Handraa
06/23/09, 07:42 PM
Miss May I - Apologies Are for the Weak
Record Label: Rise Records
Release Date: June 23, 2009
A few months ago I attended the Sweet Brag Tour, which was headlined by The Devil Wears Prada and A Day To Remember. It seems that tours of this magnitude always have a local band opening. I attended the show at Bogart's in Cincinnati, Ohio. The band Miss May I (hailing from Dayton, Ohio) was the opening band and these men took me by complete surprise. I had become familiar with the band's first EP, Vows of the Massacre, and I loved it. Later I learned that had signed to Rise Records, and planned to release their first full length entitled Apologies Are for the Weak.
The debut album opens with "A Dance With Aera Cura," a hard hitting, straight-up metalcore song (if you have been a fan of Miss May I, the title may look familiar, but this song is completly different). After only listening to the first 30 seconds of the song I could tell Miss May I are extremely talented in every aspect. The guitarists do a great job of combining complex and beautiful guitar leads with a talented drummer and outstanding vocalists.
Breakdowns in the metalcore scene have became something you put in a song just because you run out of ideas. Although this album is full of them, Miss May I know how to do them right. The drummer has extreme talent and can be heard well on every track. In "Architect," the drummer incoporates a unique double bass style in a breakdown. "Tides" showcases the cleanness and technicallity of Miss May I by hitting you with both a great lead and chugging guitars at the same time, a style that continues throughout the album. "Harlot's Breath" shows off the impressive leads and solos that Miss May I's guitarists are able to put out. "Apologies Are for the Weak" shows how Miss May I can go from a smooth rhythmic sound to a clean and collected breakdown.
The incorporation of clean vocals came with the addition of a bass guitarist. Miss May I do a great job of quickly changing the style of the music. They seem to do this in every song, but I think it sounds best on the track "Porcelian Wings" as he proclaims, "Our word is true, believe in every note we sing, these voices will not fade away." The lead vocalist has a great range, going from deep growls to sonic screaming in no time, which grabs your attention (as if your not giving it already). His lyrics speak of our dying world. In the song "Porcelian Wings" the vocalist shouts "My eyes are bloodshot. They have seen the damned!" In the song "Forgive And Forget," he explains the feeling we all get once in awhile, wanting to go back to the past. "Take me back to the way it use to be, I'll never close my eyes to a place like this, somewhere I can call my own."
Miss May I has released one hell of a debut album. Apologies Are for the Weak may not be something that will change the metalcore genre, but for being as young as they are (all the members are under the age of 19), they have plenty of time to grow.
As I Lay Dying; Bring Me The Horizon's Count Your Blessings; The Devil Wears Prada with more breakdowns and no keyboardist
Check out Miss May I on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/missmayi) and last.fm (http://www.last.fm/music/Miss+May+I).
Record Label: Rise Records
Release Date: June 23, 2009
A few months ago I attended the Sweet Brag Tour, which was headlined by The Devil Wears Prada and A Day To Remember. It seems that tours of this magnitude always have a local band opening. I attended the show at Bogart's in Cincinnati, Ohio. The band Miss May I (hailing from Dayton, Ohio) was the opening band and these men took me by complete surprise. I had become familiar with the band's first EP, Vows of the Massacre, and I loved it. Later I learned that had signed to Rise Records, and planned to release their first full length entitled Apologies Are for the Weak.
The debut album opens with "A Dance With Aera Cura," a hard hitting, straight-up metalcore song (if you have been a fan of Miss May I, the title may look familiar, but this song is completly different). After only listening to the first 30 seconds of the song I could tell Miss May I are extremely talented in every aspect. The guitarists do a great job of combining complex and beautiful guitar leads with a talented drummer and outstanding vocalists.
Breakdowns in the metalcore scene have became something you put in a song just because you run out of ideas. Although this album is full of them, Miss May I know how to do them right. The drummer has extreme talent and can be heard well on every track. In "Architect," the drummer incoporates a unique double bass style in a breakdown. "Tides" showcases the cleanness and technicallity of Miss May I by hitting you with both a great lead and chugging guitars at the same time, a style that continues throughout the album. "Harlot's Breath" shows off the impressive leads and solos that Miss May I's guitarists are able to put out. "Apologies Are for the Weak" shows how Miss May I can go from a smooth rhythmic sound to a clean and collected breakdown.
The incorporation of clean vocals came with the addition of a bass guitarist. Miss May I do a great job of quickly changing the style of the music. They seem to do this in every song, but I think it sounds best on the track "Porcelian Wings" as he proclaims, "Our word is true, believe in every note we sing, these voices will not fade away." The lead vocalist has a great range, going from deep growls to sonic screaming in no time, which grabs your attention (as if your not giving it already). His lyrics speak of our dying world. In the song "Porcelian Wings" the vocalist shouts "My eyes are bloodshot. They have seen the damned!" In the song "Forgive And Forget," he explains the feeling we all get once in awhile, wanting to go back to the past. "Take me back to the way it use to be, I'll never close my eyes to a place like this, somewhere I can call my own."
Miss May I has released one hell of a debut album. Apologies Are for the Weak may not be something that will change the metalcore genre, but for being as young as they are (all the members are under the age of 19), they have plenty of time to grow.
As I Lay Dying; Bring Me The Horizon's Count Your Blessings; The Devil Wears Prada with more breakdowns and no keyboardist
Check out Miss May I on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/missmayi) and last.fm (http://www.last.fm/music/Miss+May+I).