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Norma Jean

Track List

Brace yourselves. THE ANTI MOTHER has arrived--and NORMA JEAN wrestle her to the ground, with the most furious, and yet melodic, music of their career.

For their fourth studio album, Atlanta-based post-hardcore heroes NORMA JEAN...

Brace yourselves. THE ANTI MOTHER has arrived--and NORMA JEAN wrestle her to the ground, with the most furious, and yet melodic, music of their career. For their fourth studio album, Atlanta-based post-hardcore heroes NORMA JEAN deliver a heavy and potent song cycle that looks at life squarely in the eye, from the opening track “Vipers, Snakes and Actors” to the closing “And There Will Be A Swarm Of Hornets.” Explains lead singer CORY BRANDAN about the inspiration for the album title and theme, “The Anti Mother is a character we created which represents anything that is deceptive, and yet possesses an outwardly beautiful nature.” The crushing, sonically adventurous 10 songs that comprise THE ANTI MOTHER easily mark an artistic and creative high point for NORMA JEAN. "The Jean absolutely live life’s purpose, giving away the pure essence of real love and it’s not pretty at all,” says producer Ross Robinson with whom the band re-teamed after he first manned the boards on the quintet’s strongly received Redeemer (2006). “Being fearless, THE ANTI MOTHER steps musically beyond the line of greatness--it’s the soundtrack of surviving any situation and becoming who you were born to be; if you don't know, listen and find out..." Before THE ANTI MOTHER hit the streets, the percussive-rich track “Robots 3 Humans 0,” seized the prompt attention of NORMA JEAN’s loyal following when it was posted on the group’s MySpace page. And if the sound of CORY BRANDAN (lead vocals, guitars) stepping away from his trademark growl and embracing melody on the track raised more than a few eyebrows, the band--also consisting of SCOTTIE HENRY (guitars), JAKE SCHULTZ (bass), CHRIS DAY (guitars) and CHRIS RAINES (drums)--says it plans to continue evolving creatively. “We don’t like to set any norms for Norma Jean,” SCOTTIE says. “People call us metalcore or post-hardcore, but we just write what comes. Being open to trying new things and having Cory actually singing has sent this record in a different direction. We aren’t trapped in any kind of sound or scene. It’s healthy for us to expand and grow.” Or as CORY explains, “I love melodic, catchy songs, plain and simple. The Smashing Pumpkins are one of my favorite bands ever. And all they did was write love songs, even if they were heavy. We wanted to write a heavy record-- and ‘Robots’ is heavy, but still melodic and we’re stoked on that.” Fortified by separate collaborations with Page Hamilton of Helmet (who befriended the band after an ’06 L.A. gig) and Deftones’ frontman Chino Moreno (who NORMA JEAN also came to know after exchanging boxes of T-shirts and other gear on the road), THE ANTI MOTHER is unlike any other heavy music album of 2008. And as for Hamilton’s appearance on the blistering “Opposite of Left and Wrong” SCOTTIE says, “Growing up listening to Helmet, we were inspired to play music. It’s pretty much musically why a lot of us are even doing this. We wanted to make sure it wasn’t just a guest vocal thing, that it was us actually writing with him. We had a couple of riffs and he had a couple of chords he put together and it became the chorus. It was really smooth. It was awesome.” Meanwhile, Moreno’s appearance on the incendiary “Surrender Your Sons” was equally fruitful. “Deftones are just another band that we grew up loving,” CORY explains. “That song was written in a very spontaneous way and came out so unique. Later, Cove Reber from Saosin came in and also did some vocals on the song as well.” While the band’s willingness to pool resources with hard music legends is as courageous as it is unique, another creative element of NORMA JEAN that sets them apart is the fact the entire band is involved in the lyrical process. “We write lyrics together,” CORY says proudly. “I know it’s unusual, but we all want to know what every song is about. I can’t tell you how many bands there are where you ask the guitarist what the lyrics mean, and they’re like, ‘I don’t know… Some girl?’” Whether it’s the aggressive, hardcore tack of “Self-Employed Chemist,” the expansive and experimental “Discipline Your Daughters” or the intense guitar opus “And There Will Be A Swarm of Hornets”--replete with a breathtaking outro--NORMA JEAN crafts and delivers its music with conviction. And it willingly acknowledges Robinson’s contribution to THE ANTI MOTHER’s successful outcome. Three weeks of pre-production at the producer’s Venice Beach compound helped the band bring its A-game to the recording studio. “Being familiar with [Ross] going into it made it that much easier to get down to work,” SCOTTIE explains. “The way he is as a producer, he’s always digging deep inside of us for a fire. It’s about finding something that makes the song come alive. We’re more interested in the song having feeling as opposed to having a perfect studio product.” “I wanted it to be the best thing I’ve ever done, and from At the Drive-In to Korn, Ross is about getting the best vocal performances,” CORY says. “He finds a button and keeps pushing it. He gets under your skin, but he does it for a reason. He’s doing whatever he can to get the best out of you. His whole thing is sing it like you mean it. You have to mean it. It’s about the song. And it’s something that carries over to the stage.” From “Vipers Snakes And Actors” to “Murphy Was An Optimist” to “Death Of The Anti Mother” that ferocity comes alive. “It’s a release,” SCOTTIE says of the band’s cathartic roar. “This record is a lot more personal. Even lyrically, we kind of went for it writing metaphorically.” A fusion of NORMA JEAN's most tuneful and aggressive material yet, CORY concludes, “We've never been this excited about anything we’ve done. THE ANTI MOTHER is exactly the record we’ve always wanted to make.” And if it’s up to BRANDAN, his hope is that listeners will get something out of the THE ANTI MOTHER that’s unique and personal to them. “I want them to make our music their own,” the singer says. “That’s how I’ve always gone about it. That dates back to when I was a kid in my bedroom listening to Helmet or Fugazi or Deftones. I want to lend that kind of experience to people who hear our band.”

