Album Review: Northward - Northward

There's a saying that great music is timeless, that a great song is a great song regardless of when it's heard. It's a comforting thought, to think that we aren't creatures of the moment, and that art can endure as something meaningful well down the road. It happens for certain touchstone artists, but most music slips through the hourglass, and becomes more sand in the pile waiting to be tipped over and buried again. Northward puts the timelessness of music to the test in a different way. A collaboration between Floor Jansen and Jorn Viggo Lofstd, this album was written a decade ago, but is only seeing the light of day now, because scheduling did not allow it to exist beforehand. It feels a bit odd to be talking about decade-old music, but at the same time it is still new. How odd.

I will start by saying I am not well-versed in Floor's lengthy career. I never got into After Forever or ReVamp, and Nightwish has always been a mere trifle on my horizon. I was impressed with her contribution to Metal Allegiance's recent album, where she was the highlight. That said, this is my first real exposure to her in a setting I might enjoy.

"When Love Died" tries to burn rubber out of the gates, wasting no time getting up to speed. Early on, it becomes clear that Northward has two things going for them; amazing vocals and guitar playing. Floor and Jorn are masters with their respective instruments, which gives Northward an air of class and skill that few rock bands of this stripe are able to match. And ever since Jorn left the band of the other Jorn, his playing and saturated guitar tone have been missed, so it's great to hear it again.

For two musicians who have spent so long in the melodic metal world, shifting towards more of a rock orientation was never going to be a complete transition. This record does feel more rock than metal, but the guitar tone and Floor's melodic constructions have plenty in common with their metallic pasts. "Get What You Give" has the kind of swelling melody in the chorus that you can imagine orchestrations bringing to life on a massive scale. It's a lovely moment, even if it isn't quite what I was expecting.

"Storm In A Glass" is a better example of where I thought we were heading, with the pace and hooks borrowing more from melodic rock this time around. It's a bouncy number that does exactly what it's supposed to. Some people might criticize it for not being ambition enough, but that misses the whole point. Melodic rock is about satisfaction, and that is what a song like this one delivers.

One area where the album comes up a bit short is, amazingly, in the vocal department. Not Floor's lead vocals, that is. She is a great singer, and sounds good throughout. The problem is the backing vocals. I have long maintained backing vocals are an under-appreciated bit of importance, and they don't quite work here. There aren't enough of them on some of the choruses, and when they do pop up, they sounds more like a doubled Floor lead than anything. Even when the songs are good, they could sound 'bigger' with a different take on the backing vocals. But that's just me.

So is Northward timeless? That's an interesting question. In a sense, the answer is yes, because this record would have sounded just as relevant when it was written a decade ago as it does now. And given how strains of music no longer seem to die out, I imagine there will be records that sound like this from now until the end of time. On the other hand, I don't think it's timeless in the sense that these songs will endure. "Northward" is a solid album, and it's a fine showcase for these two musicians. There's a lot to like about the record, but I just don't hear the songs that are going to become standards for myself, or most fans.

That leaves us to say this; don't worry about time and legacies. Try as we might, we can't write the future today. Whatever happens to music tomorrow, and the days after, is up to fate. We only control today, and for now, "Northward" is an enjoyable record.