Wrongdoers is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Norma Jean. The album was released on August 6, 2013, and is the band's second release through Razor & Tie. It is the first album to feature guitarist Jeff Hickey, bassist John Finnegan and drummer Clayton Holyoak, and the last album with longtime guitarist Chris Day. Wrongdoers garnered critical acclamation by music critics at such publications as Alternative Press, Decibel, Exclaim! and Revolver Magazine, and sold 8,340 copies in its first week. Vocalist Cory Brandan said about the album "We also slapped some old school classic Norma Jean nastiness on Read more on Last.fm.
So close. Do yourself a favor and skip the first track—the second one sets a much better tone for the rest of the record.
The vocals have been a weak point for NJ in the last two records, but they’re spot-on here, and the faster tempo on some of these tracks is a welcome progression. The production style works well, too, and they manage to avoid obvious repetition. Yet, there are a few noticeably dull moments that seem to drag the whole thing back down.
If nothing else, it’s worth the listen to get to “The Lash Whistled Like A Singing Wind”.