If you've normalized the track, you've maxed out the PEAK volume of that track. If you aren't happy with the level, you are essentially saying you have too much dynamics in the track. "Ruin" is a strong word and if I said it, it was part of my over the top sense of humor.
You want to get the RMS level louder. The best way to do that is to use compression on individual tracks so that you can knock off the peaks and bring up the overall level.
Then, after that, you'll want to follow with a brickwall limiter such a Waves L2, the Voxengo Elephant or
Aradaz Maximizer 5 VST Brickwall Limiter
Brandon