According to Cory Brandan, it was a cold, drizzly day in Worcester, Mass. while he spoke on the phone about his band’s new album, “Redeemer.”
Brandan is the lead vocalist, with Jake Shultz (bass), Daniel Davison (drums), Chris Day (guitar) and Scottie Henry (guitar), for the Christian hardcore group Norma Jean, from Atlanta.
“We’re all going to be sick by the time we reach California,” Brandan said between sniffles.
Norma Jean has been on the road since the beginning of October, headlining on the Radio Rebellion Tour with Between the Buried and Me, Fear Before the March of Flames and Misery Signals.
“Redeemer” is 11 tracks of hardcore rock mixed with intricate guitar riffs and screaming, melodic vocals. With this album reaching No. 38 on the Billboard charts, compared to the 2005 release “O God, the Aftermath,” only reaching No. 62.
“Yeah, 38 is good, that’s top 40,” Brandan said. “That’s where you can run to your mom and tell her and she knows what you’re talking about. ‘We’re on the top 40, can you understand now!?'”
The band recorded “Redeemer” in a little over two months without facing much difficulty.
“I think one of the biggest problems we’ve encountered was just the fact [of] being trapped in the studio for two months, actually over two months,” Brandan said. “You start to go crazy from that and you start to think that everything sounds crappy, [and] there’s no break. Other than that, it was definitely one of the most amazing recording experiences ever.”
Track two, “Blueprints for Future Homes,” is the first single off the record. It is filled with tempo changes, Brandan’s screaming and two-step beats.
“A Small Spark vs. a Great Fire,” is by far one of the most stand-out songs on the record and wasn’t easy to record.
“It was my least favorite song and it turned out to be such an amazing song,” Brandan said. “And there is so much emotion involved in it and it really came out, really amazing. Now it is one of my favorite songs to play live.”
With many band changes over the years, including original lead singer Josh Scodin, who now fronts the hardcore group The Chariot, Norma Jean is stronger than ever with the release of its most successful album to date.
“‘O God, the Aftermath’ was a well thought out [album], a complicated record, [and] the recording was very polished where ‘Redeemer’ was the opposite, a lot of emotion,” Brandan said. “The recordings are way more on the emotional side. We are really happy with the response this record has had.”
The entire album flows and is a non-stop assault on the ears, with more metal riffs than a saw mill and Day and Henry’s guitars never letting up. This album will be sure to not disappoint any old-school hardcore fan, and even though this recording has been compared to more popular post-hardcore groups such as Underoath, Norma Jean doesn’t seem to mind.
“Those dudes are our best friends in the world [and] I love that band,” Brandan said. “And I am not afraid to say that I am somewhat influenced by them, and if you listen to their new record, you can tell that they are somewhat influenced by us.”
“Redeemer” is one of the best metal records of the year, made by one of the best hardcore bands to date.
Norma Jean will perform Oct. 4 at the Avalon in Hollywood and Oct. 5 at the House of Blues in Anaheim.
