Yet another promo without bio information...OF MICE & MEN is a pretty well-known name in the world of Heavy Metal. I tend to stay away from these albums, as they are usually way to mainstream for me after years of listening to mostly underground bands. But, I got assigned the promo, so let's see what they are all about.

"Timeless" leads off the album. It opens with a nice slab of melody in the guitars, and a heavy rhythm section. The vocals are harsh and angry. The chorus is fully open with harmonies and keys...very nice. "Obsolete" begins with some electronica and ominous guitar melodies. The wrath is on as the vocals and instruments paint a bleak picture of the future. It isn't until the chorus where you can pick up on the Modern (Nu) Metal elements. "Anchor" is a shorter song that opens with a commanding riff followed by dark elements. Meaty bass notes carry the melody in the verses, along with tender clean vocals. There is a break in the sound after the half-way mark, where some atmospheric tones take over through the end.

"Levee" begins with a very heavy riff and angry, hateful vocals. It picks up in the second verse, with pulverizing drums and a mix of clean and angry vocals in the chorus. This song is pure vile hate and destruction. "Bloom" opens with clean, harmonic vocals and some background atmosphere. A heavy rhythm of accents develops on any open note chord, along with some punishing vocals. Cleans come in at the chorus once again. "Pulling Teeth" begins with a brutal sound from the heavily beaten drums and the guitars. Clean vocals mark the chorus once again, and a heavy breakdown takes the song to completion. "Mosaic" opens with more open chord madness. One thing that bands in this genre could do just a bit better is to vary the use of these chords. They define what Metal is in many senses, but after you have heard 10,000 of them, they start to get old.

"Fighting Gravity" was the first single released from the album. It begins with clean guitar chords and a melancholy, solemn sound, that is amplified by the main rhythms. Clean, harmonic vocals in the verses push a pleasing, emotive sound. "Echo" opens with some electronica, followed by weighted, rhythmic accents and a smidge of clean vocals. The desolation in the singer's voice cannot be denied, but the formula used here is a bit more pronounced. "Helplessly Hoping" closes the album. It's another clean vocal led track, and I really like the harmonies they develop in this tender, charming song. I would not have minded some more of this sound...what a pretty song!

Though the sound can be a bit formulative at times (along with the slick production) the band makes up for it with their energy, passion, and ability to move in and out of clean and harsh passages with expert hands. The album is both heavy and melodic at the same time, and the band does well balancing the two. In the end, it's a pleasing combination of Metalcore and Modern Metal, with enough brutality for today's Metalhead and enough melody for more discerning tastes, along with some intriguing background elements. But, if you hate on Core vocals, you probably will not like this.