Norma Jean Albums (4)
'The Norma Jean Vs the Anti Mother'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 10
Label EMI CMG
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Another Norma Jean album, another lineup change. This time, drummer Chris Raines steps in for the absent Daniel Davison, who exited the lineup in 2007 to pursue a career in visual art. Raines is a solid replacement, having honed his percussive thunder with Spitfire, and The Anti Mother offers up another batch of cathartic, pummeling metal. Although the bandmates still flaunt an ability to grind their audience's eardrums into powder, Norma Jean's hidden strength lies in their dedication to melody, which hides behind walls of sound and rears its head during key moments. "Self Employed Chemist" and "Robots 3 Humans 0" are prime examples, mixing distortion with melodic hooks and vocal harmonies. Norma Jean's members aren't softening in their old age; rather, they've learned to add variation to the metalcore pattern, injecting bursts of melody and offering cameo spots to members of the Deftones, Mighty Six Ninety, Saosin, Helmet, and others. The Anti Mother ultimately boasts the best of both worlds: heavy riffage with manic, tortured shrieking, and aggressive melodies sung with equal parts passion and grit. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On their third release overall, 2006's Redeemer, the Atlanta metal quintet Norma Jean hook up with Korn/Limp Bizkit producer Ross Robinson, and the results are just what you'd expect. With the right amount of angst, rubbery riffs, and brief detours into tranquil bits, all of Robinson's trademarks are present. And truth be told, the "Robinson approach" seems to work well for the group, as singer Cory Brandan seems to live to scream his head off, and guitarists Chris Day and Scottie Henry can't wait to detune their guitars to "death metal D" (or is it C?). Burning anger is the name of the game here, as heard on (or more fittingly, assaulted by) the likes of "A Grand Scene for a Color Film" and "A Small Spark vs. a Great Forest." But Norma Jean have a surprise or two up their sleeve, as they trod oh so gently upon prog metal territory on "Songs Sound Much Sadder." Some may argue that the tunes on Redeemer sound akin to the majority of the bands spotted on your average episode of Headbanger's Ball. Yet Norma Jean manage to add a conviction to their performances that appears to be lost in the shuffle by some similarly styled bands. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'O God, The Aftermath'
Release Date 3/1/2005
Tracks 11
Label Solid State
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Norma Jean's lineup shifted again between Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child and 2005's O God, The Aftermath -- the Georgia metalcore unit got a new bassist in Jake Schultz, and replaced vocalist Josh Scrogin with former Eso Charis shouter Cory Brandan. Still, there's no rage or passion lost. Brandan is comparably distraught on the microphone, and he matches wits ably with the pummel of Norma Jean's twin guitars. "This world is damned to hell and it's a revelation," he spits over the manic, jagged rhythms of "'Coffinspire." "I'll set myself on fire/Come on, watch me burn." Later, in "Pretendeavor," Brandan speaks directly and with force. "Oh my God, hand us down our ribbons/You death defier you/Far from fear, we are." It's an important tactic in the Norma Jean arsenal, this balance between pain and religious fervor, between hate and hope. Hardcore, metal, whatever -- heavy music pierces the soul. And with O God, The Aftermath, it's clear Norma Jean has entwined its faith so tightly around its amplifiers that there's no separating the two without destruction of one. Isis and Mastodon producer Matt Bayles helps with this stance, removing any reverb (maybe even any overdubs?) to reveal Norma Jean's gristle. Revealing the truth he leaves to the band. "Murderotica," "Vertebraille" (?) These songs are relentless. Their gaps, stops, starts, and interplay of single and dual guitars push the listener toward the meaning with a dynamic volatility. "Bayonetwork"'s rabid pace cuts out for an almost melody, and Brandan delivers the payoff: "This is between me and this blade/And my heart." "Disconnecktie" (these word-jumble titles are a little trying) is a ten-minute powerhouse of swirling distortion chum and ambient metal driftwood -- it sketches more of the ship and sea imagery that drifts throughout the album. "Scientifiction" is another album highlight. It's the record's last song, but after 45 minutes Norma Jean is still screaming mad, intensely passionate, and seemingly incapable of coming up with a riff that doesn't rip through bone and sinew, right to the heart of the matter. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child'
Release Date 8/13/2002
Tracks 11
Label Solid State
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child is the first outing since Luti-Kriss adopted the new name Norma Jean, due to constant confusion from certain venues who believed the band was the hip-hop MC Ludacris. While the band's old material showed great promise, few could have expected such a ferocious follow-up, as this is an album that can be described simply as audio chaos. Norma Jean follows no rhyme or reason, and bludgeons the listener with repeated blasts of macabre hardcore/metal that are as confusing as they are cataclysmic. While few bands could pull off placing a 15-plus-minute track in the center of an album, Norma Jean dares to be different, and manages to place "Pretty Soon, I Don't Know What, but Something Is Going to Happen" effectively without killing the album's momentum. The only real problem that arises on Bless the Martyr is that in all the commotion, Norma Jean tends to get lost amidst the carnage, involuntarily dragging songs on with no end in sight. Regardless of those mishaps, Norma Jean has patched together an intimidating album of gargantuan proportions. Killswitch Engage's Adam Dutkiewicz once again has gone above and beyond with his incredible production capabilities, somehow capturing all the mayhem these five men churn out without ever allowing the songs to appear muddy or noisy. It is a shame that shortly before the album's release half of the band abandoned ship, leaving the group's future in the hands of fate. ~ Jason D. Taylor, All Music Guide
