Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is a Southern rock influenced metalcore band from Birmingham, USA.
History
Dallas Taylor formed them in 2004 after leaving the Christian metalcore/post-hardcore band Underoath, which he co-founded and played the part of screamer in. The name is based on Ma Barker, a legendary figure from the American 'public enemy' era, and her sons.
In 2005, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster released their eponymous debut album on Mono vs Stereo Records. In April 2006, they signed to the indie label Ferret Records. Under this label, they released their EP The Day Hell Broke Loose at Sicard Hollow in February 2007, which included two songs from the album II and one song that did not make it onto the first album. Their second album, II, followed on March 19, 2007, and marked their first chart position (#156) on the Billboard charts.
In June 2009, they released their third album, III, which entered the Billboard charts at #71. In late 2009, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster played the Taste of Chaos Tour in Europe, opening for In Flames, Killswitch Engage and Heaven Shall Burn. While traveling to a concert in Wiesbaden, Germany, the band was in a bus accident along with Every Time I Die, who were also scheduled to open for them. However, nothing happened to the band members and the crew, so that only the one concert had to be cancelled.
Their fourth album is scheduled for release in the summer of 2011 via Ferret Records, which they began recording in February 2011. The style of Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster changed with the new album. The new album is more influenced by hard rock than - like the first album - metalcore. The Southern Rock influences are still there though.
Music style
Characteristic of their music is the combination of Southern Rock elements and classic Hardcore elements. The guitar parts are influenced by Southern Rock, Rock and Roll and partly also by Blues. The typical hardcore characteristics are the shouted, often also screamed vocals and the massive breakdowns. However, unlike all other crossover techniques with hardcore, even guitar solos are used. Unusual for bands of this genre is the triple guitar lineup. Due to the use of a banjo in their last album III, that has also become a feature of the band. It can also be seen in their music video for the song Step Up. However, the band does not use a real banjo in their performances, but plays the banjo parts with the help of an effect on their guitar.
