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PETER DOLVING
Thieves And Liars

Self-released (2012)
Rating: 9.5/10

Original frontman of The Haunted, Peter Dolving returned for another run with the Swedish group in 2004. As fate would have it, Dolving has again exited The Haunted. This time though, Dolving lands firmly on his feet delivering Thieves And Liars. Fans expecting a hardcore or metal album will be sorely disappointed with this album. Once you get over what you want this album to be though, it will reveal itself to be a certain contender for album of the year.

The atmospheric and driving ‘Meinhof’ sets the tone right away with its Radiohead-inspired chaos. It sets a clear path for the album as Dolving declares that he’s “not going back there no more”. From there the alternative rock awesomeness of ‘Song For You’ takes over. The song blends all the great things about the 80s alternative scene (great choruses, big melodies) with the darker, more aggressive edge of the 90s alternative scene.

‘So Sick’ and ‘One Sweet Moment’ back up ‘Song For You’ quite well. The latter has some really strange moments, sounding similar to what I believe it would sound like if a young Alice Cooper were to make a lullabies album. ‘Ordinary Folk’ adds to the album dynamic with a groovy drum part and a bluesy guitar covered by a near-spoken word vocal.

While Dolving gives you just enough to hang onto for the most part, there is certainly a ton of experimentation here that makes it feel similar to more energetic Radiohead, more melodic Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd), and more recent Tom Waits. Jane’s Addiction early work comes to mind for sure as well. The destructive and downtrodden sound of ‘No Solicitors’ is a good example of this. It feels like the soundtrack to a dark carnival nightmare but pulls you in enough that you can’t get your head out of it.

‘Cocksucker Blues’ sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. With the sound of the drums constantly overloaded and the ever-changing thin guitar sound topped with a haunting vocal and sporadic background vocals, it gets pretty intense by the end. If you are listening to this at 2am you are likely to shut the album off and contemplate what the hell it was that you just heard.

I love everything about this album. I love that it’s not at all what you expect. I love that there is a ton of melody used here in a non-commercial way. I love that Dolving sounds like Alice Cooper could have in his prime. I love that every song adds more to the overall intensity of the album. This is just a great, great record that is the perfect example of how art and melody can intersect without coming off as arrogant or holier-than-thou.

Mark Fisher

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