The popular metalcore band Of Mice and Men is back with their third studio release, entitled Restoring Force. The album came out on 1/24/2014 via Rise Records, and has quickly gained much success, hitting the #4 spot on the Billboard 200. The album succeeds The Flood and Of Mice and Men, both of which were also very popular among teenage “core” listeners and fans of Rise Records. The band has been known for Austin Carlile’s intense, high energy vocals, and some really catchy, high pitched choruses. For Restoring Force, Of Mice and Men has changed its sound to become heavier and more focused on harsh vocals, but still sticks true to their prior formula of breakdowns and face-paced drums. Has this change benefitted Of Mice and Men, or has this change made the band lose its unique identity? Read on to find out!

One notable aspect about Restoring Force that separates it from Of Mice and Men’s prior releases is that their clean singer, Shayley Bourget, left the band and they recruited Aaron Pauley from Jamie’s Elsewhere, to the dismay of many Jamie’s Elsewhere fans. From the first track, “Public Service Announcement”, this change became apparent as the high pitched choruses are no longer present but replaced by Austin’s screamed vocals. This album manages to maintain the high energy and intensity throughout, as it is saturated with heavy guitar breakdowns. Although Aaron’s clean vocals are still very present, the cleans no longer change the tempo and mood in a different direction as it did on The Flood, but are there instead to complement Austin’s screams. Many fans of OM&M dislike this change, as they can no longer memorize and sing along to the catchy choruses, but I believe this change is for the better, as the tracks are able to sound more coherent. The band definitely sounds heavier and less radio friendly as a result. There are many standout tracks on Restoring Force, including “Public Service Announcement”, “Feels Like Forever”, “Bones Exposed”, “Glass Hearts”, and “Space Enough to Grow”. However, besides those standout tracks, the album feels a bit lackluster and repetitive. As similar breakdowns are incorporated and the same riffs recycled, many songs lose their individual identity and thus become less memorable. The worst song on Restoring Force is by far the lead single, “You’re Not Alone”, as the cheesy lyrics, mundane breakdowns, and more than average chorus make it just another boring metalcore track. The production work on this album is decent, but odd at times. Many times, unnecessary synth beats are layered in the tracks but quickly go away when the vocals hit, and many songs come to an abrupt stop. The two ballads present, “Another You” and “Space Enough to Grow”, are surprising enjoyable, and are both memorable parts of this album. They are placed intelligently during parts where the album becomes a bit tiresome and repetitive, and are able to change the mood of the record.

Lyrical quality on Restoring Force is really nothing to write home about. Many times, the lyrics are very cheesy, and seems like a desperate attempt to be impactful and in-your-face. However, this will not necessary hurt the band, as fans of this band usually are not looking for profound, mind-blowing lyrics but more for the obvious and annoyances in life that they can easily relate to. As a whole, I just wished that the band put more thought into the lyrics, and wrote something that at least attempted to stray from mediocrity.

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