Originally conceived of in 2006 when the members remained in high school, Miss May I, formed of Levi Benton on lead vocals, Justin Aufdemkampe on lead guitar, B.J. Stead on rhythm guitar, Ryan Neff on bass guitar and Jerod Boyd on drums, soon found a proclivity for highly technical, melodic induced metalcore.
The band’s debut 5-track EP titled “Vows for a Massacre” along with their 2008 follow-up “Demo 2008” were self-released, the latter of which featured the songs “Architect” and “Tides” which would appear on their first full length “Apologies Are for the Weak” released by Rise Records on June 23, 2009. After a number of years touring the band announced they were to return to the studio to work on their sophomore release.
Miss May I’s musical influences have been stated as Pantera, Deftness, Avenged Sevenfold, Thirty Seconds to Mars among many many others and the variety can be heard in their music. The heavy powerful and screamed elements, combining with the melodic and emotional act in unison in a very driven way.
The sophomore album titled “Monument” was produced by Joey Sturgis and released August 17, 2010. “Monuments” debuted at No. 76 on the Billboard chart, peaked at No. 10 on the Top Hard Rock Albums Chart and No. 15 on the Top Independent Chart. The band subsequently released a music video for the track “Relentless Chaos” directed by Thunder Down Country and appeared on the 2011 Warped Tour.
The band returned to the studio in early 2012 and released their third full-length “At Heart” slightly later than expected on June 12, 2012, after which the band set out on a U.S. tour with After the Burial and Whitechapel among others, and a European tour with Parkway Drive and The Ghost Inside. In 2013 Miss May I supported Bullet For My Valentine on their March 2013 tour in the UK alongside Halestorm.
2014’s “Rise of the Lion” was the band most commercial and critical success, reaching No. 21 in the Billboard 200 and No. 2 in the U.S. Hard Rock album chart. The lyrics to the album were return letters to fans that they were unable to return at the time, with the vocalist Levi Benton stating “it’s a very fan based record”.
Ohio melodic metal core outfit Miss May I are injecting some glam into their brand of metal, something that has been missing from recent contemporaries. It is worth noting that for a band who only identified themselves in 2007, them seem to have a clear vision for where they want the project to go. The line-up has remained almost entirely in tact and this lends itself to great consistency and good vibes onstage as these guys have been through the touring and recording processes together.
Impressively they have already clocked up over 300 shows in a short amount of time. Their energy and aggression is exemplary for any metal band yet the melodic and anthemic choruses means the crowd goes from moshing to bellowing together arm in arm in a matter of minutes. Although they may be a cult taste for now, this band really do seem to have all the components to really go the distance and with their growing commerciality in the States, it is only a matter of time before the UK markets follow suit.
sean-ward
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