According to The PRP, metal core band Norma Jean has recently released “[Mind Over Mind]”, the first single for their upcoming eighth studio album, All Hail. All Hail will be the group’s first album in three years, and their second after re-signing with Tooth and Nail Records imprint Solid State in 2015.
“[Mind Over Mind]” wastes no time. After a very brief intro, where the song feels almost as if it’s getting ready to explode, vocalist Cory Brandon bursts in with a metal-style growl and doesn’t let up until the song ends, with many excellent screams to punctuate each line. The instrumentation is made up primarily of the heavy guitars and driving drum rhythms for which metalcore is known. The real strength of the song lies in its great breakdowns and lyrics. The breakdowns allow the listener to take a breath without losing any of momentum and kinetic energy that Norma Jean creates over the course of the song’s brief 2 minute 42 second runtime. Lyrical highlights include the main refrain, “Give it death til it comes alive”, and these few lines from the second verse: “History is unpredictable / It’s the future that is absolute / And so we start it all over again / A quiet weapon for a peaceful kill”.
Norma Jean has been active since the late 90s (then under the name Luti-Kriss), releasing their first studio album, Throwing Myself, in 2001. The group has consistently garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success, with six of their studio album reaching the Billboard Top 200. Norma Jean has kept an extremely busy touring schedule since its inception. Recent live highlights include multiple performances in Russia, Germany, and England. In May, it was announced that they will be performing at iMatter Festival in Horseheads, New York. The band has gone through so many lineup changes that there are actually no more founding members currently in the group. Scottie Henry, the last founding member, left soon after the release of the group’s fifth studio album in 2010.
Photo Credit: Mehreen Rizvi
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