Maylene and the Sons of Disaster at the Studio at Webster Hall

Dallas Taylor was one of the founders and the original vocalist of progressive metal band Underoath, appearing on the band’s first three albums. The band reportedly asked Taylor to leave in 2003. Although he was originally from Ocala, Florida, he then formed Maylene and the Sons of Disaster in 2004 in Birmingham, Alabama. The band name and concept were based on the legend of the criminal gang of Ma Barker and her sons, with Taylor noting that the lesson of the story is that evil lifestyles will be met with divine justice. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster released its self-titled debut album in 2005 and its fourth and most recent album, IV, in 2011. Taylor remains the only remaining original member of the band.

At the Studio at Webster Hall tonight, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster showed it was a very hard rocking band. Deep underneath Taylor’s growl and the band’s thrusting music was the root of a bluesy bar band, like the Iron City Houserockers or the J. Geils Band. To that, the band added a grenade’s touch of southern rock, turned the amps up to 10 for a wall of sound and ultimately produced a bombastic sound with more depth than the average metal band. Although the vocals and music were radically polished for the most recent album, live tonight Taylor and the band returned to its earlier raw and grungy sound, to great effect. Taylor shouted, the band blasted, and fans heard and sang along with the better known songs. In a market that is cluttered with far too many similar-sounding metalcore bands, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster showed that it has the ability to carve a unique path due to its distinctive sound.