Australian electronic-metal trailblazers Northlane stand on the precipice of a definitive career milestone with the announcement of their seventh studio album, Anemoia. Following the trajectory carved out by their critically acclaimed 2019 fifth LP, Alien, the Sydney-based quartet has continued to push the boundaries of heavy music, fusing aggressive metalcore with throbbing trance rhythms, futuristic synth-rock, and intricate electronic soundscapes. Executive produced by Jordan Fish—formerly of Bring Me The Horizon—Anemoia represents an uncompromising leap forward, challenging traditional genre constraints while anchoring its complex sonic architecture in themes of false nostalgia and emotional introspection.
This release, however, arrives amid a backdrop of significant personal and logistical hurdles. The album campaign was forced to weather unexpected setbacks, including a release-date delay and the cancellation of a domestic Australian tour due to severe, chronic health complications faced by rhythm guitarist Josh Smith. Despite these trials, primary songwriter and guitarist Jonathon Deiley, alongside Smith, vocalist Marcus Bridge, and the broader creative collective, have engineered what is poised to be one of the most conceptually and sonically daring heavy records of the decade. As the band prepares for an upcoming UK support tour alongside California’s Dayseeker, Anemoia offers a masterclass in modern metal production, proving that Northlane’s evolution is governed by an unyielding commitment to creative growth and sonic world-building.
Detailed Chronology
The Genesis of a Sound: From Alien to Anemoia
The seeds for Northlane’s current sonic identity were sown long before the conception of Anemoia. While the band had spent years establishing themselves as heavyweights of the progressive metalcore scene, it was 2019’s Alien that marked a seismic shift in their approach. By introducing harsh electronic textures, industrial motifs, and deeply personal lyrical narratives, Northlane demonstrated a rare courage—embracing electronic music integration with a conviction that few of their peers could match.
Where Alien served as an exploratory first step into uncharted waters, Anemoia represents complete immersion. According to primary songwriter Jonathon Deiley, the process of writing the new record was defined by a newfound sense of confidence. Knowing what parameters the band could operate within allowed Deiley to push those boundaries even further, translating complex internal visions into visceral sonic realities without the safety net of creative caution.
The Catalyst: Evian Christ and the Birth of a Lead Single
The campaign for Anemoia truly kicked into gear with the release of its lead single, "Evian." The track, a sprawling collision of grinding metal riffs and pulse-pounding trance elements, was directly inspired by a life-altering musical experience. Deiley attended a stripped-back, ambient trance set by British producer Evian Christ during the Melbourne-based RISING festival.
Struck by the raw, aggressive potential of trance music stripped of its traditional kick drum and paired with futuristic synth design, Deiley walked away from the performance with a singular obsession: to marry that distinct electronic subgenre with the low-tuned, heavy instrumentation of a modern metal band. This conceptual spark became the foundational DNA for Anemoia, shaping not only "Evian" but the overarching sonic palette of the entire record.
Setbacks, Health Battles, and Resilience
As the band geared up for the rollout of Anemoia, the campaign faced a stark reality check. Originally slated for an October 30 release alongside a comprehensive Australian headline tour, the album schedule was pushed back to November 27 due to severe, debilitating health issues experienced by rhythm guitarist Josh Smith.
The public disclosure of Smith’s condition shed light on the physical toll of a career in heavy music. Battling chronic spine issues for nearly eight years—compounded by a suspected connective tissue disorder causing rapid spinal degeneration—Smith detailed the immense difficulty of long-haul travel and live performance. Following unsuccessful treatments over a multi-year span, Smith secured an interim solution via an intradiscal injection administered by a neurosurgeon, buying him enough relief to navigate touring commitments ahead of a major lower-back fusion surgery scheduled for June. Despite the hardships, the delay inadvertently afforded tracks like the drum-and-bass-infused single "Deathwish" a dedicated moment in the spotlight, allowing the band’s most experimental facets to breathe before the full album drop.
Supporting Context & Metrics
The Jordan Fish Effect
A pivotal element in the creation of Anemoia was the involvement of executive producer Jordan Fish. Widely credited as the architect behind Bring Me The Horizon’s monumental genre-blending breakthrough on 2013’s Sempiternal, Fish brought a shared ethos and an invaluable open-mindedness to Northlane’s studio sessions.
Deiley noted that Fish’s collaborative approach helped dismantle the suffocating perfectionism that had historically plagued the songwriter’s process. Operating without ego, Fish fostered a calm, highly productive environment—a dynamic so harmonious that Deiley’s partner remarked she had never seen the band members look so serene while creating music.
