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Norma Jean - пожалуй, одна из немногих групп жанра, успешно выплескивающая всю свою агрессию и злобу уже на протяжении многих лет в виде раз за разом успешных альбомов, сочетающих в себе и металкор, и хаотику, и хардкор, на радость своим слушателям. И стоит сказать, что новый релиз продолжает данную традицию едва ли не на "отлично", как минимум, на крепкое "хорошо".
На пластинке комфортно расположились сразу 11 произведений - в общем-то, стандартный объем трек-листа для группы, общей продолжительностью примерно 50 минут. Этого не мало, но и не много, и в общем-то стремление придерживаться золотой середины в этом и предыдущих релизах банды никогда не позволяло пожаловаться на то, что мол, " слишком мало", но и скучать в ожидании, когда релиз все же закончится, композиции также не дадут.
По заверению банды, их творческий путь приводит к, с одной стороны, стремлению сочинить что-то большее стандартных 3-4 минут, но и к желанию выразить эмоции на скоростном шестидесятисекундном "боевике", что мы и слышим на альбоме "Wrongdoers". Тут есть и длинные опусы, коими начинается и завершается LP, присутствуют крепкие "середнячки", дополняют трек-лист короткие, почти в стиле хардкор-панк, песни.
Материал вышел интересным и разнообразным, обилие оригинальных гитарных партий, вкупе с разнообразными барабанными, явно дают понять, что группа отнюдь не собирается сдавать позиции, и "есть еще порох в пороховницах". Особенно стоит выделить мощный заглавный трек "Hive Minds" и следующий за ним "If You Got It at Five, You Got It at Fifty", "Sword in Mouth, Fire Eyes" и мелодичный "Triffids". На фоне хитов, правда, кажется слегка скучным завершающая релиз песня, и большие сомнения вызывают финальные 5 минут альбома, где вместе музыки мы можем услышать лишь непонятные гитарные шумы, явно записанные и оставленные на альбоме лишь для галочки. Назвать те 300 секунд дроуном или чем-нибудь подобным язык просто не повернется, и было бы наверняка лучше их просто убрать, завершив шестой альбом "Нормы" несколько раньше.
Звучание по-прежнему осталось на высоком уровне, и сказать, что те или иные инструменты не слышно, абсолютно невозможно. Альбом не такой "глухой", в сравнении с "Meridional", но звучит, как кажется, не столь ярко на фоне "Redeemer" 2006 года.
В заключение можно сказать однозначно - это еще один хороший релиз от группы, и вроде бы, найти однозначные минусы в нем сложно. Но все-таки, после прослушивания остается странное чувство, что будто бы чего-то не хватает, и нет той общей идеи,связывающей все воедино на данном лонгплее. Быть может, причина в той самой смене темпа, когда длинный трек сменяется коротким, и после - наоборот. И тем не менее, LP можно с полной уверенностью порекомендовать тому, кто только начинает знакомиться с жанром, а уж у заядлого слушателя он уже давно есть на полке или в плеере. |
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Flowing up for a place under the sun.
Do you see it now?
The gold on your back weighing you down?
Pride is a cancer born from the cracks and crawling skyward.
I have been you. The shell on the street corner with change hungry hands.
A sunset car ride with a bottle of meds, or is it the canopy and rooftops?
A burst of soft color and a haze on your limbs?
Do you see it now?
The vines will come for you.
They always do. They came for me too. Gravity may not be a law.
But all things will find ground.
And we all know it exists.
Laid out under the orange red.
Sun showers in your head on the palms soaked rooftops you’ll never find.
Begging for death from the cancer of pride.
On that empty street corner I’ll keep walking.
I will leave you behind.
2. If You Got It At Five, You Got It At Fifty
Rock N Roll has such a terrible name, who is to blame?
Perching birds drug by a string in the air, stitched together with careless intention.
Cleaner than the dagger that hollowed it out.
Masked and forgotten or no face at all.
It’s got something or nothing to say.
Yeah don’t we all?
A trance and a trust fund stitched at the same time and sold to the hogs.
All eyes on you. Whatever it takes the bottom line is the only one that you’ll cross.
