In dire need of sustenance, they banded together and dug deep into their souls to save themselves and they didn’t just find more material, they found something new entirely – a little bit of light. They embraced it, learnt how to use it and weaved it into their songs, and their new album ‘Deathrattle Sing For Me’ showcases just how they’re shining the light they’ve found into the dark chasm that is their sound.

If you’re a long-term fan of the band, the first thing you’ll notice is the throwbacks to the Norma Jean of old, kicking off this album with a nostalgic look back at their past while they violently drag it into the present. Opening number ‘1994’ provides the first blatant example of that, with shrieking harmonics and roaring distortion colliding together while vocalist Cory Brandan exclaims, “I think I’m witnessing the end of the world, and I like it.” That’s nice, isn’t it? Those vibes crop up throughout in places like ‘Any%’, where it wildly thrashes with dissonance and unhinged energy as the low grumble of the guitars cracks the earth beneath you. If you’re into that kind of thing, there’s plenty more where that came from too.

This is one hell of a punishing album, just as one would expect a Norma Jean record to be. ‘Sleep Explosion’ is actually all explosion and no sleep, slowly building the suspense and dipping in and out of grunge before destroying everything in its immediate orbit with the heaviest breakdown of the album. ‘A Killing Word’ is a full throttle metalcore banger complete with a gigantic chorus, decorated with mandolins and an ethereal mid-section that makes the closing headbang riff that little bit heavier. Then there are ‘Spearmint Revolt’, ‘Call For The Blood’, ‘W W A V V E’ and the frantic ‘Aria Obscura’, but there’s a LOT more beneath the surface of this album.

In addition to the oh-so-lovely aggression, there’s more than just sonic extremity on offer here. There’s an emotional layer on display that expands its palette and though emotion isn’t exactly a new element on the NJ periodic table it’s reacted very differently with this collection of songs. For example, ’Spearmint Revolt’ swings like a sledgehammer sonically but its lyrics discuss the acceptance of grief and letting go of the weight. ‘Call For The Blood’ is a skulking menace, blending cryptic lyrics with sinister and a soundtrack that keeps you constantly on edge, never entirely sure of which direction it’s going to dart in next.

There are some experimental tracks here that venture outside of what you’d expect from the band too, such as the stunning and reassuring ‘Penny Margs’ and the haunting yet volatile ‘Memorial Hoard’, but it’s album closer ‘Heartache’ that steals the show – a groove-heavy, dense and riffy diamond that constantly ebbs and flows, occasionally toying with serenity before burning the veil and revealing the chaos behind it. Brandan’s closing cries of “this world was never meant for me, or I was never meant for it” really hits home and the expansive electronics that follow it allow his words to fester before the record fades into silence.

Where their last record ‘All Hail’ felt like a consuming dark void, black upon black with violent shapes and convulsions, this feels like there’s an explosion of every shade of blue imaginable that both wash and thrash over you in turn. It’s like they turned away from the void and noticed there’s a whole other world behind them but, despite their efforts to leave the void behind, it’s always lurking. There is an honesty and vulnerability on display that’s been glanced at but never visited quite like this, and it’s a layer that fits into their doomy, gloomy and raw sound like a glove.

This is easily their boldest and most explorative record to date, without a doubt. As a result, ’Deathrattle Sing For Me’ might not grab you right off the bat like some of their past material but it’s not supposed to. They haven’t written it to shock and frighten you from beginning to end, only when it’s necessary. It’s designed to be a journey that grows on you, guiding you on an escape to a destination that’s entirely up for you to choose. If you give it time to sweep you away, that destination may just be somewhere that you’ll let yourself get completely lost. That quality alone is worth waiting for and, trust me, you might not want to leave when you get there.

DAVE STEWART

Right from the get go they make their intentions very clear with ‘Fracture’, summoning a thick black cloud over you as it begins to contort and twist into unexpected shapes. Every breakdown is inhumanly tight but possesses an endearing rawness, like a caged animal thrashing at the bars as it tries to force itself loose. The beast rampages violently throughout the record, most notably on the psychotic and ferocious ‘The Edge Of Every Lie’ and the early Norma Jean influenced ‘Visions Of Hostility’, both blasting along at a frightening pace without providing any recovery time.

As the album progresses, the shapes continue to distort, sharpening and becoming more and more dangerous. ‘Impulse’ is slow and menacing, creeping along as it builds and builds towards a colossal cascade of thick guitars. ‘Paranoia Bleeds’ is frantic and venomous, continually snapping its jaws as it builds towards the perfect opportunity to sink in its teeth. ‘Disassemble Reassemble’ is an intimidating and haunting step into industrial territory, sounding almost mechanical in its delivery as it bellows and drudges through gut-rumbling chugs and horrific atmospherics. The title track is a masterstroke too, bringing together every trick they’ve used on the record to create the most impactful track on the whole record. Punishing breakdowns, intense vocals, flawless drums and a seemingly boundless energy – this is one hell of a debut.

