trubywarrior
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Joined: 1/8/2007
From: Essex United Kingdom
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Meridional is unlike practically everything else you’ll hear released this year. This is Norma Jean at their avant-garde best. Firstly this is not O God the Aftermath II, even though there are strong shades of O God throughout. The chaotic medley that was O God the Aftermath reverberates through several tracks, particularly on the first half of the album, namely the opening track Leaderless and Self Enlisted and The Anthem of the Angry Brides, which is one of the most abrasive and harsh, yet awe-inspiring songs Norma Jean have ever written. Whilst Meridional embraces melody, perhaps to a larger extent than some fans may have expected, neither is this more of the same in the vein of the AntiMother, Norma Jean’s previous release.
But what is Meridional? Well a definition of the album title reveals much about the album, conceptually and artistically. Meridional pronounced muh-rid-ee-uh-nl means characteristic of the south, or people living in the south. As is commonly known, Norma Jean are an Atlanta based band and are very proud of their Southern roots. Therefore the album title is intricately linked to the band’s cultural identity and thus epitomises much of the band’s experimental and dissonant sound. This album is everything Norma Jean is.
Meridional is a musical voyage...a journey of abrasive and dissonant metallic fury and sombre and poignantly haunting melody. There is a certain antithetical semblance to this album, which combines visceral aggression with haunting song. Meridional exhibits the largest range yet of Cory Brandon’s cathartic vocals. In places this album is very experimental and avant-garde, especially in its two instrumental tracks Septentrional and Occidental. Personally it is this journey, which I find most rewarding as a listener. The fact that this album is not just O God the Aftermath II from start to finish I find ultimately fulfilling. This is not Norma Jean circa 2005: this is Norma Jean in 2010, a more seasoned and complete band. Meridional can only be described as pure. This album is Norma Jean’s musical and at times poetically enigmatic lyrical art. This is not Norma Jean trying to be something they are not. This is unashamedly who Norma Jean are, who they have become. The integrity and purity of this album is nothing short of stunning and awe-inspiring. The album artwork is of similar fashion, the physical cd is really the whole package.
If I was to find fault with this album I would say that the two instrumental songs listed above are too short – just when you get into them they’re over. Secondly there is a fifteen minute gap between the end of closing track Innocent Bystander’s United and the hidden track, which is nothing more than about 30 seconds of experimental noise. It wouldn’t have been too bad if it had only been two or three minutes between, but after fifteen minutes silence it is a little anticlimactic. That being said, there is very little else to criticise on this album and these are shortcomings which are happily lived with when the album is taken and listened to as a whole. Meridional is a triumph and Norma Jean’s most epic album yet.
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