Miss May I | |
|---|---|
 Miss May I in 2014. From left to right: BJ Stead, Justin Aufdemkampe, Levi Benton, Ryan Neff and Jerod Boyd | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Saving Small Town[1] Day of the Locusts[1] |
| Origin | Troy, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Levi Benton Jerod Boyd Ryan Neff Elisha Mullins |
| Past members | Josh Gillespie B.J. Stead Justin Aufdemkampe |
| Website | missmayimusic |
Miss May I is an Americanmetalcore band fromTroy, Ohio. Formed in 2007,[2] they signed toRise Records in 2008 and released their debut album,Apologies Are for the Weak through the label while the members were still attending high school. The album reached 76 on theBillboard 200,[3] No. 29 onBillboard'sTop Heatseekers, and No. 66 onTop Independent Albums.[4] The band has also had some of their material featured in big name productions; the song "Forgive and Forget" is featured on theSaw VI Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and their song "Apologies Are for the Weak" is included in the video gameSaints Row: The Third.[5]
The band had retained the same lineup since its formation until 2024 when guitarists B.J. Stead & Justin Aufdemkampe left the band, with the only exception being bassist Ryan Neff, who left the band in 2007 and rejoined in 2009. Miss May I released their second studio album,Monument, on August 16, 2010; their third album,At Heart, on June 12, 2012; their fourth,Rise of the Lion, on April 29, 2014; their fifth,Deathless, on August 7, 2015. On June 24, 2016, the band leftRise Records and signed withSharpTone Records.[6] On June 2, 2017, they released their sixth studio album,Shadows Inside, their first under their new label. On September 2, 2022, Miss May I releasedCurse of Existence.
Miss May I was formed in 2007, inTroy,Ohio with the original members being Levi Benton, Justin Aufdemkampe, BJ Stead, Jerod Boyd, and Ryan Neff.[3] Neff left in late 2007 to join Cincinnati band, Rose Funeral and was then replaced by Josh Gillespie.[citation needed]
In late 2007, the band released a five-track EP titledVows for a Massacre followed by their 2008 demo the next year, both of which were self-released. This demo contained 6 tracks, including "Architect" and "Tides", which would later on be featured in their first full-length album,Apologies Are for the Weak. The band would sign withRise Records in late 2008 before releasing their aforementioned debut album through the label in 2009.[7]
According to the website of producer Joey Sturgis' Foundation Studios, the band had booked studio time in May 2010 to ostensibly record the follow-up to their debut album.[3]Monument was released on August 17, 2010. In December 2010, they confirmed plans to appear atWarped Tour 2011.[3] The album peaked at 10 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, 15 on the Top Independent Albums chart, and 31 on the Top Rock Albums chart.[8] The band toured withAbandon All Ships,Sleeping with Sirens andBury Tomorrow to support the album.[citation needed]
The band appeared on theWe Came as Romans Merchnow.com + Arkaik Clothing "I'm Alive" Tour (September - October 2011) withClose To Home,Of Mice & Men, andTexas in July.[9][10] Following the "I'm Alive" Tour, the band co-headlined the 'No Guts No Glory' tour withPierce the Veil,Woe, Is Me, andLetlive.[11] The band also appeared on the 2011 Scream it Like you Mean it tour with We Came as Romans,The Word Alive andThis or the Apocalypse.
On March 8, 2012, the band announced that they had completed work on their new album,At Heart, and were set to release the album on May 29, 2012.[12] To make last-minute changes, the band bumped back the release, to June 12, 2012.[13]
The band soon set out on tour withWhitechapel,After the Burial,The Plot in You, Rescued by a Sinking Ship, and Structures throughout March 2012, followed by a European tour withParkway Drive,The Ghost Inside andConfession through April. The band also set out to tour with Whitechapel, The Ghost Inside,Within the Ruins and The Plot in You in the US during May 2012.[14] The band played on Warped Tour in mid-2012.[15] They supportedKillswitch Engage for the United States Disarm the Descent tour in mid-2013 with others.[16]
On December 14, 2013, the band stated that they are looking for a fan to get a tattoo of their infamous lion design for the cover of their forthcoming album.[17] On February 25, 2014,Rise of the Lion was announced as the title of the new album. The album was released on April 29, 2014.
