Norma Jean - Meridional

Atlanta-based metalcore kings Norma Jean are releasing an album this month. Luckily, I happened upon a copy of their fifth-and-newest album Meridional recently and I must say that I am a fan. This comes as good news to me after the hot mess that was The Anti-Mother. Many fans, myself included, have been wishing for years that Norma Jean would return to their roots and write more in the vein of their first album Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child. This, however, doesn't seem to be happening any time soon...though I finally feel as though that is a good thing. On Meridional, it seems as though every member of the band has stepped up their game. Now, that's not to say that it doesn't sound like they're still ripping of Botch's We Are The Romans, but they're most certainly doing it well. Norma Jean's distinctly southern-influenced riffage is prevalent throughout the entirety of Meridional with both Chris Day and Scottie Henry adding technical fills to Norma Jean's signature chugging-and-breakdown style. Speaking of which, there are some gorgeously intense breakdowns on this album, most notably in their songs "The Anthem of Angry Blades" "Bastardizer" and "Blood Burner". In addition to the instrumental aspects of this album, Corey Brandan has certainly moved up as a front man. His signature screams and emotional yells still abound on Meridional, giving hints back to Norma Jean's older material, but his clean vocals shine through on particular tracks such as "Falling From The Sky: Day Seven" showcasing his Brandan's well-rounded talent. All in all, Meridional is a much better album than The Anti-Mother, and is on par with, if not better than, both Redeemer and O God The Aftermath. From the looks of things, Norma Jean won't be going anywhere soon...living on to punish metro-Atlanta, and the rest of the world, through their unique style of hardcore.

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?tmjmezmujzd

-John