Discography:
2007 - Memphis May Fire (EP)
2009 - Sleepwalking
2010 - Between the Lies (EP)
2011 - The Hollow
2012 - Challenger
2014 - Unconditional
2016 - This Light I Hold
2018 - Broken
In early 2007, the band recorded and self-released an EP, and began creating a local following. Shortly thereafter, Memphis May Fire caught the attention of Josh Grabelle, the president of Trustkill Records. In September 2007 the band had officially signed to Trustkill, and their self-titled EP (Memphis May Fire)was reissued through the label in December 2007.
Memphis May Fire hoped to release their debut album by summer 2008, however, during the recording sessions for the album, lead singer Chase Ryan decided to leave the band. Chase explained that he felt that his priorities should be with his newborn child and not a band. Upon announcing his resignation, bass player Austin Radford also decided to part ways with the band shortly thereafter. He would be replaced by Cory Elder. Open auditions were held shortly after Chase's departure, and he was eventually replaced by a new vocalist, Matty Mullins. By this time, Memphis May Fire had already recorded their instruments for the new album with producer Casey Bates and only needed Mullins to contribute his vocals.
Their debut full-length studio album, Sleepwalking, was released on July 21, 2009, through Trustkill Records. Memphis May Fire has described the album as "a new breed of rock n' roll" and musically it has "more aggressive guitar work and noticeably more melodic, but still retains that southern swagger." Their song "Ghost in the Mirror" was used on the soundtrack for the movie Saw VI.
The official music video for "Ghost in the Mirror" was released on February 2nd, 2010 through the Trustkill YouTube page.
Memphis May Fire released a second EP entitled Between the Lies on November 2, 2010, through Bullet Tooth Records with more energy and a different style than their previous releases. On December 9, 2010 the band post in their Facebook that the song "Action/Adventure" will be featured in the video game Rock Band 3. In 2010, Matty Mullins was featured in the song "That's What She Said", from Kid Liberty's debut album Fight with Your Fists.
On January 17, 2011, Rise Records announced Memphis May Fire signed to the label and that a new album will be released in spring. The band recently wrapped up the recording of their upcoming full-length record at Chango Studios (Of Machines, I See Stars, Sleeping with Sirens, etc.) in Orlando, Florida.
On March 3, 2011, a full album teaser for their sophomore album The Hollow was released via Rise Records YouTube page, including its release date of April 26, 2011. On March 22, a full song from The Hollow, titled "The Sinner", was released to Rise Records YouTube page and on iTunes. On April 23, the entire album was released on the Rise Records YouTube page.
On September 15th, the video for the lead single from The Hollow, "The Sinner", directed by Thunder Down Country was released on YouTube.
On February 15th, 2012, a live music video recorded in Orlando Florida for the song titled "The Unfaithful" was released on their YouTube Page.
On February 11th it was announced by Kellen McGregor that the band will be working with Cameron Mizell shortly again, to record their third studio album, Challenger. The album was released June 26th, 2012 through Rise Records while the band is on Warped Tour. On April 11th around midnight, Ryan Bentley announced he has parted ways with the band in a tweet saying "I'm no longer in Memphis May Fire. Details later." On April 17th, the band announced that Anthony Sepe (ex-Decoder) would be replacing Ryan Bentley as their new guitarist:
"For those who may not know already, we recently decided to part ways with our guitarist, Ryan Bentley, and wish him nothing but the best. He's a talented individual and we have no doubt that he will be successful no matter where life leads him. With that said, we'd like all of you to give a warm welcome to our new guitarist Anthony Sepe."
On March 25, 2014, their album Unconditional was released. On October 28, 2016, the band released the album This Light I Hold and on November 16, 2018, the album Broken was released, these last three all through Rise Records.
