Miss May I // Curse of Existence // Album Review

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Curse of Existence is Miss May I’s seventh studio LP and is a hotly anticipated one, coming five years after the well-received Shadows Inside. This Ohio Metalcore Quintet explores the themes such as the uncertainty of mental health struggles and being isolated due to the pandemic; certainly, an album that listeners can resonate with.

Starting off with, ‘A Smile That Does Not Exist’ Levi’s harsh vocals explode the song into action, with excellent harmonising riffs from Justin and B.J. before a classic clean sung chorus from Ryan. This track is exactly what we expect from Miss May I, but they manage to consistently churn out something I feel I haven’t heard.

The second track, ‘Earth Shaker’ we actually hear some cleaner-sounding vocals from Levi, I can almost feel the earth shake as you can’t help but move to this track, the guitars with classic metalcore riffs in verse, the drums thundering their way through this track and then one of the catchiest choruses on the album, this is definitely one to look forward to live.

Other Standout tracks are ‘Free Fall’, this one really hits the spot for me, one of the best tracks I’ve heard from Miss May I’s extensive catalogue, ‘Into Oblivion’ immediately draws you with those harmonising guitars intertwining with each other, ‘Unconquered’, which was the first song released to promote Curse of Existence, is another strong track, vocals are hard-hitting and is one of the heaviest on the album.

Last track on the album ‘Bloodshed’ also deserves a mention. Heavy guitars and bass, thundering drums and a harsh vocal scream to start this one off, Miss May I finish as strong as they started. This one features an exceptional breakdown which is a must for a metalcore band. It is also quite fitting that Farewell is mentioned quite a few times in their last song on the album.

Curse of Existence is ten songs full of emotion and intensity, a solid offering from Miss May I. This is their second album released on Sharptone Records and they’ve outdone themselves with this one; completely worth the wait.

 

Peter Watts

 

Curse of Existence is out via Sharptone Records on the 2nd of September 2022

 

Track listing

  1. A Smile That Does Not Exist
    2. Earth Shaker
    3. Bleed Together
    4. Into Oblivion
    5. Hollow Vessel
    6. Free Fall
    7. Born Destroyers
  2. Unconquered
    9. Savior of Self
  3. Bloodshed

 

 

Line up:

Levi Benton – Vocals

Ryan Neff – Bass/Vocals

Justin Aufdemkampe  – Guitar/Backing Vocals

Jerod Boyd – Drums

B.J. Stead – Guitar/Backing Vocals

https://missmayimusic.com

https://www.facebook.com/missmayi

https://twitter.com/missmayiband

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