Maylene and the Sons of Disaster - IV

Overhauling your sound is one of the riskiest things a band can do. Fans will either embrace the change with you or lash out in anger. I've done both. I had heard that Maylene was switching their sound up on the bands fourth full-length but didn't listen to any of the tracks before I picked up the record.

IV has blown my mind. I've always liked MATSOD southern infused metal but IV is really scaled back. At various times it's sludgy and grunge infused but there are moments where the band has written some beautiful rock songs you'll hear this year.

In Dead We Dream kicks the album off in typical Maylene high-energy fashion. A great riff to kick the album off in high gear. And even though Dallas' vocals are slightly different, In Dead We Dream didn't prepare for what I was going to hear next. Save Me comes in subtly, light palm muted guitar and Dallas singing. Faith Healer sounds more like Jimmy Eat World then MATSOD and that's not a complaint. Faith Healer is a killer song. Open Your Eyes has some southern twinge in the opening riff but it's just another stellar rock song. Their southern sensibilities still come through but its songs like Faith Healer, Taking on Water, and Come For You

Maylene has stepped up their song writing ability and really challenged their sound creating an amazing record. It took me by surprise, as it will many. But although it’s extremely different from the bands previous work, I would say it's their best.