The Anti Mother is coming…

Norma Jean, now in the studio with producer Ross Robinson (Slipknot, The Cure, Deftones, At The Drive In, Glassjaw) and engineer Ryan Boesch, will deliver their fourth album The Anti Mother late this summer on indie Solid State Records. For a few of the album’s songs, the band wrote in collaboration separately with Page Hamilton of Helmet and Chino Moreno of Deftones.

The Anti Mother marks the follow-up to the Atlanta-based post hardcore group’s critically lauded 2006 Redeemer album, hailed by Revolver magazine as “a menacingly brutal slab of noisecore with just the right hint of melody”, while Kerrang! declared it to be “a cauterizing kaleidoscope of earth-clawing turmoil and brutalized sonic adventure…” Fans will get to experience The Anti Mother live this summer when Norma Jean hits the road as one of the headlining main-stage acts on the Vans Warped Tour ‘08.

“The Anti Mother is a character we created which represents anything that is deceptive, and yet possesses an outwardly beautiful nature,” lead singer Cory Brandan says of the album title and theme. Musically, he points out “this record is the most melodic album we’ve ever created, but it’s definitely the heaviest record Norma Jean has done as well – and furious at that.”

The spirit of collaboration highlights The Anti Mother. “We were able to work with Page and Chino on two separate occasions, and as two of our biggest influences musically, it was definitely a moment having them here in the studio.” Cory notes, “Page came to our practice space and for the first hour he was just showing us cool guitar chords, teaching us new things technically. The song we wrote with him is heavy as crap and full of energy – you’ll notice his influence. For Chino, the writing was more impulsive. We were already in pre-production with Ross, but the song we wrote with Chino came out so diverse and anti-traditional. Chino ended up hanging out for a few days and we wrote two songs with him.” Adds Cory, “Many bands have guest vocalists on their records, but we were inspired by the idea of collaborative song-writing with some of our favourite musicians. In a collaboration, no one is beyond reproach, and there is always something we can learn and someone to learn it from.”

Norma Jean deliver live, and have performed on both the Vans Warped Tour and Ozzfest festivals; a distinction only a few bands can claim. Writing in the L.A. Weekly, Greg Burk remarked, “The first thing I noticed about Norma Jean… was… the quality of the noise – two guitars crashing out dissonant hi-lo chords in compellingly hurtful ways. The second thing was the rhythm – instruments vying back and forth in bazooka volleys rather than locking into standard metal’s united riff-and-hammer; it was post-doomsday white funk.”

On the Vans Warped Tour ‘08 all summer long, Norma Jean will join Anberlin, Family Force 5, Devil Wears Prada, Against Me!, Angels and Airwaves, Bouncing Souls, Gym Class Heroes, Jack’s Mannequin, Motion City Soundtrack, Paramore, Pennywise, Rise Against, Say Anything, Street Dogs, The Academy Is…, The All-American Rejects and The Vandals, among many others.

Here are critical soundbites for Norma Jean’s Redeemer:

• “Norma Jean keep [Redeemer] free of any self-absorbed instrumental tracks, allowing the record to flow and rage continuously for almost 45 minutes…Redeemer’s angst and fury are undeniable.”
  Kevin Wade, ALTERNATIVE PRESS (December 2006)

• “A fine blend of metal, hardcore, prog and noise.”
  Greg Prato, METAL EDGE (June 2007)

• “The unstoppable juggernaut of southern death rock that is Norma Jean has matured into a major force-to-be-reckoned with in the music world.”
  Tom Pharo, KOTORI (July 2006)

• “Redeemer is a smeared amalgam of evangelism, scorching rhythm, tangled lead guitar work and violent vocal strokes across a hard-rock canvas. Released on the prestigious indie label Solid State Records, Redeemer is at once focused and articulated, heavy and personal, concerning itself with the primacy of sound and expression.”
  OMAHA READER (Omaha, NE; November 2006)

• ”[Redeemer] isn’t a typical metalcore release, eschewing breakdowns and obvious mosh parts for progressive song structures and subtle atmospherics.”
  Jonah Bayer, CLEVELAND FREE TIMES (November 2006)

• ”’A Grand Scene for a Color Film’ sets the tone for the disc with molten waves of stun-gun guitar, shock-and-awe percussion, and blown-throat bellowing courtesy of singer Cory Brandan. From that double-distorted point on, Norma Jean gives you a good idea what metal experimentalists Neurosis might sound like mainlining Black Flag.”
  Mike Usinger, GEORGIA STRAIGHT (Vancouver, BC; November 2006)

• “Cory Brandan experiments with vocal lucidity while preserving his intense tone, and the dual guitars—declaring temporary truces from their constant clashing—occasionally march lockstep, generating thunderous grooves.”
  Andrew Miller, THE STRANGER (Seattle, November 2006)

Look out for Norma Jean on Vans Warped Tour 2008 in the following Canadian cities and border towns:

Friday, 7/18: Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
Saturday, 7/19: Toronto, Ontario @ Downsview Park
Sunday, 7/20: Montreal, Quebec @ Parc Jean Drapeau
Thursday, 7/24: Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Tuesday, 8/5: Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
Wednesday, 8/6: Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway

for more information visit the YMZ Concert listings.

Norma Jean is:

• Cory Brandan (Vocals)
• Scottie Henry (Guitars)
• Jake Schultz (Bass)
• Chris Day (Guitars)
• Chris Raines (Drums)

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