Oh yes. The great and mighty Norma Jean are back. For a band that at times has been accused of copycatting, they’ve reached a level of revered-ness in the hardcore scene that resembles another band of occasional plagiarizers–Led Zeppelin. Yes, we’re talking all-time greats here, and it might be argued that over the albums spanning their career leading up to this release they’ve gained the kind of reputation that only a few bands of this ilk ever manage to wrap their fingers around. When all the other metalcore bands decided to be fast and technical, Norma Jean has always been the kind of band to just tear the building apart, chaotic riff after riff. Even their one foray into math-metal, O’ God the Aftermath, was pure crunchiness.

 

With the release of The Anti Mother, Norma Jean is once again saying to hell with their fan base. Those who’re familiar with the band will know what I’m talking about-the band has a history of drastic change, from the breakdown-filled hardcore of Bless the Martyr to the mathcore of Oh God to the pummeling beast of a record that is Redeemer, the band from Douglasville, GA has never seemed to worry much about catering to the crowd who loved their last album. Anti doesn’t reverse this trend-this time around the wall of sound that the band is known for is replaced by a sharp hookiness that relies more on chords and less on the bizarro scales that have filled previous records.

 

Also adding to the ire of old school fans, vocalist Cory Brandon sings. A lot. I mean, for whole songs. Thankfully he keeps his pitch at a sort of worn out rasp… there’s nothing emo about it. In fact, while this album may easily be the most melodic entry into NJ’s catalog, it’s as close to being emo as your grandpa is to actually putting on skinny jeans and black eyeliner. Heck, “Death of the Anti Mother” may be the heaviest, most ass-kicking song in their entire repertoire.

 

And that’s what’s really odd about this album. The highs really are higher, in some cases too high (“Surrender Your Sons”) and the lows really are nastier and heavier (“And There Will Be a Swarm of Hornets”), as if a split-personality has developed-which is altogether possible. The creation of the Anti-Mother character that slithers throughout the album may be the greatest influence on the songwriting here. But this is not a true concept album. Speaking of songwriting, the band brought in several guests to help write a few of the songs–Page Hamilton of Helmet appears on one song, and Chino Moreno of Deftones and Cove Reber of Saosin both make contributions to “Surrender Your Sons,” which unfortunately is the weakest effort on the album–it doesn’t resemble a Norma Jean song in any fashion.

 

Arguably the greatest triumph of the record is “Robots 3, Humans 0,” a machine-like rocker that pulses and rips as Brandon’s broken voice rides a tide of soaring guitars. There is an air of confidence filling the track that manages to combine the classic Norma Jean metal swagger with the new streamlined feel, something they don’t seem to capture with the other melodic songs. The album closer, “And There Will Be a Swarm of Hornets” is a barn-burner in the classic demolition crew style, as if reminding the listener that Norma Jean hasn’t “sold out”-that most deadly of sins.

 

And really, there’s nothing here to imply that the band is “selling out.” It’s the kind of album made by a band that’s in the middle of a growth spurt. And with growth spurts come awkward pains and embarrassments… even for bands as talented as Norma Jean. The Anti Mother is no embarrassment, however–just flawed.

 

Check out Norma Jean on myspace: www.myspace.com/normajean