Norma Jean - Wrongdoers

 Norma Jean - Wrongdoers

Rockers Norma Jean are back with a new album to show exactly why to they are referred to as The Almighty Norma Jean. The band has said this is supposed to be a mix of all things Norma Jean combined with a new flavor, and they delivered. If you took every Norma Jean album put it in a pot and turned it up to 11 you'd end up with Wrongdoers. The album is that good and has something for everyone. It has the slower, heavy, songs of Anti-Mother, it has the faster songs of O' God The Aftermath, it has mathcore, hardcore, sludge, and metal all mixed into one, resulting in probably the most progressive and refined album the band has ever released. 

There is no filler on this album, even the track Afterhour Animals which is just a recorded female voice telling you that you are calm, creates atmosphere. Every chord, lyric, riff, beat, has been thoughtfully added to each track. There's plenty of parts that will stick with you similar to lines like 'Tonight the south is on fire'. It makes an amazing album to listen to, but also will make an memorizing live show as well.

While there are really no throw away tracks on here, there are definitely some tracks that stand out on this album as always. Particularly the songs 'If you got it at five then you got it at fifty' and 'The lash whistled like a singing wind' will bring back memories of O' God The Aftermath and Bless The Martyr, 'Potter has no hands' is probably one of their fastest tracks and most mathcore. The title track 'Wrongdoers' is probably my favorite off the album, it'd fit right at home on Redeemer, it's hard but a ballad at the same time. I dare you to try and not get the line 'We make love to the same mistakes' stuck in your head.

What also stands out on this album is the drumming and vocals. Cory Brandan Putman's control over his own voice is almost inhuman, especially in the hardcore genre. Most vocalists can growl, scream, or be melodic. It's the reason why dual vocalists rule the land. Cory started to show off his more melodic side with Vs The Anti-Mother and on this album it's perfected. The little nuances as he switches back and forth can't be rivaled. This album also introduces a new drummer, Clayton Holyoak. To me his drumming is comparable to Daniel Davison who is one of the best drummers of all time. He's better suited to the band and it shows on this album, no beat sounds the same nor is boring.

The only downside to the album is the length, it's not too short, but it's going to leave you wanting to hear more of this new and improved Norma Jean. 2013 has been one of the best years for music so far and Norma Jean saw no reason to break that trend. This is easily one of their best albums, one of their most accessible (not a bad thing) albums, and one of their most progressive and diverse albums. This is a new era of Norma Jean, this is the aftermath.