Earlier years and II (2004–2009) In April 2006, it was announced that the band had signed to
Ferret Music. In August of that year, the group hinted they would be working on their Ferret Records debut in October with an expected release date of early 2007. Vocalist
Dallas Taylor (formerly of
Underoath) updated fans once again in January 2007 and said they would be releasing an EP called
The Day Hell Broke Loose at Sicard Hollow, followed by their full-length album,
II. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster's
II was released on
Ferret Records on March 20, 2007, nationwide. Maylene appeared on the cover of the March/April 2007 issue of
HM Magazine. Throughout April 2007, the band went on tour in support of their new album
II with Christian metalcore band
Haste the Day. Other bands on tour included
From Autumn to Ashes,
The Sleeping, and
Alesana. In May, the band was featured on the "Dirty South Tour" with
Underoath,
Norma Jean, and
The Glass Ocean. Notably, this is the first time vocalist Dallas Taylor toured with his old band since he left in 2003. Other bands touring with them with similar southern music styles are
He Is Legend and Hey You Party Animals. In an interview, Dallas Taylor said: "What has always struck me about the Ma Barker story is how much it symbolizes the idea of 'what goes around, comes around.' Divine justice is unavoidable. When I was a kid, I would see re-enactments of the Barker shooting in Ocala every year with my Grandpa, and it was as if Ma Barker and her sons were still screaming their story to anyone who would listen. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is made up of five dudes who play the role of the Barker sons, and in these songs we speak as though we were them, telling any who would listen that a life lived unjustly will meet divine justice on the other side. We also wanted to think of the most crazy backwoods theme possible for this band. Since Ma was backwoods, and we are backwoods, this is the way it had to be." When asked if they play Christian music, Taylor admits that "For us our faith is what makes us. We believe in showing our fans respect and kindness. I love it when bands minister, as long as their lifestyle off the stage lives up to their life on stage. Nowadays it is kinda cliche in some markets to be a Christian band but being that in itself is hard and sometimes can put a bull's eye on your back. It is not an easy thing sometimes, but no one is perfect. But living to the standards of what you preach and talk about is a big deal and something we chose to do everyday." Taylor has also been quoted as saying that he is tired of bands that try to play off their Christian background or message to sell records or to perpetuate their popularity and stated: "I want every kid to know I am not going to change who I really am to sell records. I mean, I absolutely hate shoving things down people's throats, but hiding who you are is just as bad."
III (2009–2011) From September to November 2008, they headlined a full U.S. tour with support from
A Static Lullaby,
Showbread,
Confide, and
Attack Attack! before beginning to record their third album,
III. Half of the members recording this album were in Underoath during their early days. Their third album, entitled
III was released on June 23, 2009. The song "Just a Shock" was released to the band's Myspace page on May 11, 2009.
III debuted at No. 71 on the
Billboard 200. From September 2009 to February 2010, Dallas took some time off from touring to deal with some things in his personal life. With the band not wanting to miss any tour dates, they recruited their good friend
Schuylar Croom, vocalist for
He Is Legend, to fill in for Dallas. During these tours, no original members of the band were present onstage, as Roman had recently left the band and Dallas is the only original member remaining in the band's lineup. On July 16, the band embarked on the Thee Summer Bailout Tour with
Emery,
Closure in Moscow, and
Kiros on all dates, and
Ivoryline and
Secret & Whisper on select dates. They performed the entrance theme for the former
Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho and
The Big Show, entitled "Crank the Walls Down". Their song "Step Up (I'm On It)" was also the theme for
WWE Bragging Rights. The band was also featured on the Taste of Chaos Tour in Europe at the end of 2009. On Monday, December 7, 2009, while en route to a show in
Wiesbaden,
Germany for the Taste of Chaos tour, Maylene was involved in an accident resulting in mild damage to the band's tour bus. According to guitarist Kelly Nunn's personal
Facebook page, the bus collided with a car, a gas tanker and a guard rail. The band was not injured, but missed their performance time. The band did, however, appear at the merchandise booths later in the day. During the spring of 2010 they were a supporting act with Saosin, and later Story of the Year. That summer, they headlined
Scream the Prayer, along with
For Today.
IV (2011–2014) Maylene released their fourth album on September 27, 2011. The band's first single "In Dead We Dream" was released online before the album release date. Maylene's official
Twitter said on March 2 "There is no way to describe this record. Be ready to have your minds open to the best Maylene yet." The album is again on
Ferret Records and was produced by Brian Virtue and
Rob Graves. Dallas was quoted saying "We are so excited about this new record… it will be by far our best yet. We couldn't ask for a better group of people on board making this record happen."
Taylor's ATV accident and recovery, hiatus and reunion (2015–present) In January 2015, Taylor mentioned on an episode of the podcast
Killrock that the band would soon be headed to the studio to make their fifth album. On November 29, Taylor posted a photo on his Facebook fanpage showing the band in the studio. On December 12, 2015, Taylor and guitarist Jake Duncan were attacked by
police officers outside of a bar. The officers slammed Duncan's head on the pavement multiple times, while Taylor's knee was opened. Taylor was held in an detainment cell for an hour, but Duncan was arrested on
disorderly conduct charges. On August 3, 2016, Underoath released a statement saying that Taylor had been hospitalized due to an ATV accident. Rhett Taylor, Dallas's brother, said that Dallas suffered multiple broken bones, internal bleeding, and head injuries. On September 17, 2016, the band played a benefit show for Taylor's medical bills. The band had Keller Harbin (
The Chariot/
ETID) and Matthew Hasting (
MyChildren MyBride) fill in for Taylor. Former Underoath member, Octavio Fernandez, was also present at the filming of the music video. In March 2022, Furnace Fest announced that Maylene and the Sons of Disaster would be playing their first show in six years that September, featuring a recovered Taylor. The band later announced a show the day before Furnace Fest in Tampa, and sold out presale tickets. "Burn the Witches" was released alongside the aforementioned music video on September 6, 2022. The video for "Thrush" was released on May 10, 2024. == Members ==