Ah the fond memories of English literature class in school…sat for an hour going over “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck, taking it in turns reading paragraphs about farm work, mentally disabled men, stroking puppies to death, racism, manslaughter, accusations of rape (Did I mention STROKING PUPPIES TO DEATH?) while the teacher tries to force her interpretations upon you as if she wrote the damn novel herself? Luckily I don’t have to pay George and Lennie another visit (Well, George, spoiler alert, Lennie dies mwahahaha) but we are going to be looking at OF MICE & MEN…formed in Orange County, California, back in 2009, the metalcore-mob have gradually established themselves as one of the biggest up and coming names in alternative metal with an ever growing and ever loyal fan-base, but, this is rock ‘n’ roll damnit and nothing ever goes according to plan! "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley" after all…and in this case, it involves former vocalist Austin Carlile. He suffers from Marfan Syndrome which affected his lungs and he was forced to step down from vocal duties…yet the band went on with bassist Aaron Pauley taking the helm and they’ve just released their first album without Austin; “Defy”…let’s check it out…
We open up with the title track an initially it’s like the band have gone all BLACK STONE CHERRY with a slick, groove-laden approach with their riffs and general tone, but we’re soon reminded of their metalcore roots with some raw, aggressive vocals, but it’s not the be-all and end-all…new front-man Aaron provides some wonderful clean vocals too and the chorus here is huge; it’s a well-balanced track and gets the album underway with a bold and positive note. “Instincts” follows up with another well balanced track combining pummelling metal qualities with another infectious pop-orientated chorus…it’s really the best of both worlds and it appeals to several demographics, the solo is pretty bold too which only adds further character and it’s another impressive effort…so far so good it has to be said!
The only issue however, is that very contrast…as realistically it’s hard to pinpoint what OM&M are actually aiming for with this new record…album highlight “Back To Me” is a wonderfully melodic, almost anthemic rock track with so much passion coursing through it, which can also be said about “Unbreakable” which despite its riff-work clearly has a lot of pop production behind it given it’s catchy delivery, so too with “Forever YDG’n” and it’s infectious hooks layered within the breakdowns and again, a huge chorus…it’s like a band in transition really. This is confirmed by some 50/50 efforts such as “Warzone”…easily the heaviest track on offer here with its sharp dose of brutality and intensity, but its countered by closing track “If We Were Ghosts”…for what it’s worth a generic rock ballad. While the album itself is a strong one, there’s nothing wrong with the music here whatsoever it’s an enjoyable listen from start to finish, it’s as though the band are at a crossroads…it’s a lot more accessible for casual fans but I can imagine original fans finding this weak…I guess in ways it’s down to this; are you a man or a mouse? OM&M are somewhere in between right now…where do you fall? [7]
We open up with the title track an initially it’s like the band have gone all BLACK STONE CHERRY with a slick, groove-laden approach with their riffs and general tone, but we’re soon reminded of their metalcore roots with some raw, aggressive vocals, but it’s not the be-all and end-all…new front-man Aaron provides some wonderful clean vocals too and the chorus here is huge; it’s a well-balanced track and gets the album underway with a bold and positive note. “Instincts” follows up with another well balanced track combining pummelling metal qualities with another infectious pop-orientated chorus…it’s really the best of both worlds and it appeals to several demographics, the solo is pretty bold too which only adds further character and it’s another impressive effort…so far so good it has to be said!
The only issue however, is that very contrast…as realistically it’s hard to pinpoint what OM&M are actually aiming for with this new record…album highlight “Back To Me” is a wonderfully melodic, almost anthemic rock track with so much passion coursing through it, which can also be said about “Unbreakable” which despite its riff-work clearly has a lot of pop production behind it given it’s catchy delivery, so too with “Forever YDG’n” and it’s infectious hooks layered within the breakdowns and again, a huge chorus…it’s like a band in transition really. This is confirmed by some 50/50 efforts such as “Warzone”…easily the heaviest track on offer here with its sharp dose of brutality and intensity, but its countered by closing track “If We Were Ghosts”…for what it’s worth a generic rock ballad. While the album itself is a strong one, there’s nothing wrong with the music here whatsoever it’s an enjoyable listen from start to finish, it’s as though the band are at a crossroads…it’s a lot more accessible for casual fans but I can imagine original fans finding this weak…I guess in ways it’s down to this; are you a man or a mouse? OM&M are somewhere in between right now…where do you fall? [7]
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