After constantly being confused with the rapper Ludacris, Luti-Kriss decided it was high time for a name change and when considering that nearly every other band in their genre has already combined a string of words about death, seasons or diseases together, these witty Georgia natives decided to adopt Marilyn Monroe's birth name as the moniker for themselves. But not only the name has changed however as "Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child" is literally light years beyond "Throwing Myself", abandoning the bands borderline stereotypical metalcore approach of days past and diving headlong into sludgy metallic hardcore with progressive tendencies ala Isis and co.

An extremely dense and bruising record, the band have literally created the soundtrack to getting your skull bashed in on this offering as primal drawn out breakdowns and ruthless chunky riffs grate against the surface while plundering bass lines and thunderous drumming reduce the listeners insides to mush. A wealth of throaty, almost barbaric screams take advantage of this powerful instrumental section and subsequently unleash their auditory vehemence in a maelstrom of verbal violence. No one trick pony by any means though, the band also add in some brooding melodies and lunge into sparse rhythmic excursions that provide a welcome breather, even if they only to pounce right back in without warning and continue to wreck shop.

This may be hard to believe when considering that the band originally started out with a DJ, but such is the case as Norma Jean have truly begun to come into their own. A big ace in the hole for them this time out is the fact that the production talents of Killswitch Engage virtuoso Adam Dutkiewicz are readily apparent all over the release, bringing out the same crushing tones that were apparent on Killswitch Engage's "Alive Or Just Breathing". In fact, when listening to the record and the tones and cognition between the instruments its almost uncanny that this release was recorded live with no computers used.

With the strength of the sound captured on this record and the outright intensity and bone splintering power of the songs included, it almost seems impossible that their parts weren't digitally embellished, but alas this is just a testament to their relatively untapped potential. Ripe with witty lyrics and song titles that would make Simon Brody proud and a sound that bridges modern metal with various shades of much heavier genres, Norma Jean have released one of the most impressive metalcore albums of the year, making it a shame to say they recently lost their vocalist and bassist. If they can get back on their feet from such a crippling blow they will have no problems establishing themselves as a name to be beat but only the chemistry between the new members on their next effort will clarify once and for all if that is so.