Somehow I just found out that Norma Jean released a new album last year. I’m not sure how I missed that, but here we are. I’m legitimately listening to it as I type this, so reactions are in real time. No matter what, they will forever hold a special spot in my heart. They represent one of my favorite concerts from high school.
The year was 2004 and every local band was covering Memphis Will be Laid to Waste. Everyone was bringing a knife to a gun fight, and mosh calls were at an all time high. By some miracle, Norma Jean was coming to Jackson, MS with Underoath. This was a big deal. No one came to Mississippi. We had to go to Memphis or New Orleans typically for bigger name acts.
I and some friends had tickets of course, and we were going. Nothing was going to stop that. Except one thing. My mouth. As a kid I had a tendency to argue aggressively with authority. Who was the main authority you may ask? My parents of course. I can’t remember the specific argument or how it started or ended, but I got grounded about a week before this show.
Ever the rebellious child, I made concrete plans to sneak out and go anyway. Luckily my parents didn’t get wind of that because by some miracle they ended up letting me go to that show anyway. Oh happy day, mercy and grace had found me.
The Show was awesome. No surprise. I had never seen a bad with such energy on stage. To this day I have no idea how they brought that intensity night after night on tour. It’s truthfully a marvel. I was hooked. When O’ God The Aftermath came out the next year and then Redeemer the year after that I was a certified fan.
The Best Album
It’s Redeemer. Don’t even fight me on this. The best song is The End of All Things Will Be Televised. Again, don’t fight me on this. Accept it as fact. I’m about halfway through this new album at this point. I’ll be honest, it’s ok. It’s heavy. It’s chaotic. The energy is still there. It just seems like a poor imitation of Redeemer though. I’ll still totally see them though the next time they are through Tampa. No question there. Check it out for yourself though. The link is below.
The End of All Things Will Be Televised
Your day will come
Turn the page, embrace your comforting Company
The sun beats down on your comforting company
Everything is burning because tonight the south is on fire
