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II is the exciting Ferret Records follow up to the breakout self
titled debut from Alabama's spiritedly southern flavored hard rock /
metal pride, Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster. The band’s most recent
work is a grand re-supply of all the elements that first launched
Maylene deep into the hard music scene. Dallas Taylor's inspiring,
southern accented vocals are generally severely abrasive and dynamic,
but occasionally he deviates into more melodic singing. The drums and
bass are extremely heavy with tight fills and the multiple guitars are
mind blowing. The aggressive energy possessed by this album seems to
seize hold of the listener's ears, tear them apart, drag 'em through a
muddy cotton field, and leave them exhausted in the hot grass.
The final two tracks bring the wild adventure to a contrastingly
mellow end. Despite being so divergent from the ferocity of the rest
of the record, they fit in nicely and provide a welcomed rest from the
previous beating. "Tale Of The Runaways" is pulled off commendably as
a slow, melancholy, southern rock tune with clean vocals all the way
through and "The Day Hell Broke Loose At Sicard Hollow" is a soft,
reflective, guitar instrumental that closes the record quite pleasantly.
There are plenty of wholesome lines in the song lyrics. Songs such
as "Memories Of The Grove" and "Death is An Alcoholic" address the
topic of having hope in Christ amidst brokenness, "Thank God grace has
come my way. Tomorrow hope awaits living closer to the end.," "When
you fall apart you tend to change. I won't be breathing for too long.
There's more to me than this moment I do believe...All these things
are getting better. You're stronger than you look." Another lyrical
theme from "Don’t Ever Cross A Trowel" and "Everyone Needs A Hasting"
is the need for bold faith, "I'll never stop believing, but today
I'll stop the pleasing. Lay it all down and the judging will come. To
people like you we'll never be good enough," “Let me stay here and
hide my eyes from the bitter world. Lord knows I'm not ready to
shine... Let me at the cruel outside. Chances are turning over. The
vessel is on its way.”
I can't say this album surpasses the impressive self-titled debut in
any aspect. Undoubtedly, this sequel is one of the more significant
heavy records so far this year but I hope that Maylene will push their
limits further in future efforts so they won't become worn out. The
band hasn't changed or tried anything significantly new with their
latest project, but anyone itching for another barbaric, southern-
style, musical journey will certainly be satisfied with II.
- Review date: 6/20/07, written by Tim Harro
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Record Label: Ferret Music