This record is a ride for the thrill seekers – for the fans of aggressive music that want their heart to race from the moment the pedal hits the metal right up until the slamming of the brakes. It plays out almost like a horror film, full of ominous darkness, uncomfortable atmospherics, desperate shrieks and unexpected shocks at every single turn. The unsettling aural outbursts of ‘In Cleansing Fire’, the cataclysmic power harnessed within ‘Numb (Transfuse)’, the mind-bending guitar gymnastics of ‘Scars In Complex Patterns’ – you never know what’s coming next but it’s always a welcome spine-tingling surprise.

If you don’t start the record feeling riled up and brimming with energy, you’ll definitely feel that way when it’s over, basking in every shriek of dissonance and blood-curdling riff. A calculated, deranged fusion of modern metalcore and classic noughties mathcore, thrown together into a pot and kept right at boiling point to create something entirely new and unstable. Picture Counterparts, Knocked Loose and Johnny Truant all meeting up for a beer, but instead of drinking them they smash them on their own heads. This is what it would sound like – pure chaos delivered in the most pristine yet punishing way. If you’ve been looking for a record that can frighten you just as much as it can excite you, this is that record. Give it a listen. I dare you.

DAVE STEWART

Every single that they released on the run up to the release shines a blindingly bright light on their new brand of anger. ‘[Mind Over Mind]’ is a groove-laden monster, hurtling riff after riff at your eardrums whilst front man Cory Brandan snarls and growls away his demons. The filthy guitars and unexpectedly catchy chorus of ‘Landslide Defeater’ take you by surprise, effortlessly blending unfiltered pandemonium with striking and memorable melodies. ‘Safety Last’ is a white knuckle ride too, bellowing its way through dissonance and filth with a blend of blast beats, frenzied guitars, and slamming breakdowns. The singles are all phenomenal but they only touch on the true power at the core of this album – and that core is emitting some serious heat.

For an adrenaline-fuelled trip through a fiery and often haunting landscape, check out the furious ‘Trace Levels Of Dystopia’. Armed to the nines with scorching riffs and evocative soundscapes, it’ll both sweep you off your feet and crash you right back down to the ground. Fancy a slower and steadier outing? ‘Translational’ will provide you with that, boasting expressive atmospherics and gigantic guitars mighty enough to slay the most evil of demons. There’s even groovy riff-heavy lurkers like ‘Full Circle In Under A Minute’, moodily drudging through shadowy territory before exploding into a blaze of ferocity. There’s some real gems on show here, but the most valuable can be found right at the end of the album.

First up is a track that shows just how far Norma Jean have come with their songwriting over the years, ‘Careen’. The way it builds through poignant and spacious ambience into earth-shattering forceful guitars is masterful, steadily building towards its finale in the most graceful yet raw way possible. The song that immediately follows it, the emotionally driven ‘Anna’, is a continuation of that prowess. Written about a fan-turned-friend who passed away at the beginning of the recording process, the track is a real heart-wrencher, as the band channel their inner turmoil through their pained performance, traversing through both serenity and unease. Both tracks contain that rawness and unshakeable sense of unpredictability that Norma Jean so effortlessly manage to translate, but it’s all delivered in the most sophisticated way.

The album revolves around perception and reflection, fighting demons both personal and public and weaving the intensity of those battles within the intricate threads of their aggression. Cory spent a lot of time studying reflection both emotionally and literally, and he often references this in the lyrics with clever lines like “I could never run as fast as the light finds black so leave me lightless” from ‘If [Loss] Then [Leader]’, or “the non dimensional spectrum, the non dimensional pull, the one dimensional eye” from ‘Translational’.

Not only have their thematic ideas developed on this record, but so has their sound, adopting an approach far heavier and dirtier than ever before. ‘All Hail’ shows Norma Jean acting as the same old beast but with a brand new shiny set of teeth, all expertly sharpened to deliver the most devastating bite. It’s everything you could’ve hoped for and more.

This record has an enormous pulsing heart – possibly more so than any of their incredible back catalogue – but it’s trapped in the eye of the storm, a dense and opaque fog swirling around it like a hurricane. When the emotional intensity of the vocals is married with their new low and menacing tones, the result borders on addictive, causing your stomach to grumble and create a hunger to experience its expansive palette over and over. This is an ominous and biting record, proving that Norma Jean are still, after all these years, leaders of the pack. All hail, indeed.

DAVE STEWART

The queue to get into the venue stretched all the way along the street and into a nearby car park, and the chatter amongst all the eager gig goers was the same – something along the lines of “I hope we manage to get inside in time to see Light The Torch”. Formerly known as Devil You Know, they changed their name in 2017 and underwent a rebrand of sorts, releasing ‘Revival’ in 2018. The buzz surrounding them was electric, and mostly due to their vocalist – former Killswitch Engage front man Howard Jones. A legend in his own right, he powerfully commanded his bandmates through a loud and punchy opening set, seeming speechless in between every song and genuinely humbled by the number of people in the room that turned up early to see them perform. They proved to be the perfect opening band for the evening ahead, warming the crowd up nicely for the chaos that was about to unfold.

