and thoughtful, with a tad of electronica thrown in for good measure. Don’t worry though, as when you least expect it, they drop pit moments on you that just make you want to go ‘Corrrrr!’.
The easy route would have been to stick to what Northlane knew best. With determination and a positive energy, they’ve re-defined themselves and taken a huge risk. Its payed off, big time.
Huge anthemic moments, delicate vocality and a ferocious heart – Node is the album of their career so far.