Guitarist Josh Smith observed that Fish was uniquely equipped to understand Deiley’s sprawling vision, comparing the creative synergy of these sessions to landmark Northlane records like Singularity (2013) and Alien (2019). By providing an objective ear and streamlining the production workflow, Fish helped elevate Deiley’s confidence, resulting in what the band believes is a defining career statement.
Deconstructing the Sonic Architecture
Anemoia is characterized by its staggering over-stimulation and meticulous layering—a reflection, in part, of Deiley’s lifelong experience with ADHD. However, beneath the chaotic exterior lies a strict set of compositional rules designed to prevent sonic muddying.
Notably, on tracks like "Deathwish," the traditional bass guitar was entirely omitted to prevent phase-smearing against the heavily processed synth-bass frequencies. By utilizing manufactured and processed sub-frequencies to mimic and bolster guitar tones, Northlane achieved an unprecedented level of heaviness. Rather than relying on traditional arrangements, the band utilized the full spectrum of sound to push air, redefining what a heavy guitar can—and should—sound like in a contemporary mix.
Unpacking the The Psychology of "Anemoia"
The album’s title, Anemoia, refers to a profound, melancholic nostalgia for a time period one has never actually lived through. The concept crystallized during a conversation between Deiley and band photographer Rob McCoy.
While the record utilizes throwback synth sounds reminiscent of late-90s and early-2000s commercial trance and breakbeat music, the intention was not mere pastiche. Instead, Deiley was borrowing the sonic textures of an era when popular music felt intrinsically edgier and less digitally homogenized. Fittingly, discovering the word Anemoia after much of the music had already been written mirrored the plotting of a "whodunit" thriller—working backward from a conceptual crime to reveal a surprising, perfectly tailored twist at the conclusion.
Official Statements
Reflecting on the grueling realities of touring alongside a degenerative condition, Josh Smith offered candid insight into the band’s recent hurdles:
"Honestly, I hated having to share that [health news], but it made me reflect on what I’ve been dealing with. For probably eight years now, I’ve been having problems with my spine… It also looks like I have a connective tissue disorder, which means my spine is degenerating really fast. When I travel, it brings out the worst of it… I’m pretty gung-ho about my health, but it’s what my body is, I guess, and I have to deal with that."
Discussing the collaborative magic brought to the studio by executive producer Jordan Fish, Jonathon Deiley highlighted the shift in his own creative psychology:
"He wasn’t anything like what I was expecting. He’s super lovely and to the point, but not rude… He’s got a great musical mind and he’s like me, in that he loves the puzzle of making music. He loves getting deep into the weeds… When Jordan, myself, and Marcus were all cooking, my partner came home from work one day and said, ‘I’ve never seen you guys look so calm and happy while making music.’"
Josh Smith expanded on Fish’s profound impact on Deiley’s creative confidence:
"I stepped back because they had such a good flow going, and I’m a really big fan of letting people do their thing and not involving myself for the sake of it. I’ve never seen Jon work with someone like that before. For the first time, I could see him being understood by a producer… Jon was getting all this confidence in what he was doing, and you could hear that confidence in the music."
Addressing the band’s mission to bridge the gap between electronic club culture and heavy music, Deiley emphasized his vision for the live environment:
"I treat it like a DJ set, because a DJ set doesn’t have gaps. It’s not like, ‘Here’s this song.’ I want you to watch it, listen — and then the show’s done. You can walk away like, ‘Whoa, I just ate fucking 60 minutes of sound.’ I want to bring that experience that I get when I go to shows like that, which is [about] bringing the club to the metal world."
Future Outlook
As Northlane counts down to the official November 27 release of Anemoia, the band finds themselves navigating a unique intersection of uncertainty and immense artistic triumph. While health obstacles have forced a temporary restructuring of their touring calendar—keeping Jonathon Deiley at home while Josh Smith utilizes medical interventions to manage his condition—the internal momentum of the band has arguably never been stronger.
The forthcoming live campaign will test the boundaries of their newly realized soundscapes. With plans to curate live sets that flow with the uninterrupted intensity of a continuous DJ mix, Northlane aims to immerse audiences in a relentless, all-encompassing wall of sound. Following the album’s release, the band is set to take these boundary-pushing compositions across the UK as main support for Dayseeker, running from November 28 through December 6.
Ultimately, Anemoia represents more than just a seventh chapter for the Sydney quartet; it is a definitive statement on the future of heavy music. By refusing to conform to traditional genre binaries, Northlane is actively reshaping the landscape of modern metal. Whether other bands follow suit or conventional metal purists continue to catch up to their progressive
vision, Northlane has firmly established that the future of heavy music belongs to those willing to embrace the full, unbridled spectrum of sound.
