REVIEW: Miss May I - No Place For Me
With almost twenty years on the metalcore scene behind them, there is no doubt MISS MAY I is one of the key bands of the genre up to date. Upholding a very distinctive sound in most of their work, there is hardly a dull moment - and their upcoming album No Place For Me is a spectacular testament of this. Boasting ten new songs, the eight album (and a debut one since they got signed with Solid State Records) will take the listeners through the insides of the band members’ minds.
Sanctuary opens the piece with an urging dive bomb, before diving straight into the double-bass rhythm kicks, setting the tone for the rest of the album. Vocalist Levi Benton does not hold back and gives the listeners his unmistakable vocal screams right away. Ryan Neff and Elisha Mullins’ guitars set the direction of the song right away and lead the way forward, while Jerod Boyd’s drums aggressively followed them. “Desecrate me - your finest work of art.” is not only a verse in Portrait of Pain, it is also a declaration resonating throughout the whole song, as it is being relentlessly screamed by Benton multiple times. The double-kick drum brings a powerful strength with it that became the very foundation of the melody, yet remained perfectly in balance with the other components.
With the whole album circling around the matters of mental health, it is only right that songs like Hand Me A Halo and Death Threat touch on more serious motifs. The first-mentioned delves into the reality of living with anxiety, as Benton’s singing the line “I try and try to fix it, but I’m dead behind the eyes; So hand me a halo’, admitting that he would rather die than let the anxiety take over him, which is a daily reality for many people. Paired up with distinctive industrial sounds, the song is on the heavier side of the album, yet still attains the band’s distinctive sound. On the other hand, Death Threat is a groovier song, but that does not make its message less heavy. Touching on the issue of blackmailing someone for their flaws, it is yet another song many of the listeners can relate to. Boasting stand-out riffs that give the song its energy and manifest its boldness, it will absolutely be a fan favourite for the moshpits at every show and will be on par with the band’s earlier work.
As many albums do, No Place For Me too brings a slower, yet emotionally charged track to the listeners. Fire Falls is with no doubt a stand-out of the entire album, as it portrays yet another lugubrious battle in one's head with Brenton’s clear, melancholic vocals and Boyd’s striking beats, that are making the bass drum run for its life and the snare sing a wistful soliloquy of pain. As most of the songs on the album are very swift and uncompromising, Fire Falls feels like a gust of fresh air that allows the listener to take a breather.
Bury Me Down brings the energy of its predecessors, and while it does not boast any innovative riffs or vocals, it still brings touching lyrics full of emotions and a sense of grievance heard not only in the words, but through the melody as well. Pray For Silence, on the other hand, draws on a unique and melodic approach, typical for a metalcore song. It is easy to find yourself humming the melody, as it very easily stays in the head for hours after listening to it. Meanwhile Die On The Vine and Ashes Of The Altar are all about Neff’s and Mullins’ work with their big guitar riffs once again taking over the songs. Highbrow Thieves, the closing song of the album, is not coming in short, as the last track starts with “From dusk till dawn; Enslaved, we carry on; Minutes, prayers; No one fucking cares” and ends with Brenton screaming “You’re gonna have to fucking kill me” - a fitting end for the album indeed.
No Place For Me is a daring trip into your deepest worries with a side of whimsy. It takes on every day fears of all of us and that is precisely why the album is so easy to relate to. MISS MAY I’s immense comeback was belated, but the new release was worth the wait.
Score: 8/10
No Place For Me will be released on Friday 2nd October via Solid State Records.
Words: Katerina Stepanikova
Photos: Miss May I
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