Cory Brandan Putman has been the lead singer of Norma Jean since their 2005 release, O God, The Aftermath, thus taking on the lead role in one of the mid-2000's most influential metalcore bands. Since then, Norma Jean has forged onward, cementing their legacy with a characteristic sound embodied on last year's outstanding Wrongdoers. And in case you didn't know, it was one of my favorite records of 2013. But there were always a few things I wanted to know about the band. And since he seems like such a nice guy, I thought I'd ask him!
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Metal Injection: Hello Cory, first off I want to reiterate how much I love the new album (as I wrote in my review last year), and would like to start by asking where the inspiration for the lyrics came from? What kind of place where you guys in when you wrote the lyrics for songs like "Sword in Mouth, Fire Eyes" and "Neck in the Hemp?"
Cory Brandan: Yes! Thanks so much for the awesome review. Norma Jean has always written lyrics for the most part as a group. We feel like we play the songs with more passion if everyone is on the same page with the intention of the lyrics. “Sword in mouth…” was inspired by a small CS Lewis quote to the effect "if you're on the wrong path, the first one to turn around and head toward the right one is the most progressive" I liked the idea that even though we remain on a path of struggle sometimes, at least we're fearless enough to go against the grain and continue to the right one. I wrote that one in one sitting by myself and shared it with the others, it was the most free-flowing writing session I'd ever had. It just came out! “Neck in the Hemp” is basically "it's one of those days" kind of songs. If you're pissed off, releasing it through music is the best medicine in my opinion.
MI: You guys had some big lineup changes for this record. As tough as it probably was, I feel like it’s given you a new spring in your step. Would you agree?
CB: Yes definitely. We're not going to lie and say all was good when we lost guys and had to find the right replacements. It was hard to lose friends and that chemistry we had built but we think we really hit the jackpot or something because these guys are spot on and were immediately on the same page as us. They definitely brought some new energy to these old bones.
MI: I've never seen Norma Jean as a preachy or pedantic sort of band, but I like the sense of moral seriousness and urgency that you project in your music and lyrics. Do you think this is something that any fan (Christian or non-Christian) can embrace?
CB: I do. We've always seen Norma Jean as an outlet for us. I've said before that although I believe music can conjure emotions, I don't think it can have a belief. A sound can't believe in something. So we just try to explore the right emotions for the content and make sure we aren't just throwing down lyrics that we aren't going to care about someday. We try to leave the songs open to interpretation just as a painting can be interpreted many different ways, we think music and content are the same. Everyone is different and will get something different out of it than the person next to them.
MI: I've always wanted to know, do you guys ever get tired of playing certain songs? Are there ever nights where you want to just not play "Memphis will be laid to waste?" (Note: please don't stop playing it!)
CB: Haha! We feed off the energy of people at a live show. So if the fans aren't feeling it, neither are we. As long as everyone keeps losing their minds when we play “Memphis…” We will continue to play it and love it. We also embrace all our records and love everything we have ever done. I wouldn't say we're bored of the older songs but we definitely don't practice them anymore.
MI: What are some of your favorite songs to play live these days? I feel like "Amnesty Please" would really get a crowd going.
CB: The song “Wrongdoers” off the new record is definitely a favorite of mine. I still love to play “A Small Spark vs. A Great Forest” off Redeemer. Over the last year we've been starting our set with three songs that we cram together that we call "the reefer threefer" (that's what it says on the setlist) – it's a southern riff we play at the end of the new record that we call “Stonedog”, half of the song “Disconnecktie” (from O God, The Aftermath) and then into “Anthem Of The Angry Brides” (Meridional). It's fun as crap! And probably retired after the tour we're on now. We've only played “Amnesty Please” a few times and didn't like the live feel at the time. Maybe that's changed. I'll look into it! I don't have the paperwork to back that up.
MI: A lot of time has passed since the big explosion of metalcore back in the mid-2000's. Do you ever get concerned about staying fresh and relevant as the years go by?
CB: I'll be honest and say there was a time when we thought that for sure but we chose to create something that was ours instead. We think with the last two records at least that we have stepped into something that is all Norma Jean. We like that someone can hear a song and say "yep that's them" we want to continue to expand on that and keep making stuff that we love.
MI: In the spirit of that, what are your plans for this album cycle? Will you guys start writing again soon?
CB: We want to hit Canada before we do anything. We haven't been there in way too long. Needs to happen. We'll do some other random US shows and then yes, we'd like to start writing even if recording isn't in the near future.
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