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From The Editor’s Floor: Norma Jean

Posted by Tim Karan on 22-Jul-08 @ 08:03 PM

Who do we have to thank for Chino Moreno's guest appearance on NORMA JEAN's new album The Anti Mother? Strangely enough, it's Helmet vocalist and guitarist Page Hamilton. "We actually met Page a year before we started writing this record," admits Norma Jean guitarist Scottie Henry. "He came out to one of our shows and it was amazing to see the guy from one of our all time favorite bands coming to see us. We thought it would be amazing to write a song with him, so we got a hold of him and asked him. He flew into Atlanta for a few days and he practiced with us once and we wrote a song. He came to the Ross Robinson's studio and laid down guitar tracks and sang on 'Opposite Of Left And Wrong.'" Buoyed by Hamilton's cooperation, Norma Jean started thinking big. They once spent a month following Deftones around America on a tour that was routed a day apart in most cities. Pleasantries were exchanged via merchandise packages left at venues and a mutual respect was fostered from afar. When it came to recording The Anti Mother, the band took a gamble. "We were on a roll, so we asked our manager to try and approach Chino," says Henry. "[Moreno] was into it and he came out to the studio and we wrote a song together. We had a riff, he had one and we just jammed. It was a totally different experience for us and incredible at the same time." --Andrew Kelham