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Reviews

NORMA JEAN’S THE ANTI-MOTHER IS A SNORE DE FORCE

 Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 2:52pm by

Ever had really good foreplay followed by really mediocre sex? It sucks, doesn’t it?

During “Vipers, Snakes and Actors,” the opening track from Norma Jean’s new album The Anti-Mother, I actually became optimistic that I was hear the band return to form after the steaming pile of failure that was their last album, Redeemer. Don’t get me wrong – Norma Jean was never a great band by any stretch of the imagination – but on their Convergian O’ God, the Aftermath and especially Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child, the Christian rockers made music that was loud, raw, and chaotic; it kept you on your toes because you never knew quite where it was going. “Vipers” promises more of the same, a complete one-eighty from the polished, bland, by-the-numbers pseudo-punk of Redeemer.

And then the second song on the album kicks in.

To be fair, it seems like Norma Jean are trying to strike some kind of balance on Anti-Mother, something somewhere in-between Redeemer and Bless the Martyr. The problem is that more than half the album is dominated by Redeemer-style music (“Self-Emplyed Chemist,” “Robots 3 Humans 0,” “Surrender Your Sons,” etc.), Cory Brandan Putman vocalist Cory Brandan Putman at his whiniest and most nasally over recycled punk and metalcore riffs – and even when the band strives to re-create the high of “Vipers,” they usually fall short (“Death of the Anti-Mother”). Kind of surprisingly, guest spots from Page Hamilton and Chino Moreno don’t help at all (even if they do give the album a little boost of cred).

The results are an album that’s boring and completely forgettable. I just can’t imagine anyone needing to listen to this album for any reason, ever. There’s too many better bands doing what Norma Jean are trying, and failing, to do. Whatever fire powered Bless the Martyr is gone; all we’re left with is another boring band whose new video will be shown on Headbanger’s Ball too many times.

metal hornsmetal horns half

(1 ½ out of 5 horns)

-AR

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  • http://noyokono.blogspot.com noyokono

    The Page Hamilton track I heard was pretty good. But then again, I’m biased as a HUGE Helmet fan.

  • Fink

    I’ve only heard one track off this album (Robots 3, Humans 0), and I admit it was pretty… meh. But I really don’t understand the Norma Jean bashing; I’ve been a big fan of these guys since Bless the Martyr Kiss the Child (which I admit is by far their best material), and I thought Redeemer was a pretty solid disc, except for maybe 2 or 3 tracks.

    Really, you guys lost me on this one. O’ God the Aftermath sounds like Converge? Are we listening to the same album?

    Maybe I just have a soft spot for Norma Jean, more likely I just have horrible taste in music, but I’m definitely gonna have to give this album a listen.

  • Figures…

    This is pretty much the review I expected from this website…to each their own I know, but when it was pretty predictable when you guys practically masturbate to any Gothenburg Speed Metal Thrash band…its expected…I’m a HUGE Norma Jean fan…but I’ll give you your opinion…I just don’t think the blatant bashing was necessary.

  • Cisco

    This site tends to bash anything Christian related sans Living Sacirifice, but it’s still funny and entertaining.

  • The Metal Nerd

    Said it before ill say it again: CHRISTIANS OUT OF METAL! Norma Jean, although Bless The Martyr was great, are nothin more than bible humping Botch apeing clones. And No, O’god The Aftermath sounds nothing like Converge. Almost each riff was stolen from We Are The Romans. Think im lying? Play them both back to back. Chino isnt known for lending himself to many a talented band, and honestly, Page shouldve left Helmet to the history books like Mike did with Faith No More. Asshole.

  • 36Thoughtless

    “Norma Jean, although Bless The Martyr was great, are nothin more than bible humping Botch apeing clones. And No, O’god The Aftermath sounds nothing like Converge. Almost each riff was stolen from We Are The Romans. Think im lying? Play them both back to back.”

    Thank god someone else noticed that…

  • Zac

    Man, okay, I agree that O’God The Aftermath was a pretty boring release, and definitely not the best listen in the world. I also agree that the album spends too much time mimicking bands like Botch and Coalesce. What I don’t agree with and understand is the often heard claim that the album sounds exactly like We Are The Romans. What fucking albums are you listening to? I own them both, and it doesn’t take much paying attention to notice that the two bands/albums sound nothing alike. Sure. They both share surface similarities. Rough vocals, choppy time signatures, some atmospherics. But, saying that Norma Jean actually ripped riffs straight from Botch is actually pretty insulting. To Botch, that is.

