Maylene and the Sons of Disaster - II (2) CD Review

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

From Autumn to Ashes @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, NY, April 20th

I haven't heard the new From Autumn to Ashes CD (Holding a Wolf By the Ears was released earlier this month on Vagrant Records) but their live show was great. The band doesn't look impacted by the departure of singer Ben Perri (they actually sound a bit stronger than the last time I saw them play) and Francis Mark is a great front-man.







Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:
04/25/07 Boston, MA Axis
04/26/07 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights
04/27/07 Montreal,QC Centre Artistique Fractale
04/28/07 Toronto, Ontario Fun Haus
04/29/07 London, Ontario The Salt Lounge
05/01/07 Cleveland, Ohio Agora Ballroom
05/02/07 Skelletones Grand Rapids, Michigan
05/03/07 Louisville, Kentucky Headliner's Music Hall
05/04/07 Millvale, Pennsylvania Mr. Smalls
05/05/07 Poughkeepsie, New York The Chance

With SHADOWS FALL
05/08/07 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock Cafe
05/09/07 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel

Links:
From Autumn to Ashes MySpace page (link)

Haste The Day @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, NY, April 20th

I hadn't seen Haste The Day prior to Friday's show at Irving Plaza. These guys are a great live act and their show is intense. The band plays with a passion and conviction that is impossible to fake. In a recent review of the band's new CD, I compared them to a less-intense All That Remains. After seeing their live show, I am not sure this comparison holds as the band plays hard and can hold their own with any metal band. The band doesn't sacrifice any of the melodies and harmonies in their live show but I think the production on the CD hides some of their sonic intensity.

This is really a band to catch live. (They are back in town at the Bamboozle Festival on May 6th with My Chemical Romance.)






For whatever reason, the pictures I took of front-man Stephen Keech and bassist Mike Murphy really didn't turn out that great. As such, I wanted to include the picture below which I took at an interview session with the band earlier in the day on Friday.

Maylene and The Sons of Disaster @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, NY, April 20th

I haven't kept up with what Dallas Taylor has been doing since leaving Underoath so I was looking forward to hearing Maylene & The Sons of Disaster's set at Irving Plaza last night. The band is quite impressive live. The obvious comparison would be to Clutch but, with the band utilizing three guitarists, I can't help but think of Lynyrd Skynyrd. This southern metal sound really seems to work for the band and Dallas' voice sounds great.


The band just released their second CD entitled "II" on Ferret Records last month. Based on the band's live show, it looks like this CD is well worth checking out.


Th band is currently on tour with Haste The Day and From Autumn To Ashes through the beginning of May, then they hit the road for 2 weeks of shows with UNDEROATH. They are back in the area on May 5th for the Bamboozle Festival at the Meadowlands. Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:

April 22, 2007 8:00P
Toad's Place New Haven, Connecticut

April 24, 2007 8:00P
The Station Portland, Maine

April 25, 2007 8:00P
Axis Boston, Massachusetts

April 26, 2007 8:00P
Northern Lights Clifton PArk, New York

April 28, 2007 8:00P
Fun Haus Toronto, Ontario

April 29, 2007 8:00P
The Salt Lounge London, Ontario

May 1, 2007 8:00P
Agora Ballroom Cleveland, Ohio

May 2, 2007 8:00P
Skelletones Grand Rapids, Michigan

May 3, 2007 8:00P
Headliner's Music Hall Louisville, Kentucky

May 4, 2007 8:00P
Mr.Smalls Millvale, Pennsylvania

May 5, 2007 2:15P
Meadowlands Sports Complex East Rutherford, New Jersey


Links:
Maylene & the Sons of Disaster Main Website (link)
Maylene & the Sons of Disaster MySpace page (link)