Normah is a young (really young) all female band from Greece. To be honest when I heard that they were a full female band I waited for Bon Jovi meets Crashdiet but that is definitely not the case. In the recent past the girls have released two songs (“Normah”,”Wave of Rage”) but “Darkest is the Hour Before Dawn” is their first EP with 5 new and really cool songs that leave a good impression to the listener.
It is really complimentary that you can hear a lot of different things in this 5 songs EP. Thrash riffs, doom riffs, progressive cuts, atmospheric parts, groove drum and bass lines. The opening track is “Iron Mother” which starts with a classic heavy metal riff. The Chorus is really catchy and it is a great way to start the EP.
“Tormentor 33” is a great example of how great solos Tenia can play and the thrash and core influences the band has. Marianiki is a real beast behind the drums. “Redheadz” starts great with a groovy bass line by Sofia and a heavy riff.
The song “Clowns” is ideal to close the EP. It has lots of samples from the movie IT and it is one of the most well written songs in the album. More progressive leads and riffs this time and the bass and keyboards help maintain a great atmosphere.
The mix and production is good. Marianiki is also the singer of the band and in some points I don’t like the way she sounds. Ι think that is mainly because of the over-production of the album at the vocals. At points she sound too one dimensional.
Overall a really good first album that shows the great work the band has put into it. If Normah keep working with the same appetite, the future seems pretty promising.