Keep selling what they want to hear, arrogant and insincere.
You’ve got something to say, but what’s the pay? A million before you and more in line.
I’ve seen it a thousand times.
Built to die and dying.
Built to last and lasting.
Go along to get along.
I will not be defiled by the kings’ meat.
The noise ain’t noise anymore, who’s to blame?
You and I.
3. Wrongdoers
This is just a tragedy. Just another tragedy.
Feel the grave slide across my throat.
I’ll live, or die and then forget the trip, forget the war, forget the struggle.
Failure on repeat.
Drive for miles just to turn around and play it back again.
Failure on repeat.
We came for the killing. Hopeless yes we know but we don’t mind.
Blood to the bridle. Flood of red as far as we can see.
Careful not to cut yourself.
Unhand the knife drawer and please replace the moon with the sun.
I know it’s hell to hope the feeling of knowing destruction isn’t forever, take it or leave it.
We make love to the same mistakes and never get tired.
Embrace the lover, make yourself comfortable.
Whatever keeps me up. So fine, take this love and be gone I’m done.
I always remind you. Forget the pain and take the initiative.
I guess we just consume danger so keep your hands out of your pockets and know
I will never learn! Eat the ice and kiss this place goodnight.
4. The Potter Has No Hands
Speaking madness while I strive for a wordless language,
You cry experience at the top of your lungs.
Can you make it loud?
Just make it loud. Make it loud as hell.
Molding the truths of unawareness.
Search and destroy to fill the void at any result.
So keep it down, just keep it down.
I’m gonna ride this train till the end, the last stop is the cemetery.
Cough up your last kill.
You used to live now you just fertilize so breathe out all your last words
You used to live now you just fertilize
And waste your life trying to make memories.
Wear it with pride because it’s all that you’ve got.
You just don’t get it, yeah you just don’t get it.
Make it loud, just make it loud. Make it loud, just make it loud as hell.
Ill rest here every night and propel my evils to him who hears me.
Even in the stillness of thought.
Even in the noise of your anger.
Even in the silence of prayer.
Cough up your last kill.
You used to live now you just fertilize so breathe out all your last words
You used to live now you just fertilize
Make it so loud that the words are lost
Make it so loud that their stomachs are filled with the gold that they endlessly seek
Make it so loud that they open their eyes
Make it so loud that the trees that they worship
Shake to their roots
Make it loud!
Don’t want to hear a word they have to say.
5. Sword In Mouth, Fire Eyes
We calmly weigh our thoughts before we know them
Careful not to break our only scale
But there’s no lament in taking chances
Fall a little while before we soar
Sword in mouth and helpless in the bond we have between us
Fire eyes and desperate for the helplessness we love
Turn to walk the path in my reflection
But not before the sheep becomes the wolf
Loveless without shame. I was only waiting for the calm before the storm.
The tongue was being sharpened by the lie.
Sword in mouth and helpless in the bond we have between us
Fire eyes and desperate for the helplessness we love
Tell us all the things we need to know now
You’ll find us in the silence of our own guilt
Shout it from the hell below
Shake us but be gentle so
Take our hand walk us through
Take my hand walk me through the land I stole
Help us to lay down
6. Afterhour Animals
7. The Lash Whistled Like A Singing Wind
Our friendship has a white flag
I’ll surrender if that’s what it takes
But I’ll never admit defeat
If that’s the road then you have the map
You and I mean way less to me than anything
In the isolation of the thoughts and judgments
And whatever happens to be spewing out of your dependency jail
There’s a slow dance soiree of trouble and you threw the party
We’re all doused in gasoline with no fear of flame
Well there’s a lot of things that can start a fire
I hope you’re satisfied because we all know that it’s the last thing
That I’ll hide and it’s the last that you can expect
No! You make your own damn mistakes!
8. Neck In The Hemp
I’m only gonna tell you one time! I am absolutely over you
But the fact remains that I was never beneath you
So just give me one reason to fall in line
Cause at the end of the day I just forget to care
I just forget you exist and I move on
Oh yeah, one more thing, and you should write this down
My patience is thick but the fuse has been cut
And the vital flame has been replaced
And while you’re at it can you autograph this DNR?