In January 2015, the band supportedAugust Burns Red on the Frozen Flame Tour withNorthlane,Fit for a King andErra.[18]
The band recorded their fifth studio album withJoey Sturgis, who recorded the band's first two records.[19]Deathless was released on August 7, 2015.[20]
On June 24, 2016 the band announced that they had leftRise Records and signed withSharpTone Records.[6][21]
The band enbarked on a headline North American tour in support of their sixth album,Shadows Inside, in 2017.[22] That same year, they joinedThe Amity Affliction as a part ofMotionless in White's "Graveyard Shift" tour.[23] In 2018, they toured North America once again on the Gore Core Metal and More Tour, as support forGwar andHatebreed.[24] In early 2019, the band supported August Burns Red on their Dangerous Tour.[25] They playedMonument in its entirety in mid-2019 in celebration of its nearing 10th-year anniversary, they co-headlined the tour withThe Word Alive with support from After Life andThousand Below.[26]
In May 16, 2022, bassist and clean vocalist Ryan Neff joinedAs I Lay Dying as replacement for their former bassistJosh Gilbert.[27]On September 2, 2022, the band released their seventh studio album,Curse of Existence.[28]
On May 31, 2024 the band announced the departures of guitarists B.J. Stead andJustin Aufdemkampe.[29] They were replaced with Elisha Mullins.
On July 11, 2024, the band signed withSolid State Records. Following this, they announced a complete 15th anniversary re-recording of their debut albumApologies Are for the Weak, which released in the fall. The announcement was accompanied by the re-recorded version of "Forgive and Forget", featuring members ofFit for a King. The album features other guest vocals from members ofSilent Planet,Bleeding Through,Carnifex,August Burns Red, andThe Word Alive, among others.
On October 18th, 2024, Ryan Neff announced his departure from As I Lay Dying following what was later revealed to be a domestic abuse incident involving the band's lead vocalistTim Lambesis, returning to full participation in Miss May I.[30][31]
On January 23rd, 2025, the band disclosed that they were laying out demos for new material.[32]In February 2025, the band was chosen as the replacement for As I Lay Dying at theWelcome to Rockville festival taking place inDaytona Beach, Florida on May 16th, 2025.[33]
On August 28, 2025, the band released a single titled "Pray For Silence" which is from their upcoming eighth studio album which is set to be released in 2026.[34]
Miss May I's musical style has been described asmetalcore[3] ormelodic metalcore,[35] mixingmelodic death metal andthrash metal riffs withhardcore punk.[36][37] Almost all of their recorded songs feature bothunclean vocals, provided by the band'slead vocalist Levi Benton, and clean vocals, provided by theirbassist Ryan Neff (and formerly Josh Gillespie), in similar fashion to many other melodic metalcore bands.
The band has stated their main influences are:Metallica,Pantera,Deftones,Unearth,White Zombie,[38]Gojira,[39]As Blood Runs Black,All Shall Perish,As I Lay Dying,Arch Enemy,Killswitch Engage,Lamb of God,[40]Atreyu,Underoath,All That Remains,[41][42]In Flames,Five Finger Death Punch,[43]Avenged Sevenfold,The Black Dahlia Murder,[41]Thirty Seconds to Mars,Darkest Hour,[44]Bleeding Through,Trivium, Winter Solstice,[45]Bring Me the Horizon,Anti-Flag,Parkway Drive,[46] andIt Dies Today.[47]
In an interview withGuitar World, the band discussed how their influences have changed over the years. Guitarist Justin Aufdemkampe said he started by covering basicblues, then moved topop punk by coveringBlink-182, andGreen Day, then eventually learned lead guitar by listening to and copying his dad'sStevie Ray Vaughan records.[41] In the 10th grade, Justin started learningTaking Back Sunday, Underoath and Avenged Sevenfold songs. However, once he saw Atreyu atWarped Tour, his taste in music abruptly shifted. He then discovered As I Lay Dying, All That Remains and Darkest Hour, and began writing fast, aggressive originals.[41]
According to bassist Ryan Neff, his influences are:Unearth,[48] Deftones, Pantera, As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour, Underoath,As Cities Burn,August Burns Red,the Bled,the Color Morale,Florence and the Machine,Marilyn Manson,A Perfect Circle,Nine Inch Nails,Oceana,Pierce the Veil,PMtoday,Saosin, andTool.[49][non-primary source needed] In an interview withAlternative Press, Ryan said his favorite band of all time is White Zombie.[50]
Guitarist B.J. Stead stated "I had been playing guitar for years, but not muchmetal. I mostly listen toPink Floyd and straightrock."[41] In an interview withAlternative Press, it was said that B.J.'s favorite band isIron Maiden.[50]
