OF MICE AND MEN | Earthandsky | Album Review

Of Mice And Men are hard workers. In the period of three years, the band has released three studio albums, and if you take a look at the bigger picture, "Earthandsky" is the sixth entry in Of Mice And Men's discography which spans over a decade long. Of Mice And Men have been victim to several lineup changes including the exit of the member who started the project in the first place, and the fact that they are still stronger and more productive than ever is impressive. After a few albums that mellowed the band's style which was a lot heavier on previous releases, "Earthandsky" is an attempt to go back to the metalcore style that put this band on the map in the first place. Produced by Josh Wilbur, who has a history producing for heavy bands like Lamb Of God, Trivium, and even All That Remains, "Earthandsky" is undeniably a step in the more aggressive direction when compared to "Restoring Force", the divisive "Cold World", and even their previous and most well-rounded effort "Defy". All of these have heavy moments in the instrumentation but not as much as the material found on this album. This will please metalcore fans who were underwhelmed by the amount of bands in this year alone that have softened their sound a notch to try and prove they can do more than what they're usually known for. It's also a good move from Of Mice And Men in this case as after a few albums with experimentation, it's always nice to crawl back into your comfort zone to prove that you haven't lost your touch with your roots. 

The pre-release singles for the album were "How To Survive", which was released at the beginning of this year, "Mushroom Cloud", the title track, and "Taste Of Regret". All of these singles have that level of heaviness that sets in stone what to expect for the 43 minute album. I will admit that after listening to the first single "How To Survive" back in February I was a little bit disappointed and wary of what was to come. This is easily one of the weakest songs across the entire project. It's a song dedicated to people who have been chastised and berated by others, but the song's pacing is very odd and the elements used here including the riffage don't mesh very well at all. It's easily one of this band's most underwhelming songs to date. On the flipside, songs like "Mushroom Cloud" and the title track resonate a lot more with me. "Mushroom Cloud" is one of the more relentless tracks on "Earthandsky" with just screaming vocals from Aaron Pauley who has improved in this department from the previous disc, and this is the track I think will appeal most to the early fans of this band. The title track, "Earth & Sky", is more radio-friendly, but also manages to get some heaviness included in the verses. The thing though with this song is that the riff pattern this song uses has been overdone to death in metalcore and even in music in general, but at least here they attempt to mix it up with solid results. And the good thing about this album is that the singles used to promote this album are not even the best tracks on the album. 

As for the rest of "Earthandsky", you are introduced to the advertised heaviness the band promised to fans in the form of the first three tracks, "Gravedancer", "As We Suffocate", and the single "Taste Of Regret". All of these songs are effective and have good writing, especially the chorus of "Taste Of Regret" which starts off with the clever lyric "Every time I think about the words you said I'm reminded just to bite my tongue instead". It's proof that the band are good songwriters and are good at connecting different elements together to make something work. It's really the tracks that have a harmonious balance between the heavy and melodic sides that are the highlights on "Earthandsky". Tracks like "Taste Of Regret" have that aspect to them but later on in the album songs like "Pieces", "Linger", and "Meltdown" enter the fold and are some of the band's best tracks. "Pieces" has an excellent chorus that blends so well with its heavier verses. "Meltdown", which appears in the last third of the album, appeals much more to fans who enjoyed "Restoring Force" but turns out to be the highlight track here. This stacks up as one of my favorite tracks of the band in general, similar to how I felt about "Vertigo" from their last album and even "Real" on "Cold World". "Meltdown" is superb and is further proof of my claims that the writing talent that this band has is very overlooked. The instruments are also awesome as well, with the drum part at 2:11 sticking out to me in particular. This is just one of many examples on the album that has more pros than it does cons.

Don't get me wrong, the cons are definitely there. For example, aside from the single "How To Survive" being lackluster, not to mention a poor closing track, there are other weaker songs as well. "The Mountain" is particular has writing that does not stack up well to the rest of the album. "As We Suffocate" is a good song but the repetition of the line "Until the whole world burns away" gets a little old after a while. "Deceiver/Deceived" has solid writing and even good instruments, but the soloing doesn't work for the song. So, not everything on this album has instant appeal, but the moments that do really put the appeal and allure at the forefront. While I don't think that this album lives up overall to their previous album "Defy", which had a couple more memorable moments to its credit along with more consistency to back it up, "Earthandsky" is not bad at its attempts either. There are a few oddball moments featured on the album but they aren't as prevalent to take away from the listening experience you're presented with on the album, and that's the goal that every album should achieve. Overall, the sixth studio album from this metalcore act based in Costa Mesa, California goes back to their vitriolic roots with success. It's not a perfect album by any means but this band has proven that they are a band that's one of the genre's most consistent. The earth and sky provided by these metalcore giants are alluring, and this project is amongst one of many reasons as to why. 

RATING: 8/10 

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