Review Summary: Lying here in wait on their deathbed
If I may borrow from Comatorium's review of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster's previous release,
III:
"There is a certain stigma that any band with a screaming aspect is associated with. That is, that as each new album is released, the band will go lighter and poppier until nothing recognizable remains. This is often a bad thing. Some bands go with this ideology, and the results are mixed."
This was not a negative for Maylene’s previous release, but they decide to take it even further in
IV. Remember those soft songs towards the end of each of the band’s last 3 records? It is almost as if front-man Dallas Taylor decided to make a full album of that and to throw in a few catchy choruses. The result is a catastrophically mediocre release from a band that we have come to expect better from. The album in its entirety has lost almost every bit of the pull they used to have in exchange for a handful of forgettable choruses and a few catchy hooks.
Undeniably one of the most likeable aspects of Maylene was the intense, passionate vocal work from Dallas Taylor. Almost immediately the listener will notice the lack of spark in the vocals. It seems as if Taylor recorded this album half-heartedly as his mind drifted elsewhere. It becomes quite evident as the album progresses that this is true across the whole release, which is damned disappointing.
The musicianship in itself is bland and uninspiring. Think back to the opening track of
III. The banjo in the beginning transitioning into the album was fun and interesting. Nothing of that sort can be found here. It feels like a release just for a sake or releasing something, which is not what I ever expected from this band.
Do not take the wrong ideas from this. The album is not bad. It just falls into a boring 12-tracks of forgettable choruses and boring southern guitar solos. The result is a hot steaming pile of mediocrity. It is not necessarily a bad thing to want to be more radio-friendly, but the attempt Maylene has put out falls short of the better precedents they have set three times in a row. Fans of the band should give this a listen but new listeners should avoid this album and pick up their previous album,
III.