Don’t you worry there’s a carbon print for my records.
I’ll be sure to keep it safe and sound.
For the love of God, do not resuscitate
You are the heir of a neck in the hemp
I am the son of a gun that has the rope
That’s not a wall I’d want to hide behind.
It’s not getting any younger and it’s about to fall
I’ll be on the other side pushing as hard as I can
Let’s not have any doubts about this I will celebrate from your….
Death is not the rebellion of life!
9. Triffids
This is a romance!
This is a fiction, it’s a friend
That we all, we want to take to the grave
But this isn’t going to end well
This is a fable
Brought to you before a live studio audience
And it was created by adolescents
Singing “Cash that check and check that cash that check”
No one says that fear is a liar
But I’ve been told “No one gets out alive
So trust us with your life
The conclusion of the world is coming!
As soon as we have enough provisions
Plus management is God
And they’re behind it all
Silence shows nothing but weakness”
By now you’ve chosen the end
To live in fear is to not live at all
Worry is no form of treatment
You lost the sun to the walls of your bunker
But my love you know that I feel the same way
The only difference that fear is a liar
But at the top no one gets out alive
So trust us with your life
The conclusion of the world is coming!
As soon as we have enough provisions
Plus management is God
And they’re behind it all
Silence shows nothing but weakness
No one gets away alive!
By now you’ve stepped off the edge
This is a ROMANCE!!!!
Darling you know that I feel the same way
10. Funeral Singer
It’s been so many years since the first time I died.
The vultures have been gone for so long
The past starts again
But now it’s all been covered in ash
Dust yourself off and shine your bones cause
We’ve got a long way to go
I am the king of love to hate
You said we’d be together forever
I hope my candor doesn’t piss you off
But I wasn’t joking
Forever’s the last word I want to hear come out of your mouth
You are unchanged, why?
And no matter how it looks
I’m just now realizing they look better awake
Then they ever did asleep
The pieces are bursting together
I’ve been trying for so long to place them
Circles inside squares sparing and spoiling…
And now finally I’ve left
Burning and gasping for life
You’re drowning, but you’re not, you won’t
You are unchanged, why? Unchanged. How?
This is the only way. Spit out the candles that keep me away from you.
This is not an invitation. This is my plea.
I want to lay down in the trap you set for me
And wait in peace for you
I’m bleeding from the inside but nothing can protect myself from you
I want to lay down next to you and forget the world
The only people that exist are you and I.
I want to look you in the eyes and count my blessings
You are so much more than just my other half
I’m telling you right now, I’d sell my soul for you.
11. Sun Dies, Blood Moon
Have no fear and open your eyes and observe the glowing room
Through the blood that runs through your eyelids, I guess it’s time to wake
Moving hours with vacant hands just for the chance just to sleep again
Drag my feet across the earth yeah I guess that nothings restored
Make my through my designer home
To the heart of my captivity
Where I am both prisoner and warden
All I need is the air inside my lungs, or a cigarette
Life is blank without the flame.
It’s ok cause I am still within the womb
Watching from the inside, the inside
The great things wait just past the horizon
They lose their glow when the lights hit their skin
Outstretched hands I’ll flee and to nothing I will open the door.
The sun is dead, or maybe just fading out
It hits my skin for the first time in days and days
As I slip into the air I feel the warmest winter
That I can remember
Breathless is the empty world
Aimlessly walking through a vacant city
The architecture is all alone
If this is the end I don’t feel a damn thing
My tired feet matter no more
It seems the things I tend to believe always fall to my feet
To dig my shallow graves
You must have felt this, before you even woke up
You should have known it years ago
Do not be surprised my friend
You make your own decisions
You worked hard, you fought the good fight
The taste of copper in a failed mouth full of broken teeth
And the sounds of excuses
I’ll count my blessings on the fingers of the unbit hand
Empty of reason, goodbyes on the tip of my tongue forever
And so it goes
I must have seen it, before I even woke up
I should have known it years ago
I will storm the gates of hell
I will kill the queen of death herself
Shadowless in the last direct light of the drowning sun.