Miss May I - Rise Of The Lion (Album Review)

Miss May I is another really hyped Rise Records band like their label mates Memphis May Fire (who also released an album this year). With Rise Of The Lion the band is back with another slice of metalcore. All signs are pointing to Rise Of The Lion being quite possibly their biggest album to date (bands with similar sounds have been charting pretty high lately).

Miss May I may not be reinventing the wheel with Rise Of The Lion, but they certainly know how to execute the sound well. This is well done metalcore. The heavy vocals are done pretty well and the clean vocals add a lot to the album. The music is chuggy and heavy with a few melodic sounding elements thrown in here and there. Ultimately this album succeeds in sound. I think the vocalist performs mostly above average for the genre. The vocals are probably my favorite thing about this album. The band worked with producer Terry Date on this album and I think he fit the band really well. He helped to bring out the best elements and help the band reach the full potential of their sound. It does have a slightly different production style than their last album. I think it's probably a little less polished sounding.

My biggest complaint with the album, and it's basically the complaint I had about the new Memphis May Fire album, is that I hear a lot of bands that sound like this and after a while they all sound a little too much the same to have much lasting value to me. This album does a little bit better job of sticking out from the pack, but it also has that same problem that it just feels like I've heard it too many times before. It has that paint by numbers feel. That's not always necessarily a bad thing. I mean if you are going for a sound and you succeed that's great. It can also take away from your originality though. I think that can ultimately hurt the longevity of an album.

I think "Lunatik" would be a good song to check out from this album if you want to get a feel for the sound and vibe. I think it perfectly captures the sound of the album to me. I like the pacing, the song is pretty good, and I like the way the vocals were done. It has some interesting guitar parts and the band as a whole do a  good job on the track. "Echoes" is another track where I think the band's ability shines through and is a song that sticks out to me after a few listens.

Miss May I continue to write heavy metalcore music that will surely please their fan base. They do a good job with the sound. They definitely lose a few points for originality. I may not currently be the biggest fan of the sound and some of these current metalcore acts do have a sound that feels generic, at least to me, at times. If you are looking for heavy music that is groundbreaking, outside of the box, and original this release probably isn't for you. However, I do think if you like the genre, and just want to hear a metalcore album that is produced decently you should enjoy this. I'd say check it out if you’re a fan of the genre. I think this will definitely be right up your alley.