Album Review: Meridional By Norma Jean

By Paul Gibson | August 2nd, 2010 | Posted In Album Review

July 6, 2010

{Razor And Tie}

First off, I have to admit that I have slowly had less and less desire to keep up with Norma Jean since they became Norma Jean instead of Luti-Kriss. Their chaotic style was good, but I longed for them to have more structure. Then The Anti-Mother came out and I was really lost.

But, their new album Meridional has found the band in a place where they seem to be happy with all their sides. This is where the band needs to be. They can still post-hardcore songs that are good, while still having others that will slap you around a bit.

I really like The “Anthem Of The Angry Brides,” a great tune with angry guitars, and aggressive yelling, and just the right mixture of anarchy and organized rhythm.

“Bastardizer” is another good example of how well they have married their two distinct sounds. The opening riff almost reminds me of an old Tourniquet riff, in a good way. Then the song breaks down in to un-bridled awesome, with classic Norma Jean heaviness.

“High Noise Low Output” has a really cool riff somewhat reminiscent of The Hammering Process era Living Sacrifice, but not as heavy.

“The People That Surround You On A Regular Basis” has both the vocals you might expect from The Anti Mother as well as earlier projects and it works well. And once again the great riffs and production on this one really make it stand out in the Norma Jean catalog.

My only complaints are the experimental tracks, “Septentrional,” “Occidental,” and (the secrete track) “Oriental.” They do help add a small amount of texture, but it’s totally not worth time they take. Plus, the fact you have 17 minutes of silence between the “last” song and the secrete track, which is little more than noise mixed with a guitar, is irritating.

But those short experimental tracks aside, this is my favorite Norma Jean album to date. It has more texture and structure while still feeling like the Norma Jean you know and love.

~Paul Gibson

Favorite Tracks:

The Anthem Of the Angry Brides

Bastardizer

Blood Burner

High Noise Low Output

The People That Surround You On A Regular Basis

Innocent Bystanders United

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