Acclaimed post-hardcore heavy rockers Norma Jean recently signed with Razor & Tie and have been recording into the studio since January 2010 for a summer new album release, coming out July 13, 2010. The Atlanta-based Norma Jean have released four albums to date selling over 360,000 combined. The band's last album, The Anti Mother, debuted at #29 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and received rave reviews with Alternative Press calling it "ambitious and addictive." The album is the most furious, and yet melodic, music of their career and featured Page Hamilton of Helmet as well as a collaboration with Deftones' frontman Chino Moreno. The Grammy nominated band has an enormous online following with over 15 million MySpace plays and 267,000 MySpace friends as well as over 15,000 Facebook friends. Norma Jean has spent the last few years on the road - headlining the mainstage on the 2008 Warped Tour, secondstage on the 2006 Ozzfest, and has toured with countless bands worldwide.

Norma Jean consistently delivers heavy and potent songs that look life squarely in the eye. "The Jean absolutely live life's purpose, giving away the pure essence of real love and it's not pretty at all," says producer Ross Robinson with whom the band re-teamed for their last album after he first manned the boards on the quintet's strongly received Redeemer (2006). "Being fearless, Norma Jean steps musically beyond the line of greatness. The music is the soundtrack of surviving any situation and becoming who you were born to be."

The band's last album marked an artistic and creative high point with sonically adventurous songs. The sound of Cory Brandan (lead vocals, guitars) stepping away from his trademark growl and embracing melody raised more than a few eyebrows. The band--also consisting of Scottie Henry (guitars), Jake Schultz (bass), Chris Day (guitars) and Chris Raines (drums)--says it plans to continue evolving creatively. "We don't like to set any norms for Norma Jean," Scottie says. "People call us metalcore or post-hardcore, but we just write what comes. Being open to trying new things and having Cory actually singing has sent this record in a different direction. We aren't trapped in any kind of sound or scene. It's healthy for us to expand and grow." Or as Cory explains, "I love melodic, catchy songs, plain and simple. The Smashing Pumpkins are one of my favorite bands ever. And all they did was write love songs, even if they were heavy. We want to write heavy records, but still melodic and we're stoked on that."

Norma Jean's willingness to branch out and break down musical walls as well as the fact that the entire band is involved in the lyrical process, sets them apart. "We write lyrics together," Cory says proudly. "I know it's unusual, but we all want to know what every song is about. I can't tell you how many bands there are where you ask the guitarist what the lyrics mean, and they're like, 'I don't know... Some girl?'"

Whether it's the aggressive, hardcore, expansive or experimental Norma Jean crafts and delivers its music with conviction. Cory explains, "It's about finding something that makes the song come alive. We're more interested in the song having feeling as opposed to having a perfect studio product." And if it's up to Brandan, his hope is that listeners will get something the band's music that's unique and personal to them. "I want them to make our music their own," the singer says. "That's how I've always gone about it. That dates back to when I was a kid in my bedroom listening to Helmet or Fugazi or Deftones. I want to lend that kind of experience to people who hear our band."