Of Mice and Men

iTunes Review

The rabid angst that fulminates from these volatile songs plays with a raw adolescent rebellion that can awaken the inner teenager in anyone who has ever remarked (or even thought), “You’re not the boss of me.” Of Mice and Men’s eponymous debut opens with “YDG,” a cacophonous catharsis of erupting sonic assaults marked by a rhythm section firing off like wartime artillery alongside chord-crunching, lead-shredding guitars. Carlile’s feral temper-tantrum vocals conflict and combine in a yin-yang symbiosis with bass player Jaxin Hall’s melodic backing vocals, especially on the instantly accessible “Second & Sebring,” which has just enough melodious moments to prove wrong those parents who opine with the age-old criticism, “It’s all just a bunch of yelling.” (The ending even has a coda stripped down to piano and Hall’s hushed vocals). Anyone tired of other formulaic metalcore acts should check “Seven Thousand Miles for What,” which sounds like three songs sewn together with guitar strings, ripped hair and frayed vocal chords.