EP REVIEW: Bloom – Of Mice & Men

It’s often said “grow through what you go through”. What are life’s tribulations if nothing’s learned from them? Challenges show us where we need to improve and there is no bigger challenge than life itself. There is also no larger project to invest time into than yourself. Facing their trials head on, metalcore titans OF MICE & MEN drop their thrashing EP Bloom on May 28th.

Bloom is the second entry in a trilogy of EPs releasing throughout the year. Following February’s Timeless, Bloom was also produced in-house by front man Aaron Pauley. The three track EP is 12 and a half minutes of relentless catharsis and hardcore beats to take your breath away.

Levee immediately immerses the listener in a bleak soundscape. This darkness is by no means comforting. Rumbles of water and thunder tell the listener the river bank they stand on is about to break. Levee ruptures into ruthless riffs, the rip tides they create springing from frustration. Pauley‘s screams of “It’s cold here and I need the warmth / More than I ever have” are gut wrenching. Begging for company in debilitating depression, OF MICE & MEN flood us with torment. The dam now obliterated, Valentino Arteaga‘s wall of drums pound the listener in the face. Chewed up and spat out by the tides, OF MICE & MEN‘s interlude should have provided some relief. Yet the squeals reigning supreme give the unsettling feeling we aren’t alone in the water. Pauley‘s powerful scream grasps our ankle, the Leviathan dragging us to a watery grave.

OF MICE & MEN’s mission statement has always been to provide a soundtrack to people’s lives. As well as documenting our hardships, the band also seeks to plant the premise for evolution. Travelling through life, the urge to better ourselves shows a willingness to change. Whether that’s tweaking our character or blossoming a complete identity is our choice. As Bloom continues, OF MICE & MEN remind us life is too short to be anything other than our authentic selves.

The title track unfurls to the ethereal “We were born to bloom / Destined to deteriorate”. The team of Phil Manansala and Alan Ashby concoct crushing guitar parts. The sheer weight of their composition expose the true nature of the monkshood. Aconitine laced licks freeze the lungs, transforming Bloom into powerful release of negativity. To the beat of a spiralling mind, the massive chorus reads like screaming in a field full of wildflowers.

As we’re propelled toward OF MICE & MEN‘s denouement, should this EP have been longer? There are arguments for both ends of the spectrum. As Timeless proved, releasing three songs at a time is perfect for the Californian outfit. They carved out the opportunity to refocus their efforts in a much smaller range. The narrow margin of error wasn’t a problem for OF MICE & MEN. This planned trilogy allows them to blossom into a brute force of musicality.

If anyone thought Bloom was all flower and no thorn, Pulling Teeth will prove the opposite. The bottom groove crunches like wilted petals underfoot. Though this groove isn’t one to settle into. Overlaying tremolos may sound thin but drip with the scorn OF MICE & MEN is becoming known for. The savage screams are necessary here but definitely won’t be welcome in a dentist’s chair. Melodic choruses flow through the veins like painkillers. Numbing our senses, we surrender to the catharsis. Pauley’s declaration of “my world collapsed piece by piece” rips the scab clean off, taking us by surprise. Arteaga’s double kick drives an extraction that needs more than novocaine to dull the ache.

Recovered from their stumbling block, OF MICE & MEN‘s flower is not for the feint of heart. Taking a psyche in distress, Bloom dissects it into clean thirds like an autopsy. This clinical approach to release construction is perfect for their original modus operandi. These smaller snapshots into dark mentalities are beautiful in their composition. Short, sharp soundtracks such as Bloom are more than enough to have fans begging for more.

Rating: 9/10

Bloom is set for release on May 28th via SharpTone Records. 

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