Miss May I just released their re-recorded debut “Apologies Are For The Weak“ and vocalist Levi Benton is here to walk us through the record, fifteen years later. Check it out below!

First of all, how does it feel knowing Apologies Are For The Weak turns 15 this year? 

It is honestly surreal knowing that our band has been around for 15+ years in general. For fans to still love and want to hear even more of our first album is very humbling and we are so thankful all these years later to have this support.  

How did you feel when the album came out?

When it initially came out we just thought it was a great chance for people to hear our music and to actually have a printed copy of something we created. We never really thought about it being as successful as it was. 

Where do you think the album fits in the band's legacy?

I think this album is what started it all for us and really showed fans what our sound was and would become. It had a sense of midwest metal with the singability of mainstream music. 

How did the band approach writing? What inspired the lyrics?

Initially we wrote music to show off our skills more than have structured songs. It's a collection of extreme parts smashed together at first. The lyrics are what brings it all together with a lot of them being from the perspective of someone who wanted to get out of their hometown and also dealing with high school relationships. Then we would bring it all together masking them with extreme vocabulary words to match the flash parts of the rest of the music. 

Do any of the themes touched on the album still hold relevant for you?

The songs that are based around character and personality still hold strong especially because we are still the same Ohio friends that started this years back and it was a statement of who we are. There are a handful of songs as well that are more bookmarks in our lives and remind us of that struggle in that time. 

What were your hopes and expectations for the record during the writing and recording process?

During the process, all we really wanted to do was prove ourselves and show everyone what we could do. We wanted people to take us seriously and also know that we were into metal as well as what was popular at the time. 

When was the last time you listened to the record? Are there memories and emotions that come back?

Before we went back into the studio to re-track the album I would say it was probably over a year since I went back and heard the album. I never liked my voice compared to what it was currently and that always made it hard for me to listen back to. 

What do you remember most about making the album?

The biggest thing I remember was the schedule. We would leave high school and then drive an hour plus to Indiana to record. Then the next morning we would get up super early and make the drive back to Ohio to make it in time for school at 6 AM. We did that for an entire month to make the album happen. 

Were there any bands in particular you enjoyed playing with while touring for the record?

I really loved the Impending Doom and Carnifex guys who headlined our first tour. They really showed us the ropes on how to tour and be musicians on the road. Before that we didn’t know how to survive in a band, warm up, and even condition ourselves properly going into our first tour. 

How did things change for the band after the album came out?

Once the album came out our lives changed overnight. We toured and toured and said yes to everything that came our way so we could get in front of everyone to prove ourselves. Then once the sales picked up we really made a decision internally that this was finally legit and we could pursue this future. 

Do you remember what you were listening to at the time?

At the time I was obsessed with “Arcanums Order” by the band At The Throne Of Judgement. 

Do you think of the album any differently now than you did when you recorded it?

I do and it's in a great way. I remember the innocence and I can hear it in the song structures because we didn't know what we were doing and to me that will always be so special. They always say your first album is your life's work because you put everything into it and I believe that is true for this album too. 

Did you ever expect the album to have the influence it did?

I never thought it would be something that is still listened to all these years later and I honestly still can’t believe it today. It has become a staple in metalcore and that was not our intent, but we are humbled and so thankful for all the listeners all these years later.