"Cadillac grills, Cadillac bills, check out the oil my Cadillac spills," raps the native Georgian Ludacris. Perhaps the fellow Atlanta boys from the now re-monickered Luti-Kriss will soon be incorporating how much they are bling-blinging into their shows after the release of Bless the Martyrs..Kiss the Child. All Ludacris/Luti-Kriss puns aside, with the release of BtMKtC Norma Jean distances themselves further from their previous name stigma and a lot of other hardcore bands. The band's first release, Throwing Myself, was easily castigated as just another ZAO wannabe with a really bad band name. But BtMKtC has me listening. Chaotic in approach and gritty in feel, this album is hard to the core, capturing a raw intensity that was missing on the first album. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the band recorded much of the album live, on the fly. More catchy than Throwing Myself, BtMKtC has many choruses that one could easily sing or yell along with. They even throw in some hand clapping, which I find trendy, but still fun. Guitar tones are tuned up and down to create sounds that are screeching and at different times pounding. This genre may fade away soon just like many others before it, but whatever happens, Norma Jean has a good chance of standing the test of time with unabashed live shows and solid songwriting.
Editors' ratings - Doug 3/5, Jason 3/5
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Ryan LittleBless the Martyr and Kiss the Child is the most original Christian or positive hardcore music. Norma Jean's work as Luti-Kriss on "Throwing Myself" was a wow, but this CD blows the top off the entire genre. All of the effects on the album are done with guitars, not computers. WOW. The musical progress of this band has gone forward between albums, doubtlessly helped along by their relentless tour…Similar sounding releases
1998ZaoWhere Blood and Fire Bring Rest
2002Curl Up and DieUnfortunately We're Not Robots
2003IntegrityTo Die For
2002Suicide NoteYou're Not Looking So Good
2004Escape GraceEscape Grace
2005BlacklistedWe're Unstoppable
