Artist: Northlane
Album: Singularity
Genre: Progressive Hardcore
Release Date: 4th October 2013
Label: UNFD
Album Review
'Singularity' is the sophomore effort from Australian metal group NORTHLANE and it is an impressive effort. The band blends a mix of Hardcore with progressive metal and as a result creates a very diverse sound that is packed with emotion and also technicality in all the instrumentation. Compared to their debut back in 2011, 'Singularity' is more of a progressive effort, adding in more electronic harmonies such as heard on the track ‘Worldeater’. The varied drumming will instantly draw listener attention along with the stop n' go pace of the guitars that mix between drawn out doomy passages and sharper, shorter crushing passages that would suit more towards technical death metal fans. The vocal work is a mix of Hardcore bellowing and Metalcore screaming, but one never seems to trump the other; each is balanced in their delivery and when layered, sounds even better.
While the album is not very brief, each track stands out on their own. A lot of the semi symphonic backdrop is what gives these songs life such as on ‘Dream Awake’ which is more of an anthem driven track that does not leave room for error as the chorus drives the song. ‘The Calling’ is more of a basic Hardcore piece that will appeal to strict genre purists, but even here NORTHLANE tow a line by keeping a subtle backdrop of harmony all over the track. ‘Singularity’ avoids the Hardcore route and opts more as an interlude track featuring slow almost soothing guitar passages with the spoken word passages before leading into ‘Aspire’, which is a great blend of Hardcore and progressive elements. The dual vocal attack is a strong hallmark of what NORTHLANE can accomplish with their music and keeps listeners distracted from the rather base sound of the guitars which just buzz about. As an overall result, the release of 'Singularity' is a demonstration of how a simple guitar sound that is layered with many other elements creates a diverse and entertaining piece. NORTHLANE continue to break their boundaries and hopefully will in years to come.
Tracklist
01. Genesis - 1:36
02. Scarab - 3:07
03. Windbreaker - 3:44
04. Worldeater - 3:50
05. Quantum Flux - 4:04
06. Dream Awake - 4:17
07. The Calling - 3:12
08. Masquerade - 3:33
09. Singularity - 3:46
10. Aspire - 3:39
Line-up
Adrian – Vocals
Jon – Guitar
Josh – Guitar
Alex – Bass
Nic – Drums
Website
https://www.facebook.com/northlane
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
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