5/14/2008 - Norma Jean Soon to Unveil "The Anti Mother" Due Out Late Summer on Solid State Records

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 (exact release date TBA). 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-- CORY BRANDAN (vocals), SCOTTIE HENRY (guitars), JAKE SCHULTZ (bass), CHRIS DAY (guitars) and CHRIS RAINES (drums)--hit 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 songwriting with some of our favorite 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 LA 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 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 (2006, Solid State):

"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 tour in U.S. in the following cities:

Vans Warped Tour 2008

DATE            CITY                VENUE
Fri    6/20        Pomona, CA            Pomona Fairgrounds
Sat    6/21        San Francisco, CA        Pier 30/32
Sun    6/22        Ventura, CA            Seaside Park
Wed    6/25        Phoenix, AZ            Cricket Pavilion
Thu    6/26        Las Cruces, NM        N.M.S.U. Practice Field
Sat    6/28        Salt Lake City, UT        Utah State Fairgrounds
Sun    6/29        Denver, CO            Invesco Field
Tue    7/1        St. Louis, MO            Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Wed    7/2        Kansas City, KS        Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Thu    7/3        Dallas, TX            Superpages.com Center
Sat    7/5        San Antonio, TX        Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Sun    7/6        Houston, TX            Sam Houston Race Park
Wed    7/9        Atlanta, GA            Lakewood Amphitheater
Thu    7/10        Orlando, FL            Central Florida Fairgrounds
Fri    7/11        Tampa, FL            Vinoy Park
Sat    7/12        Miami, FL            Bicentennial Park
Sun    7/13        Jacksonville, FL        St. Johns County Fairgrounds
Mon    7/14        Charlotte, NC            Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Tue    7/15        Virginia Beach, VA        Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Wed    7/16        Washington, DC        Merriweather Post Pavilion
Thu    7/17        Cleveland, OH            Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre
Fri    7/18        Detroit, MI            Comerica Park
Sat    7/19        Toronto, Ontario        Downsview Park Allen Road
Sun    7/20        Montreal, Quebec        Parc Jean Drapeau
Wed    7/23        Boston, MA            Tweeter Center
Thu    7/24        Buffalo, NY            Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Fri    7/25        Camden, NJ            Susquehanna Bank Center
Sat    7/26        Uniondale, NY            Nassau Coliseum
Sun    7/27        Scranton, PA            Toyota Pavilion
Mon    7/28        Englishtown, NJ        Raceway Park
Tue    7/29        Pittsburgh, PA            Post Gazette Pavilion
Wed    7/30        Cincinnati, OH            Riverbend Music Center
Thu    7/31        Indianapolis, IN        Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Fri    8/1        Milwaukee, WI            Marcus Amphitheatre
Sat    8/2        Chicago, IL            First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sun    8/3        Minneapolis, MN        Canterbury Park
Tue    8/5         Saskatoon, SK        Credit Union Centre
Wed    8/6         Calgary, AB            Race City Speedway
Fri    8/8         Boise, ID            Idaho Center Amphitheatre
Sat    8/9         Seattle, WA            George Amphitheatre
Sun    8/10         Portland, OR            Columbia Meadows
Wed    8/13        Fresno, CA            Save Mart Center
Thu    8/14        San Diego, CA         Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Fri    8/15        San Francisco, CA        Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sat    8/16        Sacramento, CA        Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Sun    8/17        Los Angeles, CA        Home Depot Center


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