Luti-Kriss
Douglasville, Georgia10 reviews across 2 releases
Luti-Kriss was formed in 1997 in Douglasville, Georgia, outside Atlanta, as a Christian hardcore band whose early recordings sat between metalcore and rap-metal. On the 1999 Split with Travail, the group used furious riffs over thick bass and solid beats, while Josh Scogin's vocals moved between rap and screams, with sung and spoken passages; Deftones influence was audible in songs such as "Body of God." The 2001 debut Throwing Myself kept the distorted vocal attack and heavy guitar groove but presented a darker, more structured sound, with little emphasis on fast drumming. Its songs were forceful and carefully produced, although one review found the material familiar and another noted that the record did not reproduce the band's much more intense live performances. The lyrics remained explicitly Christian, including the imagery of sacrifice in "Body of God."
After Throwing Myself appeared in 2001, Luti-Kriss changed its name to Norma Jean and continued with Solid State Records. The new name accompanied a move away from the earlier rap-metal traits toward a harsher hardcore sound, heard on the 2002 album Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child. Josh Scogin left shortly after its release, and Joshua Doolittle also departed; Scogin went on to form The Chariot, while Cory Brandan eventually became Norma Jean's vocalist. The band continued under the Norma Jean name through later lineup changes and remains active.
