Norma Jean
Redeemer

THE REVIEW

Far be it from me to claim that Norma Jean have already run out of steam, but it's clear that their ammunition is starting to run low. After all, we're talking about a band that, if we analyze their discography as a whole (including the three albums released so far), delivered their best work at their debut, that "Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child," which remains a cornerstone of post-core derived metal-core (with a clear understanding of Neurosis, Breach, and early Coalesce). After that came "O' God, The Aftermath," a good album, but already directed toward a more linear sound aimed at audiences with less refined tastes and ears accustomed to overly codified sounds (always within the realm of metal and hardcore meeting).

With "Redeemer," the situation becomes even more complicated, as it reinforces this choice, which, while risk-free for a certain segment of the audience, reveals a lack of sonic inventiveness. Moreover, the songs, which were solid and well-structured in the previous work, here start to feel stale and are too uniform, with few structural variations and a normal explosive power. It should be understood that this is viewed in the light of a band that had shown they had the means to impose their own sound rich in nuances and hinted at far different developments, so we're in the realm of adequacy, but the expectations were different.