Formed in 2009 in California, Of Mice & Men have proven to be a reliably prolific fixture in the metalcore / alternative metal scene, with the band having released eight albums over the course of their career. While the band’s sound has evolved from their formative releases, they have remained largely true to their core sound and identity over the years, and they’ve built a sizeable fanbase in consequence. Now back with their ninth full-length effort, Another Miracle, which also marks the band’s label debut for Century Media Records, OM&M took on the mantle of production and recording themselves, with somewhat mixed results.
The album starts well, with A Waltz opening amidst a sinister ambient haze. With the band drawing upon the likes of Hans Zimmer to whip up a cinematic storm, it’s an ambitious start that sees brutal vocals, high-octane riffs, and a towering performance behind the kit from David Valentino “Tino” Arteaga. It also highlights the best elements of Aaron Pauley’s work behind the desk.
Following such an impressive entrance, OM&M take a left step into the tightly wound industrial stomp of recent single Troubled Water, which wraps elements of Korn, Skrillex, In This Moment, and Bring Me The Horizon into a bruisingly effective anthem. Similarly, Safe And Sound starts well, with some suitably crunchy riffing, but it soon gives way to a chorus that has arena anthem written all over it – a pattern that comes to be repeated over the course of the album and especially in the second half. The issue is exacerbated by the clean vocals, which feel as if they’ve been subject to heavy processing in the studio, reducing the overall emotional impact of their delivery, and contrasting with the overall weight the band deploy.
In contrast, the splenetic Hourglass is all the more effective for its full-tilt approach, as the band pair scything, djent-influence riffs with a vocal performance that leaves chunks of larynx scattered across the studio floor.
Another track that works well is the acoustic led Wake Up, which benefits from more natural sounding clean vocals than found elsewhere, paired with a dynamic performance from the band that takes in a range of influences from Alice in Chains to Incubus. Far less a product of its genre, it feels like a song that could just as easily be played unplugged, and it’s that authenticity that occasionally feels lacking when the studio takes over.
The first half of the record then concludes with the gleaming electronica of Flowers, the opening of which sounds more like Orbital than Opeth, although a hulking great riff isn’t too far behind. Layered under the production, it’s another very contemporary sounding piece of music, and it sets an unfortunate precedent for what follows.
OM&M open the second half with the album’s title track. It kicks off as a ferocious slab of stuttering metal, only to be derailed by a soaring chorus drawn straight from the metalcore rule book. It’s followed by Contact which, despite a tense opening riff, leans heavily into the band’s melodic side. It’s saved, however, by the fact that it just seems to keep getting heavier as it progresses, although it remains tethered to its central melody throughout.
Unfortunately, the remaining tracks fall into something of a patten. Parable heads into full-blown pop on the verse and, while the band keeps things lively via a series of riveting heavy passages, the overall flow is uneven. Similarly, both Somewhere In Between and Swallow imply a heavier assault, only to be undone by the inevitable melodic chorus. It’s left to Infinite to wrap up this somewhat disappointing second half on a stronger note, the band stepping away from the template a touch to offer something that is all the more engaging in consequence.
Another Miracle is a frustrating listen. On the one hand it will surely appeal to the band’s legions of fans – and there’s no question that Aaron Pauley is a deft hand behind the desk, giving the album plenty of depth, albeit with a strong commercial sheen. On the other hand, for every piece like A Waltz, Hour Glass or Wake Up, there’s a more stereotypically metalcore track waiting in the wings and, all too often, the band default to that template. This reliance on a formula, when combined with a production that smooths out the edges, serves to undermine the lyrics and the album is ultimately less rewarding than it might otherwise have been, which is a shame because there are some great tracks to be found here. However, with this type of metalcore exceptionally popular at present, it is likely that fans will find much to enjoy. 7/10
