The Toronto band Napoleon released their new EP, Napoleon, Vol. 1, on Feb. 27.
Consisting of vocalist Jonathan Elmaleh, bassist Camilo Martinez and drummer Eitan Garazi, the band was founded in 2018, when they were in grade 12.
Napoleon began as a hard rock band, but the group’s sound has evolved over time.
“I would say we’re definitely a metalcore band nowadays,” Elmaleh said. “We’ve definitely been getting heavier […] We started more as a hard rock kind of band, then became more of a punk band, then a post-hardcore band.”
Highlights of the group’s career thus far include a performance at the Velvet Underground in Toronto in 2022, which Elmaleh described as the first time they had ever performed such a large show, and their release show for their EP Dear God in 2024 at the Toronto dive bar Sneaky Dee’s.
“[The Dear God release show] was completely sold out as well, and that was the first time we’d ever sold a legitimate amount of tickets to one of our own shows […] It was just a really special show,” Elmaleh reflected.
On Feb. 27, the band released their latest EP, Napoleon, Vol. 1, preceded by the single “No Victory” earlier in February. As the title implies, the EP will be the first in a planned three-part series, which will eventually form their full-length debut album.
“We’ve been writing this for a while,” Elmaleh explained. “I found that there’s three distinct, separate flavours to what the songs sound like, so, I had the idea […] to just split it into three […] Because people will get it in smaller doses, they’ll be more inclined to listen to the whole thing.”
The group supported the album with concerts in Ontario and Montreal from Feb. 27 through March 1. Elmaleh said that the group hopes to perform in Winnipeg sometime in the future. On their recent shows, Elmaleh said, “We definitely found that the vibes of these shows were different. We were playing primarily the new songs, and even the old songs we tuned down a bit. So, they all sound a little bit beefier, a little heavier, and it’s making us play it with more energy and aggression.”
When asked what fans would love about Napoleon, Vol. 1, Elmaleh said, “I hope that they appreciate how much heavier it is than the past. We definitely noticed stronger responses to our heavier tracks. People like the breakdown vibe and stuff. So, it’s like […] ‘Let’s just put a bunch of heavy breakdowns in the song, make the songs super fast, super heavy.’”
Napoleon’s latest EP, Napoleon, Vol. 1, is now available on Spotify and Apple Music. For more information on future releases and upcoming concerts, visit napoleontoronto.com or follow the band on Instagram @napoleontoronto.
