Of Mice & Men released their ninth album in 2025.
Entitled Another Miracle, it took Aaron Pauley (vocals/bass), Phil Manansala (guitar), Alan Ashby (guitar), and Tino Arteaga (drums) just over two years to complete and was released via Century Media Records.
The band kicks things off with A Waltz, a track that starts off intriguing and then becomes much more energetic, using samples to blend aggressive riffs with a majestic sound that fits perfectly with the unifying choruses. The jerky rhythm is perfect for getting the crowd moving, as is Troubled Water with its explosive modern influences that will soon have us banging our heads, even during the quieter passages that allow us to catch our breath between the more intense moments conducive to vocal diversity. We move on to Safe and Sound, which reprises the patterns of the previous track while adding a palpable urgency to the verses, then the musicians lead us to Hourglass with a heavy final and visceral screams that make it one of the most energetic tracks on the album in every respect. Wake Up lets us recover from our emotions with a fairly melodious sound coupled with clear vocals, making it an interesting power ballad before moving on to Flowers, where melancholy envelops us, whether with the instrumental or the rather haunting vocals, but which also offers more intense passages. The band returns to thick riffs with Another Miracle, throwing us from mosh pit to mosh pit between two moments of hesitation, but it’s after one last explosion that Contact offers us its groovy and stirring riffs, barely tempered by clear, airy vocals, but it’s clear that the song is made to let the crowd have fun. We move on to Parable, which tempers its violence with dreamy passages and heart-wrenching screams, then Somewhere in Between takes over, hitting us with motivating riffs slightly softened by the lead vocals on the chorus, but the break clearly calls for total mayhem. The band continues with Swallow, a fairly nuanced track that sets a dark tone but retains touches of infectious rage, especially towards the end, but we’ve already reached the final track, Infinite, which in turn offers a fairly accessible modern mix before erupting into the very last chorus.
Of Mice & Men has earned its stripes in the Metalcore scene by consistently delivering high-quality work, a feat they have repeated on Another Miracle. The Americans know how to get their audience moving, and now they have new riffs to help them accomplish their mission.
85/100
