Artist: Of Mice & Men
Track: “You’re Not Alone”
Album: Restoring Force
Label: Rise Records

It is hard to believe over two years have passed since Of Mice & Men released The Flood. I cannot recall more than a handful of weeks in all that time the band wasn’t making headlines worldwide, and for that they certainly deserve some credit. The metalcore market is as crowded as its ever been, but for one reason or another Of Mice & Men have managed to captivate throngs of young music fans with an intensity unmatched by their genre peers, and in just a few short weeks they’re poised to release their greatest album to date. For now, fans are getting a first taste of what is in store thanks to the lead single “You’re Not Alone,” and if you ask me it’s one of the band’s finest efforts to date.

When promotion for The Flood initially launched there was a deafening sense of urgency in the music being created by Of Mice & Men. Their debut had earned them a place in the market, but this album would be the one to establish their brand on an international level, and from a sonic standpoint that meant delivering a wall-of-sound that was as crushing as it was lyrically heartfelt. It’s in mixing the worlds of heavy and soft that OMM find their best material, and though The Flood unquestionably skewed heavy the verses were packed with lines that could make the toughest man weep. “You’re Not Alone” continues this streak of gut punch honesty, but its accompanied by a more mainstream-leaning rock sound that may catch fans off guard. This is no doubt aided by the presence of Aaron Pauley on clean vocals (instead of Shayley Bourget, who left after The Flood hit stores and formed Dayshell), which gives the band a new, gruffer sound that plays well with Carlile’s relentless wails.

As touched upon above, the musical direction on “You’re Not Alone” takes a step back from the ‘br00t@l’ sound of previous releases in preference of a sound fans of radio rock bands can embrace with open arms. If “The Depths” brought to mind the efforts of groups like Slipknot then “You’re Not Alone” falls more under the umbrella of arena mainstays like Five Finger Death Punch and Disturbed. That’s not a bad thing, unless you have some unexplainable bias against catchy songwriting that appeals to a far wider demographic than anything on OMM’s previous releases.

If all of Restoring Force falls in line with the sound and direction of “You’re Not Alone” I have zero doubts 2014 will be Of Mice & Men’s most successful year to date. Their sound is still heavy, but its evolved into a more accessible form of hard rock that should go a long way towards introducing the band to potential new fans while pleasing longtime followers. I was worried Of Mice & Men would overstay their welcome with another record of similar sounding hard rock anthems, but with “You’re Not Alone” they prove they still have a few great surprises up their sleeves.

Restoring Force hits stores January 28. Click here to preorder your copy today.

Written by: James Shotwell (Follow him on Twitter)

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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