On January 19th, Orange County, California metalcore giants Of Mice & Men has released their first album since the departure of vocalist Austin Carlile entitled “Defy” via Rise Records. In large part, the fans are in for a real treat with this offering.
Now Of Mice & Men are a four piece band composed of Aaron Pauley on vocals/bass, Alan Ashby on rhythm guitar/backup vocals, Phil Manansala on lead guitar/background vocals, and David Valentino Arteaga on drums. Since their inception in 2010, they have shared the stage with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Aerosmith, Five Finger Death Punch, Linkin Park, and Slipknot and their previous offering “Cold World” peaked in the Top 20 in the Billboard 200 charts. Now, Of Mice & Men are taking an extra step towards dominance and significant prevalence with “Defy”.
Of Mice & Men are quickly becoming one of the elite bands in the metalcore genre due to their strong lyrical content, music that is aesthetically pleasing to the ears of fans of multiple subgenres of metal, and with their heartfelt emotions behind their music. “Defy” takes the listener to the mountaintop as the song challenges the listener to overcome obstacles and not allowing anyone or anything determine one’s limitations. “Unbreakable” and “Warzone” offer similar metaphors from an imagery standpoint.
The absolute strength of “Defy” are the mid-tempo emotional rockers “Sunflower” and “Vertigo”. The guitars thrash, the changes in progression from mid-tempo to more aggressive showcase the talent that Of Mice & Men possesses in their arrangements and musicianship. The tracks certainly grew on me with each listen.
Old school Of Mice & Men fans will appreciate their fans going back to their roots with metalcore bangers such as “Warzone” and “Forever YDG’n”. The breakdowns are pretty intense and Aaron Pauley, to his credit, kills it on the vocals in “Warzone”. Fans will be pleased with his transitions from screaming in the verses to a melodic structure in the vocals during the chorus.
Of Mice & Men are known as well for their fun covers. I remember seeing them provide direct support for As I Lay Dying a few years ago and they covered “Hard In Tha Paint” by Waka Flocka Flame, and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the track. I feel the same thing with this cover of “Money” by Pink Floyd. The guitar solo was done well and reminiscent of David Gilmour of Pink Floyd wailing on the guitar however it lacked that punch. I felt the same thing and felt that this cover, which is track number six on the album completely interrupted the flow of the record. I appreciate them pushing themselves as musicians and artists, but I’m passing on this cover.
The second half of the album makes up for “Money”, as they have a couple of melodic tracks that really showcases Aaron Pauley’s vocal prowess and quite honestly, I prefer Pauley’s voice to Carlile’s voice. I’m sure I’m in the minority of the opinions as opposed to the opinions of other Of Mice & Men fans but I really enjoy the blending of the clean, melodic vocal structures and the screaming vocal structures. They showcase this on the track “On The Inside”. “Forever YDG’N” is a banger track that offers that anthem feel to it that causes the listener to go ballastic in the moshpit or karate kick, whatever kids in the moshpit do nowadays in the pit.
Overall, if the core fans of Of Mice & Men open their minds, they will appreciate and dig this offering entitled “Defy”. The question is, will this album stand the test of time and allow the fanbase to gravitate towards Pauley as the vocalist. If you’re an Of Mice & Men fan, then this album is worth listening to and rocking out to. Overall, it’s a solid album, and there are parts that stand out to me, especially the mid-tempo rockers such as “Sunflower” and “Vertigo” that portrays their collective talent as a band. I’ll be the first to admit, I was NOT a fan of this band when Austin Carlile was in the band, and especially their last album. Their last album felt like they threw a bunch of shit against the wall in hopes that it will stick against the wall, and it sounded choppy making it a very difficult listen. Fast forward to 2018, Of Mice & Men not only survived the lineup changes and challenges they endured as a band, they embody the lyrical content of overcoming those challenges. Of Mice & Men did a 180 as a band! Now they freaking rock! Madness To Creation gives it an 8.5 out of 10 stars for legitimately flooring me with this offering.
