The fifth studio album release “Defy”, by California metallers Of Mice & Men sees the heavy return to the band’s sound while not losing sight of the ever expanding progression of the quartet. Full of huge anthemic choruses led by furious riffs and grooves and a ton of melody, all combined together for results in a pretty solid effort.
“Defy” is by all accounts a fairly heavy record, even by Of Mice & Men‘s standards. Bouncing dynamics and grooves and huge melodies drive a lot of the components that make up this album but it’s the aggressiveness and the lively feel that really make these collection of songs stand out. The title track kicks things off in reasonable fashion, heavy breakdowns and soaring melodies with dynamically pitched vocals by Aaron Pauley who takes over on vocals from Austin Carlile who departed the band in 2016 amidst some controversy. Despite the loss of a major aspect of the band, they sound pretty tight here and the opening track is a good indication of things to come.
“Instincts” is another groove oriented heavy hitter with a bit of old school riffing mixed in with some hardcore rampage before a couple of melodic rockers “Back To Me” and “Sunflower” break the mould a little. Things heat up again though with “Unbreakable“, hooks and melodies again the driving force here as the guitars work in tandem with some dazzling drum work but then we get hit with a little surprise in a rockin’ rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Money“, complete with cash register intro. Yeah this one kind of came out of nowhere to be honest considering it’s right in the middle of the tracklist and it was relatively swept under the rug during promos for it but Of Mice & Men’s version is clearly a full on experience, going right for the throat and laying down a heavier approach to a classic number. I’m sure Pink Floyd enthusiasts and classic rock purists will dismiss this as nothing but a horrendous attempt at trying to pay tribute to a band that is nothing like Of Mice & Men but metal fans may get a kick out of this version that’s been amped up for the new millenium.
Things return to normal again with “How Will You Live“, galloping riffs and anthemic chorus lines and a huge breakdown towards the end making this one for the highlight reel for the album. Things take another dive for a bit with “On The Inside“, the electronic component too reminiscent of a sound resembling something off a Linkin Park album but the band turn things around quickly with the epic “Warzone” with it’s post-hardcore sound and bits of thrashy sections which build to a melodic intersection. It’s certainly fist pumping stuff and a track just made for the live show for sure but they top with the crushing polyrhythms of “Forever YDG’n“, huge melodic parts and dazzling fret work making this one a big stand out.
Closing out “Defy” is a much more mellow affair in “If We Were Ghosts” which brings everything down to a calmer mood, another display of the big dynamics that the band have shown on this album. Overall “Defy” is one of the strongest releases from Of Mice & Men yet, it’s heavy enough to cater for the metal side of things but let’s the anthemic melodies drive the songs so as not to overpower things with too much aggression. The lively feel of the songs will also be interesting to see how they play out on tour but given the strength of the songs themselves, that should go over really well with fans.
TRACKLIST
Defy
Instincts
Back To Me
Sunflower
Unbreakable
Vertigo
Money
How Will You Live
On The Inside
Warzone
Forever YDG’n
If We Were Ghosts
