Bringing classic rock twinged with metal back from the so-called dead are San Diego natives Thieves and Liars. The band is made up of a trio of guys that claim, on their MySpace page, that they get their influences from "head banging, loud amplifiers, mustaches, the delta, and denim." Classic rock isn't something we hear a lot about in the Christian scene, but Thieves and Liars is bound to bring it back to life. The album boasts a lengthy 70+ minutes of listening time, but some tracks are between 7-9 minutes long, making for an unenjoyable listening experience at times.

Songs like the catchy "Betrayed By Blood," the southern-flavored "Road to Nowhere," and the rock anthem "Run" really compliment the album, but they also seem to be stretched to their limit. Even though "Road to Nowhere" is four minutes long, the song has a monotonous chorus that is likely to get on the listener's nerves by the fourth time, and that's only half of the way through the song. Other songs, like the intro track "The Dream," the nine minute "Forgotten," and the album closer "The Author of My Dreams" seem to just be too long for their own good, and really don't help the album at all. "Forgotten" is just a slow, boring ballad that doesn't picks up steam until the very end, and even then it isn't all that interesting. The harder songs have a slight metal feel to them, but that doesn't make up for the awful vocals strewn throughout the whole of the album. Some lyrics are hard to even make out on certain tracks, making the entire experience disappointing.

Much of the album is made up of instrumental guitar riffs as well, which may please some classic rock fans and Guitar Hero lovers. But some of it just feels like the same thing over and over throughout the bulk of the album. If you're looking for something new and old at the same time, you'll find plenty to love here. But if you're looking for uniqueness, Thieves and Liars aren't for you. They have some good points, but this record sounds like a feeble attempt at bringing classic rock to the Christian rock realm.

- Review date: 6/13/08, written by Justin Mabee