Miss May I have been leisurely knocking the whole ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach to metalcore out of the park for seven years.
And hot on the heels of last year’s Terry Date-produced Rise Of The Lion, the Ohio mob have returned to modern metal maestro Joey Sturgis for the first time since 2010 breakthrough Monument – and the results are little short of spectacular.
Harking back to the grittier, heavier sounds of their earlier records while still boasting enough sheen to make ragers like I.H.E., Psychotic Romance and the monstrous title track sound fit for arenas, Deathless is the sound of a band at the peak of their powers. Riffs crushing and catchy enough to make Adam D take notes, nail-gargling roars from Levi Benton – still one of the most underrated screamers in metal – and a powerful, emotive presence from bassist and clean vocalist Ryan Neff make this an almost flawless victory, and while the album loses some steam towards the end, this is as good as it gets for this game in 2015.
