Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child
Is an album by Norma Jean.
I sort of acquired it after church last Sunday. Basically, a mate from Church bought a collection of about 300 CDs from someone off trademe, mostly hardcore/emo/ punk type stuff...
anyway, there were a few he didn't really want, and he thought of me, bought them to church... and there we go... One of them was this.
Norma Jean are a band that in the past, I've kinda wanted to like, but never really got into. A mate at work has their latest album (redeemer) on his itunes share. I've listened to it a little, and liked it... but their earlier stuff, until now, the songs I've heard on compilations have just been a bit too weird/spasmodic/ insanely heavy ... even for me.
Well, I figured I'd give it a listen anyway...
Admittedly, when I'd first heard the song "Face:Face" on the This is solid state volume 4 CD, I was only just discovering a taste for music with screaming in it. It was about the same time as I got Dead Poetic's New Medicines... my first screamo album... and I wasn't really ready for metalcore. New medicines primed me for Underoath, who's They're only chasing safety was my attempt at finding more music along the vein of new medicines, albeit with even more intense vocals. Along the way since then, I'd finally developed a taste for zao (hardcore turned metal turned metalcore), who's music I had been flirting with for about 8 years, but never really loved before. I'd also discovered Blindside's earlier pre silence stuff, so basically I had slowly been increasing my tolerance for the more extreme end of heavy music, be it screamo/ metal/ hardcore punk/ metalcore, whatever. Still, I hadn't been able to get past my first impressions of this song...
In the context of the whole album, coming in at track two, and with my newfound tolerance, it's actually an alright song... featuring crushing riff after crushing breakdown after crushing riff and then track three is FREAKING AWESOME. The song, "memphis will be laid to waste", has some 'ahemming' about 5 seconds in, followed by a crushing riff, then it cuts back to a gentle/ melodic guitar bit, with someone kinda jsut whispering a word every now and then, then a cranking breakdown, with multiple yelled vocals, followed by some machine gun riffage and then... near the end, the guy from mewithoutYou joins in and it's epic. Track 4 is a good short interlude of heavy insanity, before the 15 minute monster that is "Pretty Soon. I don't know what. But something is going to Happen" begins. Fifteen minutes. in the middle of the album. There are only vocals for about 2 of those minutes. It builds and builds. and builds some more. Then cuts back. Then builds somemore. When it gets near closing, at it's most intense, the cries of "it's all worthwhile, it's all worthwhile" serve as a kinda describing that song itself...
Anyway. My wife is not a big fan of heavy music. Thus, I mostly get to listen to it on my ipod on my bike too and from work. which is about a 15 minute journey each way. So I haven't really had a chance to listen seriously to the rest of the album. But basically, it's awesome. nuff said.
I sort of acquired it after church last Sunday. Basically, a mate from Church bought a collection of about 300 CDs from someone off trademe, mostly hardcore/emo/ punk type stuff...
anyway, there were a few he didn't really want, and he thought of me, bought them to church... and there we go... One of them was this.
Norma Jean are a band that in the past, I've kinda wanted to like, but never really got into. A mate at work has their latest album (redeemer) on his itunes share. I've listened to it a little, and liked it... but their earlier stuff, until now, the songs I've heard on compilations have just been a bit too weird/spasmodic/ insanely heavy ... even for me.
Well, I figured I'd give it a listen anyway...
Admittedly, when I'd first heard the song "Face:Face" on the This is solid state volume 4 CD, I was only just discovering a taste for music with screaming in it. It was about the same time as I got Dead Poetic's New Medicines... my first screamo album... and I wasn't really ready for metalcore. New medicines primed me for Underoath, who's They're only chasing safety was my attempt at finding more music along the vein of new medicines, albeit with even more intense vocals. Along the way since then, I'd finally developed a taste for zao (hardcore turned metal turned metalcore), who's music I had been flirting with for about 8 years, but never really loved before. I'd also discovered Blindside's earlier pre silence stuff, so basically I had slowly been increasing my tolerance for the more extreme end of heavy music, be it screamo/ metal/ hardcore punk/ metalcore, whatever. Still, I hadn't been able to get past my first impressions of this song...
In the context of the whole album, coming in at track two, and with my newfound tolerance, it's actually an alright song... featuring crushing riff after crushing breakdown after crushing riff and then track three is FREAKING AWESOME. The song, "memphis will be laid to waste", has some 'ahemming' about 5 seconds in, followed by a crushing riff, then it cuts back to a gentle/ melodic guitar bit, with someone kinda jsut whispering a word every now and then, then a cranking breakdown, with multiple yelled vocals, followed by some machine gun riffage and then... near the end, the guy from mewithoutYou joins in and it's epic. Track 4 is a good short interlude of heavy insanity, before the 15 minute monster that is "Pretty Soon. I don't know what. But something is going to Happen" begins. Fifteen minutes. in the middle of the album. There are only vocals for about 2 of those minutes. It builds and builds. and builds some more. Then cuts back. Then builds somemore. When it gets near closing, at it's most intense, the cries of "it's all worthwhile, it's all worthwhile" serve as a kinda describing that song itself...
Anyway. My wife is not a big fan of heavy music. Thus, I mostly get to listen to it on my ipod on my bike too and from work. which is about a 15 minute journey each way. So I haven't really had a chance to listen seriously to the rest of the album. But basically, it's awesome. nuff said.
Labels: albums, bands, music, norma jean, reviews
posted by Jim at 9:18 AM
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