Miss May I

Monument

Ohio-based metalcore quintet Miss May I may be young, but they’re old-school when it comes to their music. You won’t hear any rave synths or Auto-Tuned vocals on Monument, an album as heavy and rooted in place as its title suggests. They’re absolutely aiming to follow in the footsteps of (and ultimately replace) bands like As I Lay Dying and Darkest Hour, with their mix of catchy, Swedish-style riffs and downtuned, mosh pit-ready breakdowns. Frontman Levi Benton has a convincingly enraged roar, and bassist Ryan Neff's clean vocals manage to still sound like they’re coming from the throat of an adult male, something his peers can’t always manage. B.J. Stead and Justin Aufdenkampe are a blazing two-guitar team, dishing out the metal in a style that could have gotten them slots opening for Arch Enemy or In Flames—if only their name wasn’t so terrible. Seriously, calling themselves Miss May I is the worst mistake this band have made. They should change their moniker to something more badass, post-haste—and if they do, don’t be surprised to see labels like Metal Blade and Century Media vying to peel them off the Rise Records roster.

Rise http://www.riserecords.com

“Creations”