Norma Jean is one of those bands that so many people recognize their name, regardless of whether they've listened to them or not. Old fans, new fans, and strangers alike take interest because of their name or their reputation in the industry. I was lucky enough to have some time with Cory Brandan (lead vocalist) who gave me some really in-depth answers to my questions. He also has quite the sense of humor, which hopefully readers will appreciate.
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"Wrongdoers" seems to almost return to the roots of Norma Jean stylistically, while at the same time, staying true to present day NJ, was there a change in approach when it came to writing this album, as opposed to previous albums?
Not really. If anything we just took a few steps back and looked at what we’ve done and tried to get away from it. I think that decision to make a mental and emotional separation from our past helped us to focus more.
Tell me about your inspiration for this album as opposed to your previous albums. Did your approach to writing it change? If so, in what regard? Since it sounds like you really refound yourselves and brought your A-game, many are curious as to what went into that.
In short (very short) We started writing this record feeling like Meridional was still lingering. We went into writing with that in mind. In a way we were kind of thinking “how can we beat that record?” We had a pretty stressful 5 or so months of writing. We did a Europe/Russia tour and when we came back we lost a couple of members which didn’t help. After a short mourning period, we embraced it! We had to. It was that or be done. We transformed into more a collective rather than a band. We made sure we found the right guys and they brought a great new energy. Got away from Meridional and wrote Wrongdoers. I think all of that struggle without mentioning everything had a huge part on the inspiration of this record. We wanted to make something that proved that we still love this and will continue to put out music that matters.
On the subject of writing, what's your process in general? Who focuses on what parts of the process?
I think the process changes every record. It usually take a little bit to figure out what we’re doing. But eventually it all clicks. We usually all write separately and bring it all together throughout several practice sessions. This time we found we were writing a lot of the music on the spot based on how we felt that day or in that moment. Jeff and I wrote all the lyrics together. Along with a little help from our previous guitarist Scottie Henry.
What are your favorite songs to play? And which are the most meaningful?
Right now my personal favorite is Hive Minds. Of our old stuff, I’ve always had a special place for A Small Spark vs A Great Forest. It’s such a fun song to perform as well.
What has it been like and how has it affected your transitioning over the years with lineup changes?
It’s never easy losing a member. I’m not going to pretend like it is. Especially when you play with someone for 10 plus years, you build a chemistry with them. That’s not easy to replace. On the other hand, bringing in new blood has brought a new energy that I truly feel like Norma Jean needed. We wouldn’t have Wrongdoers without any of them, though.
Seeing as many of your contemporaries (Underoath, for example) are no longer active, does that inspire you to keep working hard to "stay alive" as a band?
In a way yes, but it hasn’t been a factor in why we do what we do. We love music and want to continue to write and play. It’s really that simple. We have a lot of fun doing it and as long as that door is open, I’m going through it every time.
Speaking of that, what is your drive to keep making music? Do you feel there's still lots to be done that you haven't done yet?
I decided a long time ago that I had already achieved everything I wanted as a musician and more. Knowing that, it’s made everything else icing on the cake. On that note, there is so much more we want to do now.
I imagine you may get this question a lot, but...Do you hate being compared to Botch?
Haha no!! I remember the first time I ever heard that I thought. “Dang! Thanks! We love that band!” Heck, we even recorded O’God with Matt Bayles, but in reality we are much more influenced by other artists. What people need to remember is that we are from the same era of music. Go listen to Deadguy, Coalesce, Will Haven, Angelhair, Honeywell etc.... That’s what we came from and I think it still shows in remnants. That’s ok with us.
How did it feel to be nominated for a Grammy for your O'God the Aftermath album artwork?
It was cool. Something I could tell my mom and she could be impressed a little bit.
If you could collaborate with one band or artist, or bring someone on for a track, who would it be?
Definitely Sean and Jes from Coalesce.
What do you think the future holds for you?
We have so many ideas and things we want to do. We hope Wrongdoers will get us some good support tours. If not, we’ll be out there by ourselves playing anyway.
And finally, what do you think of the current metalcore music scene and the bands around you?
I feel like that question is starting to sound like “what do you think of the little kids who run on your lawn?” haha. I’m an old school dude. I don’t like a lot of it, but I have nothing bad to say about it. There’s definitely some cool stuff out there and we’ve been able to tour with some of those bands. It grows on you on tour. I like that I can like something new still without blowing it off. I don’t want to be that bitter old man yelling “get off my lawn!!”
Although each track is different, the album comes across almost like a story, each different song a chapter that all ties together smoothly. Starting off with a bang, the first song "Parachutes" quickly became a favorite, with its first lyrics, "My vacant heart, how is it that you split in two parts? I'm checking in to reminisce, a roller coaster in the dark to places I don't want to go." A great description of how B&C songs can make one feel - like you're on a roller coaster.
