Album: Defy

Artist: Of Mice & Men

Year: 2018

Genre: Metalcore

Grade: C-

Without their former lead singer Austin Carlile, bassist Aaron Pauley steps into the spotlight.  Not that he, or this band, are deserving of one anyways.

Not much of a fan of “metalcore,” but I do admire it’s pounding, relentless riffs and mechanical dynamics.  This California band always had powerful riffs, I’ll give them that.  What I absolutely detest, however, is when metalcore is mixed with pop, electronica and nu metal.  Gross.

Defy, the fifth album from Of Mice & Men, is probably appealing to longtime fans, but not to me.  Their fans always scared me anyways.  Those were the types of kids who smoked cigarettes back as freshman.

The best song is the first one—the title track—with flashy, intricate riffs that do not let up.  The vocals ruin it a little (never was a fan of screamo), but the music is pummeling and unrelenting like good metalcore should be.  The rest of Defy goes straight downhill from there, and the band completely pussies out by track three.

At least they have the courtesy to cover Pink Floyd’s “Money” close to the book.  Hard to get that one wrong, especially when the riffs and solos are lifted straight from the original, but “The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party” would have been more fitting.

So, yes, at least they don’t tarnish Pink Floyd’s reputation—the only one being irreparably damaged is John Steinbeck’s.