Dirty Rotten Liars - Dirty Rotten Liars
Soundmine MusicWorks
Hard Rock/Alternative
11 songs ()
Release year: 2011
Dirty Rotten Liars, Soundmine MusicWorks
Reviewed by Khelek
Album of the month

Call me whatever you want, but when it comes to down-to-Earth rock and roll, I really like what happened in the early 1990s. Stoner rock and metal was just starting to become popular, along with the alternative and grunge scenes. The mingling of these scenes later in the decade ultimately resulted in some excellent bands. However, the sound pioneered by alternative and grunge greats such as Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nirvana has not been heard for some time. Enter Dirty Rotten Liars, who hail from a small town called Susquehanna in northeast Pennsylvania in the U.S. Now I will admit that I have a soft spot for local acts (I grew up about 15 minutes outside this town), but I honestly don't think my bias counts for much here. DRL are the real deal: they know the type of music they play very well, and their influences, while obvious, have contributed to making their music more enjoyable instead of stale. Seeing them play live makes it even more apparent that these guys love the music they've written, and they perform it as a single, cohesive unit. The album they've created embodies this energy; the energy of no-frills, kickass hard rock.

The album starts off with The Dead, which uses a killer catchy guitar lead to get your attention. The vocals of Caleb Lee are strong and clear, and it's actually difficult for me to find a vocalist to compare him to. I'd say he sounds somewhere between Billie Joe Armstrong and Gavin Rossdale. He's got a higher pitched voice than many in the modern rock genre today, but not in a bad way. It is extremely refreshing to hear a rock and roll vocalist/guitarist who can actually sing. This song basically lays everything the band has to offer on the table. Pure stripped down rock energy. If you enjoy this first song, you will probably like the entire album, if not then it's probably not for you. Another very refreshing thing about this album are the guitar solos. Guitarist Jacob Lee's solos blow anything in the current modern rock scene out of the water. No half-assed attempts here. Dead Dandelions sounds somewhat inspired by the Foo Fighters with its soft opening of acoustic guitars and clean singing, opening into a chorus driven by heavy, melodic power chords and solid drumming. However if you really want to get a good dose of Steve Smith's excellent drum work, check out Unnamed Emotion. The guitars here are also solid, a quick yet melodic set of riffs backed by the strong bass work of Jeff Fisk. Wreck You All also shows off the band's ability to blend melody with skillful musicianship. Now of course this album does have its minor problems. Some of the choruses do get quite repetitive (PFA, Slingshot, Wreck You All). The music presented here is obviously limited in its complexity, but I think these guys know their audience and this is certainly what their audience wants to hear. When you take into account the massive amount of crap that has been released (and sold thousands upon thousands of copies) in this genre over the past ten years, and that this is a debut album, any issues can be easily overlooked.

These guys sound like true professionals in this exceptional debut album (and trust me, when it comes to live shows they act like professionals as well). You can hear that they have put their passion into every single song on this album, even slower songs such as Malice and Kid's Peace. The production is crisp and clear, every riff and every cymbal distinct and noticeable. Every song on this album has something to like about it, which is why I've been listening to this CD almost non-stop since I got it. If you are a fan of alternative rock, grunge, or basically anything that was played on rock radio stations in the mid to late 90s I can safely say that you will enjoy this album very much. It is very inspiring to hear something that simply is not done by modern rock bands anymore, which is playing truly original, thought-provoking music. I bet if rock radio stations started playing this CD, more than a few of these songs would be hits. I predict that Dirty Rotten Liars will make it big if they continue touring and building a strong fan base, and I can't wait to watch.

Killing Songs :
The Dead, Unnamed Emotion, Dust To Dust, Rigor Mortis, Wreck You All
Khelek quoted 90 / 100
1 readers voted
Average:
 100
Your quote was: 100.
Change your vote

There are 1 replies to this review. Last one on Tue Jan 10, 2012 8:23 am
View and Post comments