Current members:
Kellen McGregor – lead guitar, backing vocals, programming, keyboard (2006–present), lead vocals (2006)
Matty Mullins – lead vocals (2008–present)
Cory Elder – bass (2008–present)
Jake Garland – drums, percussion (2010–present)
Touring:
Samuel Penner – rhythm guitar (2017–present)
Former members:
Tanner Oakes – bass (2006–2007)
Ryan Dooley – drums (2006–2007)
Chase Ryan Robbins – lead vocals (2006–2008)
Jeremy Grisham – drums (2007–2008)
Austin Radford – bass (2007–2008)
Daniel De Los Santos – bass (2008)
Joel Seier – rhythm guitar (2009–2010)
Eric Molesworth – drums (2008–2010)
Ryan Bentley – rhythm guitar (2006–2009, 2010–2012)
Anthony Sepe – rhythm guitar (2012–2017)
The Face With No Name
Memphis May Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I brought us here on purpose
I knew we wouldn't make it out
You see it in my face
You and I were born to die in this place
All the walls you built to surround you
Crumble right before your eyes
This is how it all ends
We couldn't change It if we tried
Come on come on go ahead try
Go ahead and try
This is the price we pay for the moment in time (moment in time)
We felt invincible
Your heart beats faster your knees get weaker
And time stands still time stands still
Push it back push it back but one day this will all become very real
As a curtain of darkness covers the sky
In this place you have no face
In this place you have no name
Looking for anything that feels familiar
Trying to forget a city in ruin
Wasting time caught in a trap you set yourself
You set this trap yourself
When skyline hit fire It all went to hell
Dead bodies askew
Alarming the church bell
You can not do this on your own
Our days were numbered
You can not you can not do this on your own
Our days were
They watch in silence create and destroy
Orchestrating our every thought
They watch in silence create and destroy
We dare not say we ever tried to make it stop
The lyrics of Memphis May Fire's The Face With No Name are quite intense and seem to be based on a catastrophic event (like a war or an apocalyptic situation), where the singer feels trapped and hopeless, seeing no way out of their circumstances. The first and second verse seem to be from the perspective of the singer, who somehow caused their situation deliberately, with the knowledge that they wouldn't make it out alive. They seem to have a conviction that they and whoever is with them (likely a lover) were meant to die in this place, unable to change their fate even if they tried.
The chorus talks about the price they're paying for feeling invincible for a moment (likely before the catastrophic event), their heart racing and their sense of invincibility now absent. In the final verse, it becomes clear that there is something or someone orchestrating the destruction around them and watching them silently, creating and destroying their every thought. The lyrics end on a very cryptic note, with the singer stating how they dare not say they ever tried to stop it, leaving us to wonder if there was even a way to stop the destruction or if it was all predetermined.
Overall, the lyrics of The Face With No Name are dark and introspective. They mainly focus on the feeling of being trapped in a catastrophic event and the futility of trying to change one's fate. The song is a commentary on how sometimes, we are unable to control the events of our lives and are forced to endure them, regardless of whether they may be positive or negative experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we go again
I am intentionally repeating our past failures.
I brought us here on purpose
I am responsible for our current situation.
I knew we wouldn't make it out
I have no hope for us to escape from this failure.
You see it in my face
My face expresses my lack of confidence in our success.
You and I were born to die in this place
We are destined to fail in this situation.
All the walls you built to surround you
The mental barriers you created are falling apart.
Crumble right before your eyes
You are witnessing your own failure.
Yet again gain it seems you have failed
You failed in the past and repeating it again.
This is how it all ends
Our failure is inevitable.
We couldn't change It if we tried
Our failure is beyond our control.
Come on come on go ahead try
Feel free to attempt a change, but don't expect success.
This is the price we pay for the moment in time (moment in time)
We pay the price for a momentary feeling of invincibility.
We felt invincible
We believed we were unbeatable.
Your heart beats faster your knees get weaker
You are terrified and overwhelmed by fear.
And time stands still time stands still
The moment feels endless and inescapable.
Push it back push it back but one day this will all become very real
You can ignore the problem for now, but it will catch up with you eventually.
As a curtain of darkness covers the sky
Hopelessness and despair have taken over.
In this place you have no face
You have lost your identity in this situation.
In this place you have no name
You are irrelevant and unnoticed in this failure.
Looking for anything that feels familiar
You are desperately searching for comfort in a hopeless situation.
Trying to forget a city in ruin
You are trying to escape from the devastation caused by our failure.
Wasting time caught in a trap you set yourself
You are stuck in a trap of your own creation and wasting time.
You set this trap yourself
You are the one responsible for creating this trap.
When skyline hit fire It all went to hell
Our situation turned catastrophic when disaster struck.
Dead bodies askew
Casualties are scattered and unorganized.
Alarming the church bell
The situation is horrific and overwhelming.
You can not do this on your own
We cannot handle this problem by ourselves.
Our days were numbered
Our failure was predetermined and inevitable.
We dare not say we ever tried to make it stop
We are ashamed of our failure and cannot admit responsibility for it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind