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NORMA JEAN
Wrongdoers

Razor & Tie (2013)
Rating: 9/10

Metalcore is all grown up. Not so long ago it was a new branch on the heavy metal family tree, and everyone was blown away by it. But I would have told you my faith in metalcore was dying, until I heard Norma Jean’s latest offering, Wrongdoers.

If you’re looking for Warped Tour style metalcore clichés, then run far and fast from Norma Jean, because Georgia’s metalcore messiahs have pulled out all the stops to make their sixth release a unique listening experience. Norma Jean is kicking down all the doors to make the most creative and sonically diverse albums of 2013.

What’s so good about Wrongdoers to make it worthy of such praise, one may ask. Opening with a swelling, buzzing sound that builds into the dense ‘Hive Minds’, the band sets the tone early with an opening track that teeters on the edge of life and death. Perfect melodies and syncopated rhythms war with thick, angry guitars and mix in-your-face, out of control metal with melodies and keyboard to thicken the mix.

This track kicks in with a face shattering rage before switching to a heavy groove that grinds its way through your skull to take up residence in the dark corners of the human brain. Vocalist Cory Brandan wastes no time impressing, mixing screams, growls and melodies to show he’s a top man in his field.

The tone set on ‘Hive Minds’ carries through the remaining tracks. ‘The Potter Has No Hands’ mixes old school hardcore in the vein of Ringworm with modern sounds, moving from the churning, near catastrophe of a verse to a tightly focused chorus. ‘Sword In Mouth, Fire Eyes’ opens with a distorted bass riff, leading up to a slower song that is highlighted by soaring vocal harmonies. The mixture of introspection and brute force take this song from a plea to a weapon.

‘If You Got It At Five, You Got It At Fifty’ roars ahead like an out of control freight train, sounding like an impending catastrophe, yet somehow maintaining perfectly syncopated riffs. This is Norma Jean’s territory – somewhere between destruction and beauty is where this band thrives, and these songs are perfect examples of this dichotomy.

While there are no real low points on Wrongdoers, there are tracks that stand out. Closer ‘Sun Dies, Blood Moon’ is nearly 15 minutes of incredible music. Opening with a bit of sombre guitar work that brings to mind Fugazi, the band soon releases a thick wall of guitars and wailing vocals. Constant shifts from melody to madness show Norma Jean to be an incredible modern rock band capable of depth not exhibited by many of their peers.

The title track is an amazing slab of metal fueled modern rock. ‘Wrongdoers’ moves from pummeling staccato riffs and screams to a heavy rock sing-along chorus, and is sure to become a fan favourite.

Norma Jean has gone through many changes over the years, resulting in a band which includes but one original member, guitarist Chris Day. While some of their releases have been hit and miss, Wrongdoers is all hit. The mix of creativity, power and melody breathe life into a subgenre that has a lot of sound-alike bands. While perfectly in sync with contemporaries like Of Mice And Men, Norma Jean is forging the future of metalcore. Wrongdoers is the shape of metalcore to come.

Jim McDonald

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