Review: Of Mice & Men - Restoring Force

 There have been a lot of mixed feelings about Of Mice & Men's newest album Restoring Force. Being one of the biggest bands in the post-hardcore scene and having it been 2-3 years since their last album, the expectations have been high. Their sound takes a turn on this album, but overall it was a small step in the right direction. The band branches out a bit and experiments with hints of different styles in their songs shown in their vocals, guitar parts and song structure.

While some of the songs on Restoring Force prove to fall short, there are a few that make their way to the front. The two songs that were released by the label were “You're Not Alone” and “Bones Exposed”. These songs are perfect examples of the band's altered sound and the results from it. “You're Not Alone” seems to give off the feeling that maybe the band was trying too hard to be different and it seems that the vocals/lyrics especially were lacking. The lyrics of the song strongly resemble those of The Color Morale's very successful album Know Hope and the vocal styling is similar to those on the even more successful Sempiternal by Bring Me The Horizon. While there is respect for Of Mice & Men experimenting, in this particular track, they fall short. Too much of this song seemed like a graceful rip off than an original sound. It makes sense that the band would be heavily influenced by these two monumental albums, but maybe they were influenced a bit too much on this track.

Where “You're Not Alone” fell short, “Bones Exposed” picked up most of the slack. This song brings a great example of the creativity that went into the new album. If every song had followed the model in “Bones Exposed”, then Restoring Force might have been as significant as Know Hope and Sempiternal. This particular track shines light on the sound that Of Mice & Men was going for, sporting a more original and distinct sound that the band has. Although inconsistent, this track represents the efforts of the band and the fact they it seems like they put a lot of effort into their style for this record.

Although this album fell short in my eyes, it was incredibly encouraging to see one of the biggest bands in the post-hardcore genre trying their best to become more distinct and original. A lot of bands at the stage in their career somewhat give up by just half-assing their songs and delivering a mediocre product. It is clear that a lot of passion when into this record by diversifying with softer tracks like “Space Enough To Grow”. This album is another one of those love/hate types, but the passion and sparks that Restoring Force has created in fans is enough for me to tip my hat to. Definitely see what all the hype is about!

Rating 7/10

-Nic

Call of Duty Ghosts: Onslaught DLC Trailer Released

Call of Duty: Ghosts has released a new trailer for it's first DLC, "Onslaught". The new DLC will add 4 new multiplayer maps, a new assault rifle, and the next Extinction mode. The new trailer is pretty funny, regardless of your opinion on the CoD franchise, and it almost makes me regret not getting Ghosts, as the new maps and Extinction mode I'm seeing seem very cool.

For any slasher movie fans out there, the people at CoD have added a familiar face to it's list of playable characters. Yes, you will be able to play the legendary Micheal Myers and slaughter people with an axe on the new map, "Fog". 

You can watch the trailer on YouTube right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AMgmCx7jFg

Review: Amputated - Dissect, Molest, Ingest

Over a half-month into the new year and already, excellent albums are spilling out (Iced Earth's 'Plagues Of Babylon' being one great example) and Amputated's newest brute-fest is no exception. For those who don't know Amputated, they're a mix between old school Death Metal in vain of Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Dying Fetus and also the ever-growing Slamming Death sub-genre. Originating from the UK, where Death Metal is propping up everywhere, the band only seem to get more intense with every single new release. There are some changes here but one thing remains the same... the song titles. With album names such as 'Gargling With Infected Semen' (2006) and 'Wading Through Rancid Offal' (2009), you can only guess what their song names are like. And the song names on 'Dissect, Molest, Ingest' are no different. In fact, I think this album has some of the best song names in the genre. 

Fans have had to wait a long time for this release, even pushing the release date back further than the band wanted to BUT damn, is it worth it! There are a lot of good underground Death Metal bands out there but Amputated are definitely at the top of the pile. The music here is consistent and thoroughly enjoyable with every song being as good as the previous one. It's rare to find a band that can do such a thing but these guys make it seem both easy and fun.

To start off the album, the band uses samples talking about death, rape and gore. The intro lasts exactly one minute and is entitled 'Body Of Work'. It's a good little intro that really sets the mood of the album and what you can expect the lyrical subjects to be about (although with their band name and the name of this album, it's not exactly like you should be expecting happy-go-lucky commercial pop...) but then the music thoroughly kicks in and to say it feels like you've been kicked in the private parts is an understatement. 'Gorging On Putrid Discharge' is straight to the point. Fast, heavy and intense. Even by today's standards of heaviness, this is enough to make your anus prolapse. Fact. It has every thing a great Death Metal song should have. The riffs that alternate between fast, heavy or memorable (or even all three at once), the drumming that is never over-done and accompanies the songs, making them even more enjoyable, the bass that has it's own unique tone so it is easily recognisable amongst the destructive force of the guitars and then the vocals makes God want to gorge his own eyes out they're so ferocious. But yet, with adding the best elements of Slamming Brutal Death and old school Death, the band creates something just that little more unique, that smidge more exhilarating to listen to. 

The album continues its assault on the senses with tracks like 'The Local Flavour' (the first song they released for the album and one of the most memorable Death Metal tracks in a long while), 'SkullFuck Lobotomy', 'When Whores Meet Saws', 'Dissect Molest Ingest' and ending on the excellent 'Toolbox Abortionist'. I told you the names were some of the best in the genre. The last track is one heck of a finale, proving that this band has some of the meatiest stuff around. It pounds your face in without any intention of stopping. With all the tracks on here having there own little elements that makes each one as good, if not better, than the previous one, it's no wonder that the band has started to garner more attention than ever. They blast, slam and destroy their way through this album at a pace unlike anything I've heard released by a Death Metal band in the past few years. Explosive is an understatement.

How could I sum up what has to be one of the greatest pieces of Death Metal since the 2000's? It's difficult. The whole album is fantastic, start to finish. There are no filler tracks here, just solid track after solid track. This band can produce some of the most insane songs out there. I genuinely believe that the guys in this band sat down one day and created the ten best Death Metal songs in ages and said 'Screw it, let's make that our next album!'. And what an album it is. Imagine being pounded in the face. That doesn't even compare to how heavy this album is. It's like... being 'Raped With A Jackhammer'. Seriously, if you love heavy yet memorable stuff, check them out! It's well worth the money and you'll be supporting one of the best Death Metal bands out there. These are amongst only a small batch of great underground Death Metal bands (others being Strychnia and fellow UK heavy-hitters, Ingested) and are a band to look out for. Amputated, for this album, I adore you. I think for this review, we're turning it up to 11! Keep it up guys, you're doing amazing. 11/10

- Asa

Norma Jean announce East Coast Tour Dates

Norma Jean has announced a string of east coast dates with Spoken