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Restoring Force
Posted: April 24, 2014 | the scene | linkin park, metalcore, nu-metal, of mice and men, restoring force, slipknot | 0 Comments
Restoring Force is the third full-length album from Of Mice & Men and it marks a new, albeit subtle, direction for the band. The album was officially released back January 28th and odds are, most of you have already given it a spin by now.
While still embracing the metalcore roots that the band is found on, Of Mice & Men decided switch things up a little with their newest effort. The band decided that they wanted to go for a more structured sound without compromising the integrity of their sound. The idea was to go for a bit more of an angsty rock approach that would (in theory) move the band somewhere in between metalcore and nu-metal. They set out to achieve this by placing a stronger emphasis on melodies and lyrics. Of course, this is exactly the sort of thing that die hard Of Mice & Men fans don’t want to hear; that the sound they love is being tweaked. However, the general consensus is that this is a good thing, a really good thing.
Restoring Force scored 4 out of 5 stars from Loudwire, Kerrang and AP. It also scored solid 8 out of 10’s from Metal Hammer, Rocksound and AbsolutePunk. That being said, metalcore enthusiasts probably wont dig it. The new sound is decidedly more nu-metal and even has shades of bands like Slipknot and Linkin Park. From the band’s perspective, you can’t keep making the exact same music every day and expect to stay fresh or keep in interesting. Growth is inevitable.
Fans will be divided. Some will be turned off by the change in direction while others will follow the band blindly into battle. Give it a listen and decide for yourself. Restoring Force: good move for Of Mice & Men, or a nail in the coffin?