Next up was the energetic and enigmatic Norma Jean, a band known for their rawness and unpredictability. This is a line up most Norma Jean fans wouldn’t expect to see them on, but the band were completely unfazed and confidently took the stage to deliver their signature brand of metalcore to the now packed out room. They stormed straight into ‘I. The Planet’, the opening track from their 2016 record ‘Polar Similar’, and appreciative headbangs swept through the crowd. Keeping their feet firmly on the gas, the aural onslaught continued with gigantic tracks like ‘Synthetic Sun’, ‘Funeral Singer’, ‘The Anthem Of Angry Brides’ and the frantic ‘If You Got It At Five, You Got It At Fifty’. The special moments in the set though, were found during the closing number ‘Deathbed Atheist’, acting almost like a haunting lullaby to leave the crowd both impressed and ever so slightly uncomfortable.

They played a great set, full of powerful punches and huge riffs from all across their back catalogue – even including a song for long time fans of the band with ‘Disconnecktie: The Faithful Vampire’ from 2006 album ‘O God, The Aftermath’. Unfortunately for them, though, it was evident that the majority of the crowd at The Roundhouse weren’t here for Norma Jean at all. Most Norma Jean shows go from calm to completely chaotic within seconds, whereas tonight’s crowd was almost completely static until close to the end of their set – despite visibly winning over a large portion of the crowd during their performance, the energy levels were noticeably different to those for Light The Torch. Regardless of crowd reaction, this tour gave Norma Jean the opportunity to play their songs to an audience that may have otherwise never come into contact with them and they delivered their material with precision, power, and unforgiving heaviness.

Over the course of the next 15 minutes or so, bodies began to cram into the venue to get their spot for what was about to unfold. The Roundhouse was packed wall to wall with eager metalheads, and as soon as the lights dimmed the room erupted into cheers. The stage lights beamed into action, In Flames stepped out on stage, and the electricity in the room hit its peak. They rocketed through a set that spanned 20 years of their impressive career, providing plenty of shining moments for both new and old fans. They immediately started putting the crowd through their paces with opening track ‘Voices’, almost forcing pits to open up with the sheer power of the music. At times it was difficult to tell if front man Anders Fridén was even doing his vocal parts, as the volume of the crowd was in continuous competition with the sound coming from the stage. In typical In Flames fashion, they continued to hammer out big and relentless favourites including a blinding rendition of ‘Pinball Map’, a headbang inducing performance of ‘Where The Dead Ships Dwell’ and the haunting riff-fest of ‘Monsters In The Ballroom’.

The crowd seemed to have energy in endless supply, and so the band continued to provide them with a soundtrack to feed it. New songs like ‘Call My Name’, ‘Deep Inside’ and ‘I Am Above’ received reactions just as big as their older material, with chorus melodies echoing through the venue as the crowd chanted back every word. Other huge moments came in the form of the enormous chorus chants of ‘The Truth’, the sonic punishment of ‘Leeches’, the infectious pulsing pace of ‘Cloud Connected’ and the crushing ‘The Mirror’s Truth’. The most special moment, though, came in the form of some of their oldest material.

They asked the crowd how many people had heard their record ‘Colony’ – and were met with a deafening roar implying that the majority of the attendees definitely had. They then performed the title track of the same name, and you could feel the heat levels rise as soon as the first few notes rang out. What happened for the following few minutes was pure energy and excitement oozing out of the crowd, spreading its way through the entire room and causing the band to look on in awe. Legends they may be, but they are human and humble and showed an enormous amount of love towards everyone in the room. This evening was just as special for the band as it was for the fans.

In Flames are legends, and for good reason. They aren’t showing any signs of slowing down, and they’re just as intense and powerful as they ever have been. It wouldn’t have mattered who the bands were that played before them – this show was all about them. Their level of musicianship and showmanship was in a league of its own, completely stunning everybody in the room. Right from the front of the venue, all the way to the back and even in the stalls, you could see and hear fans losing their minds and fully losing themselves in what they were witnessing. An intense, mind-blowing show from one of metal’s greatest bands.

DAVE STEWART

The song is take from their latest album, ‘Polar Similar’, which was released last year on Solid State Records.

The 45-minute film goes behind the scenes of the band’s excellent new album, ‘Polar Similar’, which was released earlier this year. ‘Luminæries‘ was previously only available with select copies of the album.

You can watch ‘Luminæries‘ in full below.

“We are always up for experimenting and trying new things,” vocalist Cory Brandan told us, speaking of their seventh studio album. “We don’t want to just make the same record over and over.”

“It’s a somewhat natural progression but it just has a drastic change in feeling than anything we’ve done before. We have grown a pretty great chemistry between (2013 album) ‘Wrongdoers’ to now that really helped push ‘Polar Similar’ to what we were looking for when we started ‘Wrongdoers’. It’s almost like that record was sacrificial to make this one.”

Check out the video for ‘Everyone Talking Over Everyone Else’ below.

Photo by: David Jackson

This juggernaut is taken from their upcoming seventh album, ‘Polar Similar’, which is available on the 9th September via Solid State Records. You can pre-order it here.

Listen to ‘Forever Hurtling Towards Andromeda’ by Norma Jean at New Noise Magazine.