Miss May I

Curse Of Existence

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Genre: Metalcore.
Released: 02/09/2022
Via Sharptone

Album Review: Miss May I – Curse Of Existence

Five years is quite the gap when it comes to the music industry and fans of Miss May I will be pleased that the wait for new music has finally come to an end. ‘Curse Of Existence’ will be the band’s first release since their 2017 studio album titled ‘Shadows Inside’ but the real question is, has the band been left in the past or will they be able to adapt to the ever changing Metalcore scene? Here’s what I thought about their newest release.

As soon as the album kicks off you are greeted to a familiar scream. ‘A Smile That Does Not Exist’ picks up where the band left off beautifully. Melodies ringing around the clean vocals while the gutturals are complimented with heavy riffs and a beast of a beat. This chaos continues straight into ‘Earth Shaker’. Bullet like blast beats reign supreme throughout this track and this is the kind of song that will have venues around the world struggling to deal with the amount of crowd surfers about to come their way.

Continuing the aggression is the angst filled track titled ‘Bleed Together’. Emotionally driven lyrics match the energy being created from the instrumental behind it and makes for one hell of a listening experience. Metalcore may have changed since the band’s last release, however this older feel is more than welcome! Would it be a metalcore release without a song that uses a harmony heavy intro? I think not and thankfully ‘Into Oblivion’ delivers just that. This is one of those songs that has the potential to be a massive sing along and I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the biggest songs off this release.

Halfway through the record you will find ‘Hollow Vessel’ which has a very unique feel to it. The vocal effects in use during this recording are something new to the band’s sound and it works well. It adds an extra level of character to the song and I’m here for the band experimenting more with more atmospheric vocals every now and again.

‘Free Fall’ does a great job of using the contrasting vocal styles within the band to make the song feel a lot bigger in your head while ‘Born Destroyers’ opt for an infectious beat that pushes the album’s assault into next gear. Following that is ‘Unconquered’, and for me, this is one hell of a song! Something about the way the vocals and the instrumental match up here is extremely pleasant on the ear. If you only get the chance to give one of these songs a try, I highly recommend this one!

If heavy is what you are looking for then you’re in luck as ‘Savior Of Self’ has it in bucket loads! This is one of those songs that you will either love or hate. Its nasty riffs dominate the song’s flow and make for an extremely heavy experience for those who dare listen. The final song on the album comes in the form of ‘Bloodshed’ and it’s… okay. It isn’t a bad song by any means however it feels as if it is lacking a bit of the Miss May I charm that has been so prevalent throughout the rest of the album.

Overall, the band’s return is a very impressive one. The highs of the record far outweigh the lows and despite being away for a while, the band show no signs of ring rust at all. The band’s sound still works wonders for them and has aged as well as a fine wine. If you get the chance you really should give this one a go.