The band has stated on their influences:
Basically, any metal-core band that doesn't have keyboards and who aren't fake guys who just play instruments. We're trying to be as old school as possible, as it's been working out. So I'm happy with that.[44]
In an interview with WIDB, Levi stated on behalf of his biggest musical influences: "As I Lay Dying is definitely the biggest one that really sets Miss May I where we are. We like a lot of All That Remains, Unearth, Darkest Hour and, recently, In Flames. This is weird, because it’s not really the thing that everyone would say, but we're really interested in Five Finger Death Punch. We’ve been researching how they do everything because their story’s really cool. But As I Lay Dying and All That Remains are probably the biggest ones, along with Killswitch Engage"[42] Levi has stated his "dream tour" would be Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, It Dies Today, and Atreyu.[47]
In another interview, Levi Benton stated that he tries to make inspirational music rather than angry music. Through this, he uses hiscontemporary R&B influences such asJustin Timberlake,Jamie Foxx, andUsher.[51] He also openly admits he listens to a lot ofhip hop. His favorite artists areDr. Dre,Yelawolf,[52]Savage,[53]Jay Z, andEminem.[54] The band has covered the song "Run This Town" by Jay Z featuringKanye West andRihanna for thePunk Goes Pop 3 album.[55]
In an interview withDayton Daily News writer Madeline Bush,[56] when asked what they thought their music conveyed, Benton replied:
"We have been asked a lot if we are aChristian band due to our lyrics. And the answer to that is no, but some of us are Christians and others are not. But myself as a Christian, I try and not put the wrong negative message out in our lyrics. Most of what we stand for is just a band that plays for the crowd to be happy, and to love what we are doing as much as we do."
Current
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Former
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Timeline
| Year | Album | Label | Chart peaks[4][57] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Rock | US Indie | US Hard Rock | ||||
| 2009 | Apologies Are for the Weak | Rise | — | — | 66 | — | |
| 2010 | Monument | 76 | 31 | 15 | 10 | ||
| 2012 | At Heart | 32 | 12 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 2014 | Rise of the Lion | 21 | 6 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2015 | Deathless | 49 | 5 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2017 | Shadows Inside | SharpTone | 176 | 37 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2022 | Curse of Existence | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||
Other releases
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| Year | Song | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Architect" (demo version) | Thunder Down Country |
| "Forgive and Forget" | Spencer Nicholson | |
| "Forgive and Forget (Saw VI Soundtrack)" | ||
| 2010 | "Relentless Chaos" | Thunder Down Country |
| "Our Kings" | ||
| 2011 | "Masses of a Dying Breed" | |
| "Relentless Chaos (Live)" | Cole Dabney | |
| 2012 | "Hey Mister" | Thunder Down Country |
| "Day By Day" | ||
| "Ballad of a Broken Man" | Unknown | |
| 2014 | "Gone" | Brad Golowin |
| "Echoes" | ||
| "You Want Me" | Unknown | |
| "Hero with No Name" | ||
| 2015 | "I.H.E." | Max Moore |
| "Deathless" | ||
| "Turn Back the Time" | Unknown | |
| 2017 | "Lost in the Grey" | Ramon Boutviseth |
| "Shadows Inside" | Unknown | |
| 2018 | "Under Fire" | Nadeem A. Salam |
| 2022 | "Unconquered" | JOSIAHx |
| "Bleed Together" | ||
| "Earth Shaker" | ||
| "Free Fall" | ||
| 2025 | "Pray For Silence" |
| Year | Song | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "2012"(featuring Levi Benton) | Deceiver | The Word Alive[58] |
| 2011 | "Napalm"(featuring Levi Benton) | Conviction | The Crimson Armada |
| 2011 | "Set in Stone"(featuring Levi Benton) | The End of Times EP | Ludlow Falls[59] |
| 2011 | "Growing, Caving, Searching, Sinking"(featuring Ryan Neff) | Echoes & Answers | From Atlantis[60] |
| 2014 | "The Void"(featuring Levi Benton) | Bloodwork | Texas in July[61] |
| 2016 | "Stacking Bodies"(featuring Levi Benton) | Deathgrip | Fit for a King[62] |
| 2018 | "Everything"(featuring Levi Benton) | Persevere | Sink the Ship[63] |
| "Paradigm Shift"(featuring Levi Benton) | Single | Classic Jack[64] | |
| 2019 | "An Eye for a Lie"(featuring Levi Benton) | Reborn EP | Out Last[65] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
