Liar Thief Bandit – Deadlights Review

My fan here will back me up when I always say that band’s names deceive. Here we’ve got a living proof. I swear that to me Liar Thief Bandit is the name for a scremo or modern Metal band. But, for heaven’s sake, the band plays the good old NWOBHM with some distinctive dashes of Hard Rock and modern Metal – yeah, right. To be really truthful and frank as I always am Liar Thief Bandit are some kind of hybrid between Hard Rock and modern Metal, if that mix turns out to be possible. “Deadlights” shows that this mix is possible, yes. Its twelve tracks go smoothly through my Winamp – funny thing those labelings from Winamp. It says this Liar Thief Bandit are psychobilly. Couldn’t be more wrong.

The fan that listens to all the album will notice that it changes slightly from track to track. What was a NWOBHM band on first, and tittle, track “Deadlights” turned into the modern Hard Rock I mentioned in last track “Hindsight.” In fact, there were times that I was listening to a 2020 version of the Glam Metal Kiss from the 1980s mixed with the 1970’s Hard Rock. Melodic and harmonic structures of the band fall into this a lot. Don’t get me wrong me but I guess Liar Thief Bandit found their formula here. “Deadlights” is fresh and exciting as Kiss were in the beginning of their career. Pay close attention to the guitar solo of “Brand New Day” and feel Ace Frehley’s magic touch in it embellished by a tricky guitar riffing. “Good Enough!” may be called punk’n’roll today but the feeling for me is the good Kiss Hard Rock from the seventies with an incendiary Rock’n’roll guitar and a pulsating drumming. All this done by a power trio. I’d say that the music here is incendiary.

I don’t know the ages of Liar Thief Bandit’s band members, but I’m sure they at least young at heart. “Deadlights” sweats youth and adrenaline and hormones. Moreover, I feel in it that joy that only the youngsters have of being fresh to life. The kind of album that shows anything different every time the fan listens to it. Formidable. I like very much the 1970s moody of “Forever the Optimistic” and its open chord harmonic sequence. A kmind of song that very feel can emulate today. Very energetic and emotional. And I guess that after all the press release is right when it says that the band has a punk attitude.

“Deadlights” an album for the young at heart.

Liar Thief Bandit “Deadlights” was released on May 14th via The Sign Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Deadlights
  2. Brand New Day
  3. Good Enough
  4. Catch and Release
  5. ‘Cept the Truth
  6. Limitations
  7. Feather
  8. I’ve Got a Lot of Money Coming in
  9. Forever the Optimistic
  10. Silver Tongue
  11. Right from Wrong
  12. Hindsight

Watch “Catch and Release” official video here: