The tale of a proverbial rebirth after being trapped in the tidal waves of life. Feeling lost. Alone. A Stranger to yourself. Watching life happen, as if someone else was living the life you were meant to. A ghost with a heartbeat. Familiar faces, now so unknown. "Waves" signaled a stylistic change. Norman knew then, the time was right to just let it all out.
In late December 2016, the former lead singer of Murder FM was at a personal and professional crossroads. At a time during the most vulnerable Norman Matthew had ever been, the song he began writing for himself to express his emotions gave birth to his most prolific work of his career to date. Musically and lyrically transparent to a fault, His story began to tell itself through song "Waves", the first single that will be available September 15, 2017. As Strange As Angels was born.
The video can be seen here:
"I loved Murder FM. It was my identity. It's who I was." said Norman Matthew. "I loved those guys more than one can imagine. We had a thousand ups and downs together. We traveled the world with our music. Saw more miles than many will see in their lives, and we did it together. We went through marriages, divorces, saw a man lose his in front of us on tour. Obstacles were no stranger to us. Mistakes, I made plenty. Music is my life. The road was the only place I ever felt like home. It was the only time I truly recognized myself. But when worlds collided on the road in July 2016, already embroiled in chaos in my personal life, I knew there was nothing more important than making sure every breath I took, was for my son. I had to make a change. My son is everything to me, and I needed to put that at the forefront of my life, now more than ever"
"I had not written a song for myself in almost two years. I didn't know what to write. Or if I even knew how to write. I was lost, confused. Scared. As a person I felt empty and blank. I didn't know if I would ever have the confidence to set foot on a stage ever again. I made a conscious effort to do the exact opposite of what I would normally do. I changed my workflow. Guitars I played, tunings I used. For the first time, rather than speaking to the song, I let the song speak to me. I had never written lyrics that were a parallel of my life. Then I realized, I have a voice, and I need to be a voice for the voiceless. There HAS to be people that feel the same way I do, and maybe I could make a difference, even in some small way. Things were dark. Life was real. I couldn't breathe. So I just opened my heart, and let it all out. No shackles, no boundaries, no holds barred. I had nothing left to prove, and everything to fight for. It was time to reinvent myself if I was going to survive on every level."
Through the turmoil, a new persona emerged. As Strange As Angels was born. Norman Matthew wrote every note, penned every lyric, and performed every instrument on the record. If I was going to be a solo endeavor, Norman wanted it to be that way from top to bottom. The forthcoming release features a musical aesthetic more versatile than any of Norman's previous catalogue. Bouncing electronic songs off the ears of Tommy Lee. Writing a track with former bandmate Keith Barney of 18 visions. Hitting the drawing board with close friend, CJ Pierce of Drowning Pool. Mentored by platinum producer Beau Hill, Norman enlisted Chris Dawson of Seasons after for mixing duties, and Mike Kalajian (Circa Survive, Saosin) for mastering.
The Debut single from As Strange As Angels is up for pre-order on iTunes now and will be officially released on 9/15/17.