  • http://outthrowingroses.blogspot.com Matthew

    I agree with this review. I’ve spent the last 3 days listening to this album. I was anticipating this album, but after all the listens I’m left wondering how the upcoming Deftones album is going to be rather than remembering anything from this album. Aside from the very great first song (“Vipers, Snakes and Actors”) and the last song the records best moments sound like decent Deftones’ experiments.

  • Hot Carl

    I respect that people don’t have the same taste in music as myself but what i don’t respect is someone saying that a demographic of people should not be playing metal. That is some close minded bigot shit. I bet you want to crack open a Budweiser with Phil Anselmo and hate on some “colored folks.”

  • J.P.

    Well it sure as fuck ain’t the best thing since Converge (yeah, yeah, they def don’t sound alike but it was the only reference that came to mind as I type and don’t care to go back and retype/think of another more proper comparison), but it ain’t that bad… shoulda’ gotten a couple more horns.

    I too am kind’a more sparked curious on new Deftones.

    Don’t hate Christians or any religion in particular but I have definitely have had some messed up encounters with narrow minded bible thumpers, and certainly that enables me to understand the contrasting emotions on the subject, usually I steer clear on bands that do too much on the imposition of religious beliefs as absolute truths, but I think Norma Jean aren’t like that, it aint that bad, it aint that good, let’s move on now.

  • http://www.myspace.com/unholy2 Zack

    I never really get the Norma Jean hate. I love Redeemer, it’s my favorite album by them. Bless just didn’t hit me so well and O’ God was great, but the vocal mixing bugged me on some tracks. I’m really looking forward to picking this album up, if any song is half as good as A Small Spark V A Great Forest, it’s worth my ten dollars.

    And for people that hate the band because it’s Christian, do you also hate movies with Christian actors? I’m not a Christian, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying music that appeals to me.

  • Guido

    What a horrible review. Redeemer was awesome, I admit, it wasn’t a play it once and fell in love with it but Redeemer is bad ass and that’s not really disputed anymore unless your just a die hard fan of Botch.

    A few things that I see are missing. NJ’s drummer, or last drummer, Davidson left because in pretty clear terms he said the band isnt Christian, and to be honest, they aren’t each record and each year they distance themselves from that, hell, Hannah Montana is more Christian then these drug addicts and multiple divorcees. Yeah, their label is vaguely christian, but these guys fell off that wagon after Oh God, the aftermath….

    The new album understandably has some bad points, its not as good as redeemer, but when Anti-Mother is good its unreal….

    The first 4 tracks are sick, just awesome to no end and from there the CD hits peaks and valleys….but the reviewer, I would advise you pick up early Norma Jean and re word you last paragraph, there are too many bands that have copied what NJ has done and so your getting your facts a little skewed…hit rewind and try again.

    Word to the Third

  • Zac

    Drug addicts and multiple divorcee’s? Did I miss something?

  • Guido

    Possibly,

    Putman has 2 kids like 14 and 9, him and his wife split after Redeemer. His eldest son is from another marriage I believe before he was even in Norma Jean.
    Putman has also struggled with drugs since before Norma Jean I know. You can pretty much find this info off of google.
    As far as Norma Jean being a Christian, like The Beloved, Zao, Dead Poets, Oh, Sleeper, My Children My Bride, Once Nothing, Underoath…just read Davdsons good bye letter, its on Wikipedia. He states that the band is no longer a ministry, it had become a business after Putmans first record. Davidson, an outspoken Christian dinstanced himself from the rest as he no longer saw NJ for what their original intent was, To spread the Word, know what I mean?
    The list of Christian bands I listed expressly talk about God or Jesus Christ or something to that effect which is something NJ stopped doing pretty much after Bless the Martyr.

    Anyway, hope that helps…

  • Zac

    Oh, okay. From the way you worded it I thought the entire band had descended into degenerate squalor. Like they snorted coke and then slapped their wives while pissing on crucifixes on stage or something. Actually… if they’d done that instead of putting our this new album of theirs I might still be listening to them.

  • http://reaperx.deviantart.com Reaper-X

    Who cares if this band is christian. That will NEVER excuse how shitty and dull this band is.

    Even if this band switched all out to evil lyrics about brutal genocides and rape, they would still suck ass.

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