Of Mice & Men say that new songs they’re working on have a similar vibe to the band’s early material.
They’ve released the tracks Unbreakable and Back To Me with vocalist and bassist Aaron Pauley in the last couple of months – their first music since the departure of frontman Austin Carlile in December last year.
And drummer Valentino Arteaga is quick to praise Pauley for taking over vocal duties in the band.
He exclusively tells this month’s Metal Hammer magazine: “Aaron can adapt really well with his skills and talents. It’s a situational thing with us – if we’ve gotta step up to the plate, we will.
“Aaron’s crushing it and he’s doing it with ease. It’s mind-blowing.”
Pauley reports their new material draws from the heavier elements of their past albums, including their 2010 self-titled debut.
He says: “There’s a lot of heavy songs that we’re working on that are either already written and demoed or that we’re in the process of writing.
“I think what we’re doing right now, which is the most important thing that we can, is really just honing in on the elements of what makes our music sound like our music.”
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As for the decision to carry on after Carlile’s departure, Pauley says: “A lot of bands don’t get a second lease on life when they lose somebody as impactful as Austin. We’ve got a new lease on life.
“You can spend so much time thinking about the future and then you’re finally there, and you don’t remember how you got there. We’re just taking a conscious approach to enjoying the here and now more than where we hope to be.”
The full interview with Of Mice & Men is in the brand new edition of Metal Hammer magazine, which is out now.
Rage Against The Machine are the cover stars, while artists including offshoot Prophets Of Rage, along with Bury Tomorrow, Sikth, Tesseract and Coheed & Cambria also feature.
You can also read Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog free online with a TeamRock+ subscription.
Of Mice & Men: "We didn't know if we'd play another show together"
