Memphis May Fire, Caskets, If Not for Me, y Royale Lynn

For a genre almost built on that fabled “last gang in town” mentality and image, it is kind of strange how often heavy metal bands are formed around one specific member who acts as the band leader. From time to time it’s two people, but more often than not long running heavy metal acts have that one mastermind. The kind who might not always write the songs themselves, but they still steer the band in the direction they want it to go while chopping and changing the line up until they have a bunch of people they feel comfortable collaborating with.

Memphis May Fire are a perfect example of how well this can go, as under sole constant member Kellen McGregor, they’ve become one of the most acclaimed acts in American metal and if their recent efforts are anything to go by, they might also be going to become one of the biggest. McGregor formed the original incarnation of the band in 2004 as Oh Captain, My Captain, and after three years of local touring they changed their name to Memphis May Fire, it was then that the band started to pick up some real momentum.

Their local following increased exponentially and, in order to capitalise, the band funded the recording their first self-titled E.P, and then self-released at their shows and on their website. Their E.P caught the attention of Josh Grabelle, president of Trustkill Records, who was so taken with them that he had them signed to his label by September 2007, and their E.P was reissued in December of the same year. With that much momentum on their side, the band wanted to turn their attention to recording their debut album, but it was at that point that their first wave of line up troubles reared up, leading to the bands original bassist, drummer and lead singer all leaving the band.

After searching, the rhythm section was eventually rebuilt with full time members Cory Elder on bass and Jake Garland on drums. Then, after putting out an open audition on their MySpace page, the band found their new lead singer in the form of Matty Mullens, then a mere 19 years old. The new incarnation of the band came together and recorded their debut effort, 2009’s “Sleepwalker”, and almost instantly the band were taken seriously as the hot, new contenders on the metal scene. By 2011, the band had signed to legendary metalcore label Rise Records, and began their rise to the very top of the American metal scene.

Since then, they become one of the most consistently great bands in American metal, with all their albums gaining critical acclaim and their astonishing live show has seen them sell out venues all over the world. Over a decade into their career, they’re right in their prime and will be for a very long time. Highly recommended.