ALBUM REVIEW: "All Hail" by Norma Jean

Hell yes to this album. Hell. Yes. Following up 2016's Polar Similar, which in my opinion is a near-perfect album, Norma Jean have returned with All Hail. While I don't think it quite matches Polar Similar, it is still a smackingly great album with everything in it that made its predecessor so good, as well as some new additions that allow it to stand out as another step forward for a band that has come to be defined by its ability to fearlessly change.

All Hail is maybe Norma Jean's most sonically diverse album to date - the moody, atmospheric stuff has a greater presence, but there is also some of the band's heaviest material present. Musically it is constantly interesting, never stagnant, crystal clear in its messiness of performance and production (provided by Will Putney of Graphic Nature Audio, who is having a killer year of releases), and when it decides to be it slaps unbelievably hard.

The strongest element of All Hail is something - or someone, rather - that has been the through line of their strongest material on a consistent basis. Cory Brandan's vocals and lyrics have somehow taken on a whole new level of unbelievable, and coming after a handful of albums that have already cemented him as one of the best in the game that is a statement that cannot be understated in its emphasis. His performance on All Hail is truly one for the ages, covering everything from his signature scream-sing (put to use immediately on opener "Orphan Twin"), to his moody and emotive singing, to his full-on screams, and everything in between. But like all great performances in this genre, it is as much about the way he transitions between these modes and inhabits the spaces in between, allowing his performance to take on a sense of complete mastery.

I will unashamedly admit that I am a massive Norma Jean fan boy, but I cannot truthfully give you anything that I perceive to be a negative about this album. It really is that good, but don't take my word for it, go and listen to it.

Rating: A+

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