Restoring Force

Of Mice and Men’s third studio album, entitled Restoring Force, was released on the 24^th of January in Australia and Europe; the 27^th of January in Japan and the UK and the 28^th of January in the US, courtesy of Rise Records. The album, however, was streamed through both iTunes and Rock Sound prior to its release. To be exact, on the 21^st of January. This album saw the first recorded vocals and bass of now fully fledged member Aaron Pauley. With a sound that has been described as both “nu metal” and “textbook metalcore” by a critic in Rock Sound magazine, Restoring Force has been switching it up lyrically as well as musically. Lead guitarist Alan Ashby has taken over the reins with lyric writing, penning most of the tracks, with Carlile and Pauley writing less combined. The mixture of three wildly different writing styles, however, has only benefitted the album, giving their audience more variation – from Ashby’s choppier lyrics to Pauley’s long, soothing tales. With the addition of more song writers also gives Of Mice and Men an edge over the initial feelings associated with their songs. Angry songs are benefitted more, as are the sweeter, softer songs on the album.

It was produced by David Bendeth, who has worked with acts such as Bring Me the Horizon and Breaking Benjamin among other well-known bands. Restoring Force has a total of eleven songs and a total play time of 38 minutes and 37 seconds. The title Restoring Force is a reference to the band’s earlier album The Flood. Both Carlile and drummer Valentino Arteaga have expressed that its symbolism is to bring back equilibrium to the band and music. Arteaga explained in an interview with Big Cheese “One of the main symbolic reasons for having the shell [on the artwork] came from the idea of the Restoring Force helping regain the balance in a human. The Cochlea, or inner ear, is the place where your equilibrium is maintained, and it is shaped like a shell.”

"Public Service Announcement"

As the first song of the album, “Public Service Announcement” packs a powerful punch at every turn. Carlile’s vocals slowly crescendo over the bass line before coming to a halt at the lyric “it’s none of your business” with the rest of the band coming in. The guitars follow the same melody as the bass, only amplifying it, and the drums are explosive in the background. The guitars change it up a bit as it hits the first, before reverting at the end of the chorus.

The story behind the lyrics tells of Carlile’s jail time. It is aimed mostly at the people who take it at face value, and immediately judge him for it; the chorus tells this extremely well in minimal words.

"Feels Like Forever"

More reminiscent of The Flood, “Feels Like Forever” starts off with a simple guitar riff which continues throughout most of the song. Once playing eight bars as a band, Carlile cuts in with vocals not unlike Bring Me the Horizon’s Oliver Sykes’ on Sempiternal, or Asking Alexandria’s Danny Worsnop’s efforts on the rock mix of The Death of Me. Reverting to his go to screaming for the chorus, which is sung by both Carlile and Pauley, they tell a tale of pushing past the weight of decisions made, yet wavering between a positive and a negative view of it. This is clear in the chorus, “say you’re okay / I’m afraid that tomorrow is just too far away / fight the pain / it feels like forever is crashing down on me”. The song becomes lighter hearted on the back end of the song, with Pauley singing “just don’t let go, one day we can learn to start again.” Another interpretation could be that it is referencing once again referencing Carlile’s jail time.

"Bones Exposed"

The unofficial second single of the album, premiering on the 23^rd of December, was taken mostly positively by the fans, many eager for more. With a killer guitar solo performed by Ashby before the breakdown, “Bones Exposed” is the perfect way to break up the angrier, metalcore sound of “Public Service Announcement” and “Feels Like Forever” with its catchy, high pitched guitar melodies and multiple breakdowns.

My interpretation of this song would be that it is about cutting ties with people that aren’t good for you; only to keep running back. It could also be applied to a relationship.

"Would You Still Be There"

The first thing that strikes me about this song is that Carlile has taken a backseat on vocals and Pauley has taken the reins. Carlile chimes in only to emphasise select words in the chorus. This song showcases Pauley’s voice, and as a result is one of my personal favourites. One thing to note can be the contrast of the vocals over the instruments, and how much heavier the song automatically sounds once Carlile joins in.

At first glance, this song is a simple love song and pining over someone who is long gone yet still having strong feelings for them.

"Glass Hearts"

With a nice synth opening, this song then goes right back into low-key guitars, with the melody coming from the synth in the background. The drums and the guitars dominate over Pauley’s vocals in the chorus, which is a nice change from the usual vocals over instruments layering. Pauley, however, sings through a nice breakout, showing off softer vocals than in “Would You Still Be There”.

"Another You"

Seemingly one of the designated “soft songs” of the album, Pauley once again takes the singing reins, until breaking out into an explosive chorus. This song reminds me of “When You Can’t Sleep at Night” off of The Flood in its music structure, ABABCB, with the A section much lighter than the other two, yet the heavier parts still being wildly different.

Another simple love song, instead of pining over the other person, this one talks of talking away pain.

"Break Free"

One thing that I love most about Of Mice and Men is their clear melodies in songs, and this is no exception. “Break Free” begins with the guitar melody, before blending into the song, only for the melody to become a recurring theme. The standout lyrics in this song can be found in the breakdown, with Carlile singing and blending into screams with Pauley backing him. “You won't hold me / right now, you won't and I can't / you won't hold me / you won't break me / you won't break me / you won't hold me down.”

"You Make Me Sick"

A nice follow up to “Break Free”, “You Make Me Sick” follows a similar train of thought, but instead of speaking to someone and trying to get away, they are directly talking to them. Harmonised guitars are played throughout the song, only reinforcing the melody and adding a new aspect with the guitars playing off each other. It is a style that seems to be preferred, as most songs include this.

My personal favourite lyrics from this song are “All you do is make me feel exactly what you are / you make me sick.” This could be directed at numerous people, but the intention rings clear behind it.

"Identity Disorder"

Pauley sings lyrics to this piece, with it being the heaviest piece thus far that he has sung on the album. There is light synth used in the opening, which is one of the techniques Of Mice and Men have implemented to differentiate between their songs. The meaning behind this song can be seen as one of self-doubt and questioning with the lyrics “I question every part of who I am / it's hard to tell which side of me / is in the right / with these two different people inside of me” hitting home hard. Or, alternatively, they could bring light to the identity disorder of schizophrenia.

"You’re Not Alone"

A positive song that was the first released single of the album, “You’re Not Alone” was the make-it-or-break-it song for most fans. Released on the 1^st of December 2013, fans were either greatly in favour or greatly opposed to the sound change, of which is possibly the largest between earlier albums. Artistdirect compared it to Deftones, and praised its energy and the vocal coordination, add that it was “striking an elegant balance between crashing heavy metal and careening hard rock.”

"Space Enough to Grow"

The stock standard soft song to end the album, “Space Enough to Grow” is quite easily the softest song Of Mice and Men have ever released. It speaks of how people, even in their darkest of moments can still dream, and have the ability to improve and move forward in life. I think that this is a representation of the steps it took to make this album; Of Mice and Men went through an abundance of pitfalls and bumps along the road before getting to where they are now, and I commend them on that. Pauley’s voice matches the tone colour of the song nicely, with it not overpowering the quiet instruments, nor being so blended in that it becomes lost.

Despite being all in the same genre, Of Mice and Men somehow manages to catch a difference essence in each song and make them different in different aspects. A promising album, we can only wonder how much this quintet will grow and mature until their next musical venture.