If it is possible to be a veteran of the metalcore scene then Miss May I are pretty good candidates for the role. ‘Shadows Inside’ is their sixth album in a ten-year career and continues their ever upward trajectory with another slick selection sure to delight their million plus followers.

They set out their stall on title track, ‘Shadows Inside’, which kicks it all off in particularly violent style with a blistering riff and a sinister guttural hiss. Sure, it has a predictable melodic chorus, but it’s stirring stuff as it scales epic heights in the solo. ‘Under Fire’ follows in a similar vein; their well-honed brand of smoothly executed metalcore being heavy as fuck when they go heavy, yet totally sing-along come the chorus.

Although there is a fairly ‘by numbers’ approach and no great surprises, there are some cool atmospheric touches. Tracks like ‘Death Knows My Name’ ebbs and flows nicely between light and dark, while ‘Never Let Me Stay’ feels like it has come from a soundtrack and nails the sinister nursery rhyme feel. ‘Crawl’ adds a little electronica to the mix and is an obvious crowd pleaser with some seriously hectic riffing in the mid-section.

Despite being a touch on the lazy side lyrically; ‘My Destruction’ and ‘My Sorrow’ both fall firmly into cliché territory, they do know how to put a decent tune together. Tracks like ‘Crawl’, ‘Lost in the Grey’ with its assault on the senses, and the ragged chaos of ‘Casualties’ are particularly interesting and add some real depth to the record.

All in all, ‘Shadows Inside is the sound of a well-drilled band doing what they do best. They may not be pushing very hard at the boundaries of their comfort zone, but they’ve got all the tricks and pull them off with style on what amounts to another solid release.

4/5

‘Shadows Inside’ by Miss May I is out now on SharpTone Records.

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Words by Edward Layland (@EdwardLayland)