Review Summary: "Redeemer" is a return to form for a band that seemed to have lost their touch. A beautiful, dirty, brutal, and suprising piece of work.
Good ole' Norma Jean. What can you say? Virtually the inventors of the hardcore genre, the Georgia-based five-piece have released a beast of a third album. While I personally love "Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child", I was not the only one who scoffed at "O God, the Aftermath", a true letdown. "Redeemer" is exactly what it implies; it is a return-to-form piece of pure, gut-wrenching fury.
Cory Brandan, the successor to the previously sorely missed Norma Jean staple Josh Scogin, has stepped up his game and has come into his own style. While he does tend to channel Scogin still lyric-wise and rythm-wise, Brandan is truly at his best when he rips his vocal chords apart and when (suprisingly!) he unleashes his interesting singing voice. This is notable because it is not even true singing, more of an off-tune belting-yell that mixes perfectly witht the updated Norma Jean sound. It is a true gem to hear Brandan in "A Small Spark Vs. a Great Forest" belt out the chorus. Awesome in every respect. To criticize Brandan is all too easy though since he is essentially following in Scogin's footsteps (some big shoes to fill). It is still, at the basic level, Scogin's style, but Brandan has re-vamped it by adding his own tricks to the mix. A very nice effort vocally.
Sonically, nothing could of suprised emore. At first listen, the guitars almost seem like a strange, twangy, distored clean sound. In essence, Norma Jean and supertar producer Ross Robinson have come up with a guitar tone that has never truly been heard before. Equal parts the Chariot tone and Lynard Skynard twang, the guitars are very pronounced and only rarely fall into the messy category. They only get lost when the guitarists do, which I will talk about in a little bit. Production wise, the drums are right on; the vocals are sometimes lost, but for the most part shine; and the bass is pure, pure, pure magic. They just do not record bass like this anymore. Take the song "A tempermental Widower", the bass rips into your chest and never lets go. This is a muddy, powerful and destructive bass tone. Also prevalent in "The Longest Lasting Statement" which features bass booms that threaten to smash your head in. I tell you, there hasn't been bass tones this good in hardcore ever. EVER. I added the .5 to my 4 just because of it. Ross Robinson is a bass master and should recieve a medal for it.
Not everything is hunky dory though. If you know anything about Norma Jean is that they have never been one to write stand-alone songs. The songs flow well and are sometimes written especially to flow ("The End of All Things Will Be Televised" for instance). Also, the songwriting sometimes repeats itself as expected. What was not expected is that it is a lot less prevalent this time around which already sets it far, far, far away from "O, God..." status. Also, the so-called "Norma Jean chord", the dissonant chord used by Norma Jean and the Scogin-lead the Chariot, is unleashed a lot. This is necessarily bad (it's Norma Jean...), but sometimes it can get repetitive. Basically, you have to like this style of music or you will probably not dig this album. I'm not sure, but it will probably not create many converts.
Another topic to address is the returning melody and soundscapes from "Bless the Martyr..." which were sorely missed in their last outing. Let no one say Norma Jean can not create a haunting atmosphere because they are dead wrong. In almost every song there is a part or parts that showcase a brooding atmospheric quality that is straight out of a dirty horror movie like "the Texas Chainsaw Massacre". "Redeemer" bleeds atmosphere, which is another credit to Mr. Robinson (well done sir!). Norma Jean hit it right on the head this time around; beautifully done.
That's not to say good ole' Norma Jean can't get dirty now and again. Repeatedly throughout the album are blistering breakdowns coupled with brutal screams and the infamous "Norma Jean chord". These harken back to "Bless the Martyr..." days and bring back the best of what was "O, God..."; the power to truly jack you in the gut. There were many times when my brow furrowed and I went "Wow...". It is a rare gem that will do that to you; after listening through "Redeemer" you feel like you have just lost a fistfight to a big redneck. This is a testament to the emotion Norma Jean brings, and the truly amazing production Ross Robinson achieves.
A few nitpicky things keep this album from true greatness as the best metal album of '06 (which is kept by the truly ingenious "Define the Great Line" by UnderOath). But this is a close, close second. In fact, some aspects surpass that of the Oath's outing, but it's just not enough.
All the tracks are great on "Redeemer", but my personal faves are these few:
* Blueprints for Future Homes
* A Small Spark vs. a Great Forest
* The End Of All Things Will Be Televised
*Amnesty Please
Pros:
*Amazing production, the sounds on this album are unbelievable (especially the bass)
*Cory Brandan- the vocals are significantly better than his previous efforts
*Returning melody and 'gasp!'... singing!?!
Cons:
*Overuse of the patented "Norma Jean chord"
*Sometimes uninventive song structure
*Cory Brandan may channel Josh Scogin a little too much
Bottom Line:
If you like Norma Jean, buy it. If you like metal, buy it. This is easy... buy it. I did and I love it.