Here is the track listing below:
- Defy
- Instincts
- Back To Me
- Sunflower
- Unbreakable
- Vertigo
- Money(Pink Floyd cover)
- How Will You Live
- On The Inside
- Warzone
- Forever YDG’n
- If We Were Ghosts
Of Mice & Men are slated to tour in support of “Defy”. Special guests on the tour include Blessthefall, Fire From The Gods, Cane Hill, and MSCW. Check out the tour dates below!
Thursday, February 1st- Catalyst in Santa Cruz, California(no Cane Hill)
Friday, February 2nd- Wonder Ballroom in Portland Oregon(no Cane Hill)
Saturday, February 3rd- El Corazon in Seattle, Washington(no Cane Hill)
Sunday, February 4th- Knitting Factory in Boise, Idaho(no Cane Hill)
Monday, February 5th- Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah(no Cane Hill)
Tuesday, February 6th- Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado(no Cane Hill)
Thursday, February 8th- Music Hall MPLS in Minneapolis, Minnesota(no Cane Hill)
Friday, February 9th- The Ready Room in St. Louis, Missouri
Sunday, February 11th- House Of Blues in Chicago, Illinois
Monday, February 12th- Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Michigan
Tuesday, February 13th- Opera House in Toronto, Canada
Wednesday, February 14th- Corona Theatre in Montreal, Canada
Friday, February 16th- Paradise Rock Club in Boston, Massachusetts
Saturday, February 17th- Gramercy Theatre in New York, New York
Sunday, February 18th- Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey
Monday, February 19th- Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tuesday, February 20th- Underground in Charlotte, North Carolina
Wednesday, February 21st- Masquerade Heaven in Atlanta, Georgia
Friday, February 23rd- Beacham in Orlando, Florida
Saturday, February 24th- Club L.A. in Destin, Florida
Sunday, February 25th- House Of Blues in New Orleans, Louisiana
Tuesday, February 27th- White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas
Wednesday, February 28th- Canton Hall in Dallas, Texas
Thursday, March 1st- Sunshine in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sunday, March 4th- Vinyl Hard Rock Live in Las Vegas, Nevada
Monday, March 5th- Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff, Arizona
Tuesday, March 6th- Nile Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona
Wednesday, March 7th- Soma in San Diego, California
Sunday, March 24th- Download Festival in Flemington, Australia
For tickets and further information for any of the shows listed above, click here!
Of Mice & Men will also be headlining overseas! Check out tour dates below!
Monday, April 2nd- Club Zal in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Tuesday, April 3rd- GlavClub in Moscow, Russia
Thursday, April 5th- Trix in Antwerp, Belgium
Friday, April 6th- Melkweg in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Saturday, April 7th- Markthalle in Hamburg, Germany
Monday, April 9th- Pumphauset in Copenhagen, Denmark
Tuesday, April 10th- Columbia Theater in Berlin, Germany
Wednesday, April 11th- Proxima in Warszawa, Poland
Friday, April 13th- Arena in Wien, Austria
Saturday, April 14th- Kofmehl in Solothurn, Switzerland
Sunday, April 15th- Technikum in Munich, Germany
Tuesday, April 17th- Batschkapp in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Wednesday, April 18th- Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany
Thursday, April 19th- Trabendo in Paris, France
Saturday, April 21st- O2 Academy in Bristol, United Kingdom
Sunday, April 22nd- O2 ABC in Glasgow, United Kingdom
Monday, April 23rd- O2 Ritz in Manchester, United Kingdom
Wednesday, April 25th- O2 Institute in Birmingham, United Kingdom
Thursday, April 26th- The Nick Rayns LCR in Norwich, United Kingdom
Friday, April 27th- Koko in London, United Kingdom
Sunday, April 29th- Academy in Dublin, Ireland
Monday, April 30th- Mandela Hall in Belfast, United Kingdom
For tickets and further information for any of the shows listed above, click here!
Fans can find Of Mice & Men at the following locations:
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