Listening to The Tenebrous Liar's last album 'Jackknifed & Slaughtered' was a bit like being dropped off in the desert at 4am and hunted by a freak: a journey into the heart of a very dusty darkness, it either left listeners pissing their pants or relishing the opening of a third eye.
Their new album a`companion piece' to the aforementioned LP starts off with a garage punk thriller in the shape of `Theme Tune' which feels like Gang Of Four swapping nightmares with Mogwai. This exhilarating burst of action only gets coated in an extra layer of dirt for `Out', a heavy stomping rocker which snarls like The Sex Pistols trapped in a swamp.
From here on in the record gets quieter but by no means less heavy:`Desire' lights a candle and sits you down for a mysterious tale, croaked like the voice of Johnny Cash aboard a pirate ship by singer Steve Gullick.
Those in search of bliss sunshine won't be finding it here: "We are haunted by the night", concedes Gullick on the slow motion ritualistic rock of `Western Skies', while confused and scratchy guitars lean in to sporadically attack and disorientate the listener.
The sound of a digital ghost spewing into your face introduces `Angel', a twisted love song if ever there was one. This sense of being dragged though a compelling rock and roll hell is then maintained right to the meditative climax: `Gaze Upon The Sea' begins on the brink of heartbroken depression then rocks it's way steadily into an ethereal and almost supernatural cloud of ambience.
Liars once remarked that the best way out of darkness is to confront it - and if you're brave enough to look into a mirror that reflects the edge of human suffering you might well find catharsis in `Run Run Run'.
Ric Rawlins
Artrocker *****