Northlane is a chart-topping, award-winning heavy metal band from Sydney, Australia. The band was formed in 2009, and comprises guitarists Jon Deiley and Josh Smith, drummer Nic Pettersen, and vocalist Marcus Bridge. The metal band's sound combines knotty, angular vamps and jarring dynamics with intricate lyrics.
The group got their name from "North Lane, a song by their fellow metalcore band, The Architect. Since their debut album, Discoveries, in 2011, they have established themselves as one of the leading Australian hardcore acts in the metalcore music genre.
So, with several studio albums, awards, and accolades, who are Northlane? What events led to this Australian metalcore band being as famous as they are today? Let's talk about Northlane.
Northlane was created in 2009 by Jon Deiley, Brendan Derby, Adrian Fitipaldes, Alex Milovic, and Josh Smith in Western Sydney. According to Fitipaldes, the lead vocalist, the heavy metal band was created due to a common interest.
Lead guitarist Deiley and Milovic who played the bass guitar contacted each other to start writing songs. After the songs were written, other members were recruited.
In January 2010, the Northlane band released their six-track debut extended play, Hollow Existence. The EP was well received and recorded success. This breakthrough led to the band's first tour across Australia, establishing them as a tireless live act.
In late 2011, Northlane signed a record deal with UNFD, the record label under which they released their first studio album, Discoveries, in November 2011. This period marked the arrival of Nic Pettersen on drums. Simon Anderson, who played bass on the album, was fired before the album's release.
Discoveries was a huge success, entering the ARIA Album Chart Top 100 and ranking at No. 49 on the ARIA Digital Albums chart. Subsequently, the debut album was later charted at No.1 on the ARIA Hitseekers Albums.
On February 22, 2013, the music video for the single "Quantum Flux" from Northlane's sophomore album, Singularity, was released.
The video achieved mainstream success, debuting at No. 14 on the ARIA Australian Artists Top 20 Singles Chart on March 4, 2013. This was soon followed by the release of their second studio album, Singularity, on March 22, 2013.
The album was well received and soon ranked as No. 1 on the established Australian radio show Short.Fast.Loud's mid-year report. The success of this album extended to outside Australia, leading to an expansive tour of Northlane outside of Australia.
Subsequently, the album was ranked No.1 on the Australian iTunes albums chart and was nominated for Triple J's J Award Album of the Year as one of the ten best albums of 2013. The group soon went on several tours, which included performing at the "Big Day Out" touring festival.
In September 2014, the Northlane band announced via their Facebook page that one of the founding vocalists, Adrian Fitipaldes, would be leaving the band.
The metalcore band group cited health issues as the reason for Fitipaldes's departure and announced that they would accept audition videos via their Facebook page.
After the departure of Adrian Fitipaldes, on October 14, 2014, through an online contest, Northlane announced the arrival of their new vocalist, Marcus Bridge.
On July 24, 2015, Northlane released their third studio album titled Node. The album, produced by Will Putney, soon won the Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album category at the ARIA Music Awards 2015.
In April 2016, the band announced a collaboration song titled "Equinox" with In Hearts Wake. An EP containing three songs, including their collaboration with In Heart Wake, was released on the 20th of that same month.
On March 24, 2017, without prior notice, Northlane released their fourth album, Mesmer. Soon after its release, Mesmer debuted at No.3 on the ARIA Charts, becoming the group's third release to debut in Australia's top 5 in a row. The band announced a tour in Australia and Europe that same year to promote the album.
Subsequently, Northlane announced their first live album, Analog Futur, which was set for release on March 16, 2018. The album had a limited edition vinyl release of only 500 copies.
Brendon Padjasek took over the bass duties and served as an additional vocalist for the group. On April 5, 2019, PhaseOne featured Northlane in his single "Crash & Burn" for his debut album, Transcendency.
That same month, Northlane released a leak of their upcoming fifth album, Alien. On April 30, 2019, the first single as well as the music video for "Bloodline", based on Marcus Bridge's violent upbringing, were released. Soon after the release of their fifth studio album, Alien, it peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Charts.
The following year, in March 2020, Northlane released a raw and revealing documentary titled "Negative Energy" revolving around the album writing and recording process of the team. That same year, the deluxe edition of Alien was announced.
On August 28, 2020, Northlane released their second live album comprising 14 tracks titled Live at the Roundhouse. Subsequently, a remix EP titled 5G was released on 26 February 2021.
Jon Deiley took up the bass, and the following month, the group announced the recording of their sixth studio album. The album, titled Obsidian was later released on April 22.
The Australian metalcore group Northlane is signed to more than one record label. The award-winning band group is currently signed to UNFD, Rise Records, New Damage Records, and Distort Entertainment.
