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The Haunted - The Haunted

Gollum-core - 96%

The_Bride_Wears_Black, January 18th, 2024
Written based on this version: 1998, CD, Earache Records

“Give it to us raw, and wriggling.”

Do you remember this quote by Sméagol in The Lord of the Rings? Well, you’re a metal fan, so of course you do, precious.

Raw and wriggling, that’s exactly how The Haunted sound on their debut album. Well At The Gates had just broken up for the first time, and some members felt they’d had it with melodic death metal for a while. Out with the melody, in with the punch-you-in-the-face-and-break-your-teeth metal! Of course, being a sort-of-successor to At The Gates, obviously it would leave a few traces. The legacy of AtG’s legendary Slaughter Of The Soul can occasionally be heard, like in the riff progression on ‘Chasm’, or the opening riff on ‘Now You Know’ which sounds slightly similar to AtG’s ‘Suicide Nation’. For the most part though, The Haunted deliberately stepped away from AtG’s song writing approach. This is, after all, a new band, and it was a conscious choice not to appear as “AtG_v2”. AtG’s riffs would never be as direct and blunt as The Haunted play them on tracks like ‘Shattered’ or ‘Undead’.

It's exactly through this bluntness in attitude where The Haunted differentiate themselves from AtG. The Haunted deliver some really sweaty, pure, no-nonsense metal, taken to the studio directly from the rehearsal room. Already with the intro to ‘Hate Song’, you can hear the band literally plug in. All tracks feel like they were written and recorded in one take, as if the band’s philosophy was ‘if we have to think about the arrangement for more than 5 minutes, it doesn’t fit.’ That sounds like a bad thing, but in fact for this album it’s not. There’s this great old skool DIY and fuck-you-all flair to the music. Untamed, angry, murderous, frustrated with the world – for 41 minutes, these Swedes shatter your Ikea-furniture to pieces. The essence of these aggressive sentiments is probably best captured by vocalist Peter Dolving, who seems at the pinnacle of his testosterone levels. This dude has some serious anger management issues. He’s got beef with you, with the media, and pretty much with the rest of the world too. It wouldn’t work with a lot of other genres and his vocals might irritate the hell out of you on other albums. But for this kind of music, for these songs, and with this rough edge to the production, it just works perfectly. From start to finish it’s the grand “Look How Tough I Am, Imma Fuck You Up” show. Idiotic and pathetic on every other occasion, but for this album it just fits 100%.

All of these songs are so goddamn good. All distinctively different, they still form a coherent album. The Haunted are a constant formidable fury, then blend the songs with catchy choruses, who express by no means less aggression than the verses. I don’t even know which track to highlight specifically because it all sounds so great. A special shout-out maybe still, to that sharply flowing riff underneath the lead guitar during ‘Soul Fracture’. Fökk, that’s one son-of-a-bitch of a killer riff.

If At The Gates is Sméagol, an ugly creature still with beautiful traits to it, then The Haunted’s debut album can be categorized as Gollum-core: dirty, twisted, hateful, angry with the world, and yes, The Haunted gave it to us: raw, and wriggling!

96/100
Recommended tracks: Hate Song, In Vein, Undead, Bullet Hole, Soul Fracture, Blood Rust

Relentless! - 100%

Gemesion89, December 30th, 2023

Born from the ashes of At the Gates, The Haunted is the band that paved the path for the thrash metal revival that took place in the early '00s. They played a pivotal role for both classic '80s thrash bands that hadn't released quality material since then, as well as for new thrash metal bands that emerged at the time, adopting a more modern thrash metal sound. Combining elements from the Swedish death metal scene in the '90s and classic '80s thrash metal, The Haunted created a relentless riffing machine that smashes you against the wall throughout the album.

Now, let's delve into the details.

Riff after riff..and then more riffs, like razorblades slitting your throat one after the other, leaving you no room to breathe, until you realize it's too late. The riffs on this album vary from a more technical Slayer-esque style to more melodic passages reminiscent of the early Gothenburg scene. Predominantly fast with occasional mid-tempo shifts, this interchange between pure thrashing menace and melody leaves the listener in a constant state of awe. The solos complement the frenetic riffing by adding a sick melodic twist to that, again reminiscent of Slayer but more technical in this case. Patrick Jensen and Anders Bjorler have crafted a seminal masterpiece of guitarwork excellence, which, together with the amazing work on the bass by Jonas Bjorler, builds upon the brilliance of 'Slaughter of the Soul'.

