Having grown up on pre-crash Lynyrd Skynyrd and pre-wimpyness Aerosmith, this CD caught my attention right away...and held it. Anyone who was a fan of the hard rock of 70's Aerosmith and/or the triple guitar lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd really needs to hear this CD. This is a great southern-tinged hard rock album.

The band put on a ferocious live show and is playing two live shows in the area in October.

This CD gets mistakenly labeled as hardcore as it features x-Underoath vocalist Dallas Taylor.


This label is really misleading as Taylor showcases his whiskey-soaked voice without screaming. While this is clearly a hard-rock CD, the music and vocals are consistently melodic and there is both a southern ballad ("Tale of the Runaways") and an instrumental track ("The Day Hell Broke At Sicard Hollow") on the disc.

To understand what the band is all about, check out the promo video for "Dry the River" (below) along with the live video of the same song and you will get an appreciation for both the band's sense of melody along with the intensity of their live set. To put the promo video is perspective, the band's name is inspired by notorious '20s criminal Ma Barker and her gang, which consisted of her four sons. In a recent interview (published by the Seattle Times), Taylor said "What has always struck me about the Ma Barker story is how much it symbolizes the idea of 'what goes around, comes around.' Divine justice is unavoidable." "In these songs we speak as though we were [the Barker sons], telling any who would listen that a life lived unjustly will meet divine justice on the other side."

"Dry the River" - Official Promo Video


"Dry The River" - Bootleg Video from Atlanta 2007


The band is starting a two month tour with Underoath, Every Time I Die, and Poison the Well in September. There are two shows scheduled in the area:

Oct 24 2007 6:00P Nokia Theatre at Times Square New York, New York
Oct 25 2007 6:00P Starland Ballroom Sayreville, New Jersey

Links:
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster Website
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster MySpace page