It’s funny, some adages are so painfully obvious that they are hardly worth the mention. However it pains me to say, with Liars/Bastards, you truly can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Going into this review, I had no idea what Hateful Abandon sounded like. For some reason, my gut instinct was that they were some flavor of metal. While Hateful Abandon touches on elements of metal, to my surprise, they actually sound more like the bastardized mating of Joy Division and Killing Joke. That my friends is a wonderful thing. The album transpires with a heavier and more experimental flair, than the aforementioned bands, but the influence is undeniable. That said, every single track on this album has it’s own distinct approach and Vice Martyr’s vocal stylings have quite a varied range.

Liars/Bastards contains 7 tracks and is in no short supply of gems. As a matter of fact I thoroughly enjoyed each piece, but there are several standouts. The album’s opening salvo, “Maze of Bastards,” is built on a foundation of: eerie synthesizer sounds, clashing percussion, the repetitive clanging of a pipe, and Martyr’s vocals at their most strained. “High Rise,” relies on post punk guitar and bass stylings, and sine wave peaks and valleys. “The Test” would fit nicely on The Cure’s Pornography album, and here Martyr’s vocals even sound Robert Smith-esque at times. Perhaps my favorite piece on the album is “The Walker,” which is also the most Joy Division influenced piece, right down to the icy Ian Curtis vocal stylings.

All in all a strong outing from this Bristol-based chap. Every cut had it’s own personality, honoring Martyr’s influences, while never truly sounding like a retread. That’s no easy task, but Hateful Abandon manages to pull it off swimmingly well. A solid album through and through