Obsidian (Northlane album)

Obsidian
Studio album by
Northlane
Released22 April 2022
RecordedApril–June 2021
StudioChris Blancato's Studio, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genre
Length56:15
Label
ProducerNorthlane
Northlane chronology
Alien
(2019) 		Obsidian
(2022) 		Mirror's Edge
(2024)
Singles from Obsidian
  1. "Clockwork"
    Released: 18 March 2021
  2. "Echo Chamber"
    Released: 10 November 2021
  3. "Plenty"
    Released: 27 January 2022
  4. "Carbonized"
    Released: 23 March 2022

Obsidian is the sixth studio album by Australian heavy metal band Northlane. Originally scheduled for release on 1 April 2022, it was released on 22 April 2022 through the band's independent label Worldeater Records and distributed by Believe Music.[7][8] It was self-produced by the band themselves and recorded at Chris Blancato's Studio in Sydney.[9][10]

At the 2022 ARIA Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album.[11]

The album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year at the 2022 J Awards.[12]

At the AIR Awards of 2023, the album was nominated for Independent Album of the Year and won Best Independent Heavy Album or EP.[13][14]

Background and promotion

On 18 March 2021, the band released a brand new single "Clockwork" along with an accompanying music video. The single has been chosen as the official theme song for the video game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege at that year's Oceanic Nationals eSports League.[15] On the same day, they also announced that bassist Brendon Padjasek departed from the band in order to focus on his home life, with the group intending to continue on as a quartet for the time being, with Jon Deiley handling bass duties since.[16][17] On 19 April, the band confirmed that they had begun recording the album.[18] On 10 June, the band announced that they have finished recording the album.[19]

On 10 November, the band officially released the new lead single "Echo Chamber" along with its music video. At the same time, the band revealed the album itself, the album cover, the track list, and release date.[20][21][22] To promote the album, the band also announced their upcoming Australia tour which will start in June 2022 with Plini, Sleep Token and ALT as supports.[23][24][25] On 27 January 2022, the band unveiled the third single "Plenty".[26][27] On 20 February, due to the ongoing supply chain issues, the band announced that they pushed back the release of the album to 22 April.[28] On 23 March, one month before the album release, the band released the fourth single "Carbonized" and its corresponding music video.[29]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net6/10[1]
Distorted Sound9/10[6]
Kerrang![2]
KillYourStereo[3]
Rock Sins6/10[4]
Wall of Sound6.5/10[5]

The album received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Taylor Markarian from Blabbermouth.net gave the album 6 out of 10 and said: "In the end, Obsidian is a highly experimental record that sounds like a mishmash of the members' favorite genres. A little more finesse in the songwriting would have made it more palatable and given it a greater sense of direction."[1] Distorted Sound scored the album 9 out of 10 and said: "Obsidian is nothing short of transcendental, displaying the frightening potential NORTHLANE have at their fingertips to continuously reinvent their sound. Whilst significantly longer than their previous efforts there are no moments which feel unnecessary or expendable. Each track is formidable enough to stand on its own and keep you engaged on the euphoric journey they have created. Not like we needed any further evidence that they are a phenomenally talented collective but this release has further cemented their legacy as one of the most inventive bands in the world."[6] Kerrang! gave the album 3 out of 5 and stated: "After the success they experienced with previous album Alien, it would have been easy for Northlane to rest on their laurels, but instead they continued to expand and develop their sound in exciting and unexpected ways on Obsidian – their job here is done."[2]

Lili Jean Berry from KillYourStereo gave the album 5 out of 5 and said: "Overall thoughts are that this definitely feels like the natural progressive step for Northlane. They've matured without sounding foreign and they've explored without being jarring."[3] Kyle Dimond of Rock Sins rated the album 6 out of 10 and said: "Obsidian's musical content unfortunately shares some of the characteristics of the themes that it touches on. It's a record that sounds like it's moving forward and constantly shifting but in the process, has left behind a sense of connection."[4] Wall of Sound gave the album a score 6.5/10 and saying: "By Obsidian's own merits, it's not mediocre or awful. But most everything on Obsidian just hits and lands differently and, well, lesser."[5]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Northlane; all music is composed by Northlane

