Review Summary: You may not see it immediately, and the changes at times may be subtle, but Of Mice & Men are growing up.
Restoring Force is the band's third studio album, and the first after former vocalist, Shayley Bourget's, departure. Since his leave, former Vocalist of Jamie's Elsewhere, Aaron Pauley, has filled his role as the band's new vocalist. As a fan of Jamie's Elsewhere's album, "They Said A Storm Was Coming", I thought that Aaron had an energetic, unique voice that was a perfect fit to the band and was eager to see what he had to offer. Their latest endeavor shows the bands new-found maturity as artists with better transitions and a lack of meaningless breakdowns. But it also exemplifies that their roots, in some regards, are the only things holding them back.
I like to call it "A Day to Remember Syndrome." Much like in ADTR's last record, there are many ambitious and progressive ideas that Of Mice & Men seem to want to implement here. But because they don't want to let go of that core sound that they pioneered off of, there's a bit of dissonance in between songs that can sometimes feel polarizing. It's as if this record has an identity crisis. It doesn't know if it wants to be Nu-Metal, Post-Hardcore, or even at times Hard Rock, and the mix of genres often feels alienating.
For example, the albums fourth track, "Would You Still Be There," has a sound that seems to be influenced by bands like Thousand Foot Krutch or Skillet. The main riff in "You Make Me Sick" sounds like it was directly ripped from Slipknot's Before I Forget. Heck, "Space Enough to Grow" sounds like it could be a soft track from a Breaking Benjamin Album. But instead of mixing together these influences with their own unique sound, they seem to decide to separate the album. They design tracks such as "Glass Hearts", "Bones Exposed," and "Public Service Announcement" (A.K.A. YDG pt.3) to appease the old fans and play it safe. Whereas tracks like "Feels like Forever", "Identity Disorder", "Would You Still Be There" and "Another You", seem to throw in experimentation with other sounds that make the album feel inspired but at the same time shallow with no coherence in exploration to one particular genre.
I just want to clarify, there's nothing wrong them trying to impliment their old sound into different genres. The issue is that instead of mixing their stlye with their influences, the album seems to split between songs that sound like you're basic OM&M or 2nd rate covers of bands we've all heard before. There's a lack of innovation here that their past releases have had and without that it's a bit dissapointing.
That's not to say that the music at it's core is bad, at times it can actually be quite enjoyable. The different sounds that they do work with can range from fantastic to not-so-much. Tino's Drumming is consistently solid throughout and show the same caliber of sound that it has since the band's beginning. Riffs on the guitar leave much to be desired, rarely ever leaving the comfort zone of the three low strings, though for the most part they compliment the vocalists and don't really ever seem detrimental overall. Austin tries at a new vocal style in "Feels Like Forever" that fits right in with the band's sound while making it feel like an evolution of their old sound."Public Service Announcement" and "You Make Me Sick" are perfect examples of how he really has grown as a screamer, no longer soley relying on his often incomprehensible fry screams, albiet there still are plenty of those here.
Pauley definitely shows what he can bring to the table and delivers a plethora of influences from his former band. "Another You" has a poignant atmosphere that is highly reminiscent of Jamie's Elsewhere tracks like "The Prodigal" and "One Foot in The Grave," though that may mainly be due to the effects on the precussion. "Space Enough to Grow", "Identity Disorder" and "Would You Still Be There" are key tracks that really show Aaron's singing potential and are among my favorite on the album. Aaron's vocals (Much like Shayley's were on The Flood) are the best thing on this album. And if it weren't for Austin's persistent appearance and iconic status, Pauley would definetly overshadow him in every way.
Then there are the songs that really seem trite, "Break Free", "Bones Exposed", and especially "You're Not Alone." There's no solid basis in sound with these and the execution on each of them feels passionless and empty. Lyrically and fundamentally these songs are just boring.
Speaking of lyrics they can be hit or miss too. Some of the best are done really well. "Glass Hearts" is a track that really shows an emphasis of meaning and emotion in it's message while also making excelent use of poetic devices:
Picking and Stabbing their words feel like knives,
Tearing and ripping the seams of my life,
I've tried to convince them their words hurt like stones,
I just wish they'd leave me alone,
Some of the worst are done in the most cheesy way possible. "You're Not Alone," the worst track on the album has a positive message, but shows no life in execution, and presents the most overused cliches in lyrical history:
Don't let the world bring you down,
There's always hope for the willing,
Don't let the world bring you down,
It's not over, you're not alone anymore.
Overall though, Restoring Force is an enjoyable album that shows that Of Mice & Men really want to grow up and evolve musically, but it also shows that they, while ambitious in their effort, grasp too tightly to their roots and lose that spark of innovation that made them big in the process.
Tracks I'd Check Out:
-Glass Hearts
-Would You Still Be There
-Another You
-Identity Disorder
-Space Enough To Grow
AVOID AT ALL COSTS:
-You're Not Alone
