With a title that translates to “Fear God, not dogma” and scene straight out of a horror flick as an album cover, one tends to make certain assumptions about the content. To be honest, I was expecting something very different than what was inside. Checking out the band’s bio, would have clued me in as they describe their sound as “melodic hard rock and recycled nu-metal” and also throw in “metalcore” for good measure. Others, like hm magazine have been a bit more accurate in their description, calling the sound, “progressive/melodic/power metal, which by my definitions is a bit of a distance from metalcore for sure and brings to mind to likes of Skillet, POD, and Pillar.
Based in Troy, Ohio, Mayfly formed in November of 2011 and since then has seen the typical comings and goings of band members before arriving at the current lineup. As one might guess from the title of the album, Mayfly are not shy to ralbumresent their Christian roots and beliefs, but they focus their live performances on entertaining and not preaching, preferring to reach out on a more personal level.
Vereor Deus, Non Dogma opens up with the spoken word piece “Choice” backed by some ominous sounding music that provides somewhat of an eerie atmosphere on one hand but on the other hand seems a bit predictable and expected. This spoken word abruptly ends with the loud opening riffs of “Infidel Castro” a song featuring some driving guitar and drum sections with clean choruses and verse sections that have a vocals shouted over drums being answered by the guitars in a back and forth manner. Music and vocals are well done and production is excellent throughout the album. One can tell a lot of time and effort went into putting out this release, but perhaps I’ve become too jaded and bitter in my old age to appreciate it.
My biggest problem is that I feel as though I’ve heard it all before. From the fist-pumping shouts in “Jihad” to the clean choruses and loud guitars, to the underlying screaming vocals, I get the feeling that some of the more aggressive elements were added to try and make the sound seem newer and fresh and not be “recycled nu-metal”. The band’s bio, album cover, and promotional materials for the album seem to project an aggressive, edgy image for the band that just doesn’t seem to fit the sound, which is more radio-friendly.
Again, I do have to emphasize that the performances on the album are strong and the songs put together well. If you are looking for solid radio-friendly hard rock, definitely check this out.
Rating: 5/10
Tracklist:
1. Choice
2. Infidel Castro (featuring Betsi Ford)
3. Jihad (featuring Darin Keim)
4. Eternal Respiration (featuring Rachel Lacey)
5. Screaming Whispers
6. Skylights (featuring Justin Moore and Rob Goad)
7. Fiasco
8. Eternal Respiration (J.E.S.S. remix)
Band Members:
Joel “Swamp Fox” Holycross – Guitar
Tony Bertolli Ford – Bass, vocals
Adam Thompson – Drums
Jared Lacey – Vocals, guitar
Record Label: Voluminous Records, Feb. 2014
Upcoming Shows:
Feb 06 Family of Faith Church, Bellefontaine, OH
Apr 19 Z’s Food & Spirits Piqua, OH
Video below “Vereor Deus, Non Dogma” Album Teaser
Video below ‘Eternal Respiration’ [ft. Rachel Lacey]