Of Mice and Men - The Flood [Album Review]

The Flood by Of Mice and Men

Genre - Post-Hardcore / Melodic / Acoustic / Screamo

Music Staff:

Introduction: I was extremely hesitant about reviewing this album, as the first album was a copy paste post-hardcore mess that had been done many times before by other bands. However, as I listened to this album a few times (it's easy as hell to sneak an ipod in summer school =D), I noticed something in this album that most post hardcore bands don't have, originality. Sure there may be your typical break downs, but there are some pretty gnarly segments that show off the raw talent that this band has. All I know is that they have improved massively from their debut album, and as such, I will be writing a track by track review of this new album, let's take a look.


Track 1: O.G. Loko:
Great riffs, shrilling screams and even the occasional growl by Austin. However, this song is still rather generic compared to the rest of the songs on the album, and the chorus isn't as good as some of the others on the album. All in all, an average song compared to the rest on the album, not sure whether to recommend it or not.
Track Rating: 7.3/10 (Good)

Track 2: Ben Threw:
This is where the album starts to pick up, unique riffs, lack of breakdowns (phew), Austin's screams shriek right through you, and interestingly, he did a duo vocal combination with Shayley on this song, this is the first song I have ever head Austin sing in, and frankly he isn't half bad, he's nowhere near as good as Shayley but still not that bad. I love also how the guitars stepped aside slightly to let the drums and the vocals take over every once and a while. A pretty good song.
Track Rating: 8.7/10 (Very Good)

Track 3: Let Live:
Starts off unique, shows off some great drums, then rotates from Austin's screaming to a nice melody. However, I don't like Austin's screaming segments in the song, they seem too generic and overdone, however I feel that the melody in Shayley's sections save the song from being a generic nightmare.
Track Rating: 7.4/10 (Good)

Track 4: Still YDG'n:
Some of the best screams on the album, the guitars are insane, Austin sounds like he's going super saiyan throughout half the song, his scream alone combined with the buildup of the guitars makes this an amazing song. Shayley's clean vocals feel slightly out of place though. The only thing that keeps this song from absolute stardom is the presence of generic copy paste break downs later in the song.
Track Rating: 8.0/10 (Very Good)

Track 5: My Understandings:
My third favorite song on the album. It's sung entirely by Shayley, and really shows that he isn't just another scene kid who gets attention through looks and a boyish/girlish voice. He can actually sing, and has great vocal range. Instrumentally this song is far softer than most of the songs on the album (with the exception of the very last song "when you can't sleep at night"). However, it shows that not only the vocalists, but the band as well can stray away from their original style in the same album and still make a damn good song. I feel the song was just a little too short though, I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I wish I could have. Still, definitely one of my recommended songs on this album.
Track Rating: 8.9/10 (Very Good)

Track 6: Ohioisonfire:
My second favorite on the album, damn this song is a blood pumper, Austin's screams, Shayley's amazingly hook-like clean vocals and the guitars are what are the best in this album. It starts off somewhat normal, then breaks into a heavy descending spiral with the guitars, however, there are a few breakdowns in the songs, but Shayley steals the show and makes those breakdowns feel like the most microscopic setbacks in this song. The chorus with Shayley's singing is unbelievable, one of the best chorus's on the album. I feel that the ending seemed like it was slightly rushed though, still highly recommended.
Track Rating: 9.1/10 (Amazing)

Track 7: Purified:
Shayley's vocals have a much better presence in this track. This song has a similar feel to My Understandings, and would be a better version of My Understandings if Austin's screams weren't in this song. I feel like his screams honestly ruin the song for me. Shayley's clean vocals are way better by comparison, however his screams don't ruin the song, they just make it not as good of an experience as it could have been.
Track Rating: 8.6/10 (Very Good)

Track 8: Product of a Murderer:
I enjoyed this song, I really did, but with the exception of some occasional unique guitars, and absolutely blood curdling screams by Austin, this song is pretty generic, with breakdowns littered everywhere.
Track Rating: 6.4/10 (Above Average)

Track 9: Repeating Apologies:
Wow, didn't expect a song with this kind of melody. Shayley and the guitarists are in harmony, and Austin's screams feel pretty in place and balanced, not as many breakdowns, still some, but not many. They went a different direction musically with this song, it seems slightly more melodic metal than post-hardcore. I recommend this song for someone who is interested in a little change.
Track Rating: 8.8/10 (Very Good)

Track 10: The Great Hendowski:
Generic song is generic, even Shayley's vocals were generic, which really surprised me, worst song on the album, not recommended.
Track Rating: 4.5/10 (Below Average)

Track 11: I'm A Monster:
Really short blood pumping song, nothing special, but it was a good choice for an album closer.
Track Rating: 7.0/10 (Good)

Track 12: When You Can't Sleep At Night:
My absolute favorite song on the album, it was because of this song that I put the album on my ipod to be honest, this is a great song to slow dance with someone you care deeply about or are in love with. The vocals sung by Shayley are absolutely spectacular. The acoustic guitar and the violins add to the atmosphere in the song, my top recommended song on the album, this song jumped straight to my top 25 songs list.
Track Rating: 9.5/10 (Absolutely Amazing)