Miss May I w/ Parkway Drive, Thy Art Is Murder, and In Heart’s Wake
El Corazon, Seattle, WA
11.02.15

El Corazon, a small venue located at the side of a bridge and tucked at the edge of downtown Seattle, is where tonight’s fans congregate. As the line grew, the smell of vape, cigarette, and a tint of weed floated across people’s faces as all of us waited for admission. What a time to be here, cold and loud; the weather in the midst of fall and the traffic from I-5 resonates across the entire premise. Everyone emanated a sense of excitement and a certain underlying, pent-up aggression. The seemingly small venue is now a sanctuary for everyone waiting outside. And, of course, the anticipation kept everyone sane.

When inside, In Hearts Wake, an Australian metalcore band, blasted off with heavy, low-end bass and kick drums. In an instant, the opening band ignited the energy within the entire room. There was no time for introductions, as if they knew the crowd was on the verge of starvation. The band delivered what the crowd craved. It wasn’t long until a mosh pit formed, where people of all genders and ages participated. Playing the breakdown of “Survival” from their debut album, Divination, the crowd oscillated in unified energy.

But wait, there’s more…

When Thy Art is Murder emerged, the presence changed. It was fresh and it was sinister. The vocalist Chris “CJ” McMahon wore a coat of apparitions with him on stage. He had his eyes rolled back and his free hand swaying poetically as he growled a beautiful sound, as majestic as a male lion proud of its mane. Stage presence and atmosphere were perfectly transformed. The band swept away what was left by the previous performance and completely sealed the venue with its own presence. When the band performed “Reign of Darkness” from their album Hate, Chris’ voice had hypnotized the crowd into a trance.

The energy was far from dissipated… When Miss May I performed, the mosh pit grew larger and the crowd surfing became more frequent. Starting off with an anticipated intro, the band made room for a cliffhanger chorus that eventually fell in with the verse. Bassist Ryan Neff then sang the second chorus with clear vocals that touched every fan in the room. Vocalist Levi Benton’s unclear vocals added pressure while Neff liberated it with his clarity. This, in effect, added a pleasant equilibrium throughout the song; alternating and coexisting vocals gave their performance room and balance, singing together throughout the set. “Bastard Left Behind” was one of the new songs the band performed from their Deathless album. Their energy kept the crowd up and moving. Breakdowns had everyone head-banging, and their solo took the excitement to another level. In turn, Miss May I never stopped the crowd; crowd surfers were often on stage, skipping around the band like mischievous pixies, jumping off towards the crowd’s embrace during a breakdown or a chorus. The band performed like professionals. Miss May I gave not only a very interactive performance, but they also delivered a great set of music.

Now on a North American tour with the previous bands mentioned, Parkway Drive is promoting their new album, IRE. Their performance didn’t leave the crowd disappointed. They had great synchrony between the music and the lighting, unexpected stage pressure smoke and thick stage fog. Although guitarist Jeff Ling tore a ligament in his hamstring, playing in a wheelchair didn’t stop him from shredding his guitar, nor did it hinder his stage presence.  The temperature by now had skyrocketed, and McCall stated over and over again that throughout the night the crowd was mental. People were jumping together with the music, mosh pits grew and crowd surfers emerged. The entire place was in fact mental, but it wasn’t enough. The crowd wanted one more song in the end, and the band obliged with “Crushed” from IRE.

Review by Kai-Yao Lan
Photos by Neil Lim Sang and Bryce Cato

Miss May I and Parkway Drive