Obsidian track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Clarity"5:53
2."Clockwork"3:58
3."Echo Chamber"3:47
4."Carbonized"3:45
5."Abomination"4:10
6."Plenty"3:40
7."Is This a Test?"3:30
8."Xen"5:48
9."Cypher"4:37
10."Nova"4:27
11."Inamorata"3:50
12."Obsidian"3:56
13."Dark Solitaire"4:54
Total length:56:15
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
1."Clarity" (instrumental)5:53
2."Clockwork" (instrumental)3:58
3."Echo Chamber" (instrumental)3:47
4."Carbonized" (instrumental)3:45
5."Abomination" (instrumental)4:10
6."Plenty" (instrumental)3:40
7."Is This a Test?" (instrumental)3:30
8."Xen" (instrumental)5:48
9."Cypher" (instrumental)4:37
10."Nova" (instrumental)4:27
11."Inamorata" (instrumental)3:50
12."Obsidian" (instrumental)3:56
13."Dark Solitaire" (instrumental)4:54
Total length:56:15

Personnel

Northlane

  • Marcus Bridge – lead vocals
  • Jon Deiley – guitars, bass, programming, drum pad
  • Josh Smith – guitars
  • Nic Pettersen – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

  • Northlane – production
  • Chris Blancato – additional production, engineering
  • Adam "Nolly" Getgood – mixing
  • Ermin Hamidovic – mastering
  • Dan Barkle – artwork

Charts

Chart performance for Obsidian
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 1
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[31] 29
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[32] 22

References

  1. ^ a b c d Markarian, Taylor (22 April 2022). "NORTHLANE "Obsidian"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Chaudhry, Aliya (21 April 2022). "Album review: Northlane – Obsidian". Kerrang!. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Jean Berry, Lili (19 April 2022). "Album Review: Northlane - Obsidian". KillYourStereo. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e Dimond, Kyle (2 May 2022). "Northlane – Obsidian". Rock Sins. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e Sievers, Alex (21 April 2022). "Northlane – Obsidian (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b c McHugh, Dan (27 April 2022). "ALBUM REVIEW: Obsidian – Northlane". Distorted Sound Mag. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Obsidian". Qobuz. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Northlane inks new deal with global indie Believe [exclusive]". The Music Network. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Northlane Announce New Album "Obsidian" + Share Video for New Song 'Echo Chamber'". Rock 'N' Load. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Northlane take on internet nonsense on new song Echo Chamber". Kerrang!. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  11. ^ Lars Brandle (12 October 2022). "Rüfüs Du Sol Leads 2022 ARIA Awards Nominees (Full List)". The Music Network. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Here's all the J Awards 2022 nominees!". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Nominees Announced for the Australian Independent Music Awards 2023". Music Feeds. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  14. ^ "King Stingray and Genesis Owusu Win Big at 2023 AIR Awards". Music Feeds. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  15. ^ "NEWS: Northlane release new single, 'Clockwork'!". Dead Press!. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Northlane Part Ways With Bassist Brendon Padjasek". ThePRP. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Jonathon Deiley's post". Instagram. 3 November 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
  18. ^ "NEWS: Northlane begin recording sixth album!". Dead Press!. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  19. ^ "NL6 is fully recorded". 10 June 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2022 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Northlane Discuss Their Upcoming New Album 'Obsidian'". ThePRP. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Northlane share first details of impending sixth album, 'Obsidian'". NME. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Northlane Have Announced The Details Of Their New Album 'Obsidian'". Rock Sound. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Northlane announce new album and 2022 Australian tour". ToneDeaf. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Metalcore Band Northlane Are Releasing a "Fully Fledged EDM And Techno" Album". EDM.com. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Northlane Shares a New Single and Video "Echo Chamber" – New Album Incoming". Ghost Cult. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Northlane Gear Up For Obsidian With 'Plenty'". Wall of Sound. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Northlane return to their roots on belting new single 'Plenty'". NME. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Northlane Delay Release Of New Album 'Obsidian'". ThePRP. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Northlane Shares New Single and Video – 'Carbonized'". Ghost Cult. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  30. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  31. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 May 2022.