Of all the obstacles and hardships most bands face, one of the most challenging I can think of is replacing a lead vocalist. When a vocalist leaves a band, they often take with them the unique style and lyrical ability that fans know and love. Northlane recently went through this when former frontman left the band at the height of their popularity. After holding an open casting call for a replacement and finding Marcus Bridge, Northlane hit the studio, recorded some tracks, and went straight to touring. Northlane is already at it in full force and not letting anything slow them down. With Marcus at the vocal helm, they’re proving that they’re only just beginning to show what they can do. They took some time out of their current tour to answer some questions we had of what’s new with Northlane.
With changing vocalists, was any of what was to become Node already completed?
Josh: There were bits and pieces in process, but no lyrics and no fully written songs. Just a collection of riffs more or less.
What changed or happened to that when Marcus came on board?
Josh: When Marcus came on board we worked our butts off to write, record and release “Rot” in the space of about two weeks. None of the material or direction of it really changed, the instrumental writing process remained the same.
What has it been like to come in to a band with the worldwide notoriety and recognition that Northlane has achieved?
Marcus: It was pretty daunting coming into it, but it’s been an amazing journey. To see Northlane go from strength to strength back home and then go on to be one of those bands that finally make it out of Australia to then become a part of their journey, I’m extremely grateful and excited to keep pushing Northlane forward.
With your difference in vocal styles, what has it been like covering some of the band’s older material?
Marcus: I definitely had to work for it! I was practicing for hours almost every day leading up to my first tour, as there was obviously a lot of pressure on me not to ruin the songs fans have come to know and love. But I’ve also been able to find ways of putting my spin on some of the older stuff as to bring some of my own personality into our performance.
Was the process of the open auditions for a vocalist a difficult one?
Josh: It was time consuming but definitely worthwhile. We had over 2,000 entries from around the world;, it took forever to sift through them, but it meant we were leaving no stone unturned in our search for a vocalist.
What eventually made you come to the decision to choose Marcus as the newest member?
Josh: We found that he seemed to have the most versatile voice that was most in tune with where we were headed musically. We knew it would work with our material. We also thought that he did by far the best job of writing his own vocal part to “Singularity” which is where all of the other shortlisted contestants really fell short. He also happened to live 15 minutes away from me, and really fit in with the rest of us in a social setting once we jammed, so the decision completely made sense.
What has it been like working with Marcus?
Josh: It’s been awesome, he’s super talented, professional and easy to work with.
Has the writing process changed overall with his addition?
Josh: It has slightly changed. The writing process for the music has remained the same, however with vocals it’s changed in the way that instead of Adrian writing all of the lyrics and melodies/patterns, I’ve shared this role with Marcus. The lyrics have been mostly my domain while he took care of melodies and phrasing. This writing dynamic worked really well for us.
The several songs released off, Node, seem to be a more melodic, less heavy direction than previous albums. Will this be the case for much of the album?
Josh: I think this record is a pretty diverse one. It’s hard for me to say what it sounds like with a blanket statement like “more melodic and less heavy” as things like that are more up to a listener’s discretion. It’s definitely more experimental and progressive.
Northlane – Obelisk [Official Music Video]
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Where does the interest in Egyptian culture come in to play (i.e. Ra)?
Josh: It’s always been an interest of ours. “Ra” and “Obelisk” for example were working titles that Jon gave to the songs. I started the lyrics with the working titles almost like a starting point for the lyrical direction in the sense of a metaphor.
Is there a theme occurring throughout Node as with Singularity?
Josh: It wasn’t a conscious decision with either record really, but Node, overall is about self-empowerment.
Seemingly moving very quickly since the Marcus’ joining the band, to recording Node, to embarking on multiple tours seems very fast-paced and strenuous. How has the past year been for you guys as a band as well as personally?
Josh: It’s been extremely taxing and stressful for us, but now that we are on the other side of all that hard work it’s a huge relief for us.
What has the overall fan reaction been to the changes Northlane has gone through been like for you?
Josh: We were expecting this record to be divisive, and then fan reaction has just been that. We’ve found that whenever we release a new song opinions are very divided, but over time they become more positive, and that’s quite reassuring from our perspective.
With multiple tours coming up and going on currently, how else are you gearing up for the new album?
Josh: Right now we are rehearsing these new songs for said tours and having a lot of fun playing them, I feel like with every record we learn to write songs that translate better in a live setting. It’s sure going to be fun playing them in front of people!
NORTHLANE UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Wed 5 Aug – Vancouver, Canada
Fri 7 Aug – Calgary, Canada
Sat 8 Aug – Edmonton, Canada
Sun 9 Aug – Regina, Canada
Tue 11 Aug – Winnipeg, Canada
Wed 12 Aug – Minneapolis, MN
Thu 13 Aug – Chicago, IL
Fri 14 Aug – Detroit, MI
Sat 15 Aug – Columbus, OH
Mon 17 Aug – Erie, PA
Tue 18 Aug – Philadelphia, PA
Thu 20 Aug – New York, NY
Fri 21 Aug – Boston, MA
Sat 22 Aug – Montral, Canada
Sun 23 Aug – Quebec City, Canada
Mon 24 Aug – Ottawa, Canada
Tue 25 Aug – Hamilton, Canada
Wed 26 Aug – St Catharines, ON
Thu 27 Aug – Toronto, Canada
Fri 28 Aug – London, Canada
