There’s a lot to be said for progression (unless you’re AC/DC). After all, no artist wants to be stuck in a rut, churning out the same album every few years, although listening to Killswitch Engage’s recent output, you could be forgiven for thinking this might be a gross generalisation.
Anyway. Norma Jean were once talked about in the same awed tones as Converge. Their debut, ‘Bless The Martyr and Kiss The Child’, was a raw and assured one, echoing the perhaps more ferocious peers, with a dash of Snapcase’s interlocking riffs. As the years progressed, they’ve taken themselves into a more post-hardcore direction. While it could be argued that they could be classed as metalcore, but that obliterate that argument: like the lady they take their moniker from, there’s something deeper going on beyond that rabidly vacuous genre.
Eight years on, and Norma Jean have opted for a more rounded approach on ‘Meridonal’. While they’re still capable of kicking up a damn fine stomp, these days there’s far more of an emphasis on what could patronisingly called “accessibility”. Yes, there’s clean vocals aplenty, but then there’s also the taunt riffing that effortlessly keeps boring chinstrokers like me locked in. Take for example ‘Falling From The Sky: Day Seven’. Now, the vocals may well sound cut and pasted. However, the general approach – a slow burning number with cymbal crashes and intermittent guitar sweeps – is so rarely done this well that even if you’ve heard and hated this style before, you can’t help but be taken in by it.
On the flipside though, for those of you who like ‘old’ Norma Jean, and lean towards the likes of December, you may find this album a bit lightweight. It’s a fair comment, but then again, there’s still plenty to get your teeth in: the splendidly titled ‘Bastardiszer’ and ‘The Anthem Of The Angry Brides’ both can remind you of Botch if you’re in the right frame of mind, with the later throwing in a crushing hardcore breakdown as well.
Overall, this isn’t a spectacular album, but at least Norma Jean have retained their musical abilities in order to create something interesting, even if they have been seemingly skewed towards a more mainstream direction.
http://www.myspace.com/normajean
