Many older fans will breathe deep sighs when they hear that Norma Jean has released a new song, partly because those same people remember the glory days of the Douglasville outfit’s hardcore shows that terrorized major cities (as well as all of your Hell Fest DVD’s), and feel a need to decry how this isn’t “them” anymore. And while it’s true that only one original member remains (guitarist Chris Day), their mission statement seems blatantly clear on their new single, “1,000,000 Watts.”
The track is something we’ve been waiting for since vocalist Cory Brennan joined—the ability to adapt their sound into something interesting and chaotic, yet somehow beautiful. Sure, you can talk about Norma Jean’s flawless debut, Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child, and how their next album, O’God, the Aftermath, drastically changed the public’s perception of hardcore music. But when the group released “No Passenger, No Parasite” off of 2006’s Redeemer, the entire culture of the band shifted. They became less of a metalcore band, emphatically declaring that they could move in a different direction and still deliver the goods.
That method continued when Chino Moreno from the Deftones appeared on multiple tracks on 2008’s Anti Mother, where the blood-curling screams were balanced with layered harmonies and Brennan’s newly found singing voice. Their next two efforts, Meridonal and Wrongdoers, also followed suit, morphing the once hardcore giants into something else entirely. The only way I can convey their transformation is to compare it to what Converge’s Jacob Bannon did on You Fail Me, where he started experimenting with his vocals on nearly every song.
“1,000,000 Watts,” the first offering from Norma Jean’s new album Polar Similar, takes tiny cues from every album they’ve released and melds it into a driving, throaty hybrid that, frankly, surprised me on my first listen. Heavy, delay-riddled guitars set the stage, while Brennan’s vocals soothe you one moment and then kick you in the teeth the next. But at the 4:11 mark, as the song is nearing the end, the band throws you a curveball that you would have never expected-a stark piano and vocal outro that adds an element of moody gloom, without diluting the overall tenacity of the song.
Check it out below.
Polar Similar will be released Sept. 9 via Solid State Records. Pre-orders are available here.
More Info
Web: normajeannoise.com
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