ssmarcus You don’t have a brain If you’re not giggling to yourself when the band predictably drops a nu-metal breakdown in the bridge after the song’s second emotive chorus for three songs straight. If you didn’t stick around anyway and connect with the power of the record, then you don’t really have a soul either.

Yes, the songs on The Death of Peace of Mind are formulaic to a fault. But the sincerity and multi-faceted delivery behind every charged line by vocalist Noah Sebastian is absolutely magnetic. With lyrics like “no god, no religion, just bad bad decisions” and “can you hear me through the white noise…friend,” Noah is presenting us with a convincing and honest look at the emotional state of America’s new generation of adults. While there is certainly some finger pointing, the message of the record is primarily inward – it is up to us to make the changes we need to in our lives and relationships. And most importantly, unlike SOME metalcore-turned-pop-metal acts I could point fingers at (uhum…uhum… Architects… uhum), Bad Omens aren’t delusional enough to blame it all on climate change.

I wanted to rate this record higher, but it just strays too far into modern pop territory for my personal liking. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see Bad Omens achieve as much mainstream success as they can muster. It is never a bad thing when heavy music blows up, least of all when it’s a band that feels as authentic as this. Should this pop orientation continue to yield success for the band, I will happily cheer on but as a bystander.