By now, any band playing heavy music should understand that there are certain formulas and trends that have been worn out over the last decade or so, and deliberately incorporating them into new material is a mistake. Miss May I are one of the unfortunate groups that have yet to realize that the gimmicky, overproduced neo-metalcore wave crashed in 2010, and still proudly hold aloft the dead horse they continue to flog with Deathless.
Almost every song on the record alternates between harsh vocals in the verses and cleans in the choruses, and remains completely formulaic and utterly bland from front to back as a result. The hooks are subpar and forgettable, and the lyrics remain juvenile and cringeworthy on songs like "Trust My Heart (Never Hope To Die)" and "Psychotic Romantic." Breakdowns throughout the record are void of the true aggression and grit that Miss May I claw so desperately for, and feel more like placeholders than moments of real intensity. They are even further diluted by hackneyed clichés like the reversed cymbals before the drop in "Bastards Left Behind."
Miss May I's unoriginality and reluctance to expand their sound here result in a campy, lacklustre mess.
(Rise)Almost every song on the record alternates between harsh vocals in the verses and cleans in the choruses, and remains completely formulaic and utterly bland from front to back as a result. The hooks are subpar and forgettable, and the lyrics remain juvenile and cringeworthy on songs like "Trust My Heart (Never Hope To Die)" and "Psychotic Romantic." Breakdowns throughout the record are void of the true aggression and grit that Miss May I claw so desperately for, and feel more like placeholders than moments of real intensity. They are even further diluted by hackneyed clichés like the reversed cymbals before the drop in "Bastards Left Behind."
Miss May I's unoriginality and reluctance to expand their sound here result in a campy, lacklustre mess.