Adrian Erlandsson delivers with clinical precision and ties his drumming perfectly with the intricate guitarwork. The drumming on this album is nothing short of flawless. It unfolds as a primarily fast-paced, double-bass thrash attack that only eases in the last song, 'Forensick'; this is when you realize that your chances of survival after this ferocious attack are zero, and forensics become the inevitable next step for you. Peter Dolving on vocals sounds as pissed off as ever. His style is heavily influenced by groove/hardcore and the legendary Phil Anselmo, yet it maintains a unique and distinctive quality. The production is excellent, delivering a crisp and clear sound that enhances this ferocious blend of in-your-face aggression and melody. Overall, this is one of the greatest metal albums in the '90s and a must have for every metalhead.

Highly recommended - 10/10

Hate Album! - 100%

Soul_Sucker_666, December 30th, 2023
Written based on this version: 1998, CD, Earache Records

The Haunted rose from the ashes of the recently disbanded At the Gates. While one might assume that the new band would tread the same musical path as their previous project, this wasn't entirely the case. The three former At the Gates members, joined by guitarist Jensen and the exceptionally charismatic vocalist Dolving, formed a new band that leaned far more towards the extreme, hate and aggressiveness than their earlier endeavours. The only departure being their choice of thrash metal over melodic death metal. Musically, they were labelled as Swedish thrash or Gothenburg thrash, but in reality, they played Slayer riffs and thrash infused with the melodic death metal sound of Gothenburg.

Their debut stands as a timeless thrash metal masterpiece, an artistic proclamation of unspoken violence and aggressiveness. Despite the album not maintaining a fast tempo throughout, featuring mid-tempo or even slow parts, the violent essence is never compromised. What makes it even more impressive is that the aggression isn't pretentious; every element serves an essential role in the overall composition. No part, whether it be riff, solo, or vocal line, is unnecessary. Each song lasts exactly as much as it needs to, with not a second more or less. Despite 12 songs appearing numerous, there isn't a single filler; it's a complete headbanger of an album.

Every member delivers their best performance, showcasing technical prowess, mastery of their instruments, and exceptional songwriting. Some songs are notably challenging to play. It's crucial to highlight Jensen's role in the band, often overshadowed. While many assume the brothers, particularly Anders, have the leading role, it's Jensen, especially on this album, who has penned many of the riffs and songs. An extraordinary guitarist and songwriter.

The production has always been considered flawless, but in recent years I started to believe that a heavier one could potentially complement the songs even better. Nevertheless, the current production is clear, heavy, full of dynamics, and undoubtedly modern for its time – nothing to complain about.

The album cover is minimalistic and, truthfully, nothing extraordinary, yet it has become a sort of trademark and serves its purpose well. It's challenging to imagine something else that would fit better, especially considering the album's lyrical content. Speaking of that, the lyrics mirror the violent nature of the music, exuding a nihilistic, aggressive, and anarchist vibe. They can be seen as street poetry, with Dolving standing out as an exceptional lyricist, a talent evident across all the albums he has been part of. Despite the brutal presentation, the content is profoundly deep. Tracks like "Hate Song", "In Vein", "Choke Hold", and "Shattered", to name a few, rightfully deserve a place in the pantheon of thrash metal.

This debut strikes the perfect balance between honouring old-school influences and introducing originality simultaneously. Regrettably, it remains underrated, a fact underscored by its overall rating on Metallum. Perhaps it wasn't widely accepted initially because it was presented as a new wave of thrash and, at first glance, might feel more melodic and new school than traditional thrashers could tolerate. Nevertheless, let there be no misconception; this is unequivocally a masterfully executed tribute to Slayer, characterized by its perfect blend of aggression, originality, and an exceptionally cool interpretation, all within the framework of Swedish melodic death metal at its zenith. It undoubtedly merits greater recognition, just as the band does overall. While they may have lost some of their initial violent and brutal character along the way, they consistently release exceptional albums.

"Wants but can't" - 70%

John Hohle, May 11th, 2022

After the controversial release of Slaughter of the Soul, At the Gates ceased to exist and several of its members formed The Haunted, a band whose sound was almost exclusively characterized by that of the aforementioned previous album.

The Haunted, in their early years were concrete in their music, now that I will talk about their self-titled debut album, there is no doubt that the band is direct with their music, blunt and consistent. The first track "Hate Song" already makes clear the band's intentions, that they only want to release force with the guitars with a devastating sound. The drums shine just like in At the Gates, Erlandsson always proved to be a great drummer, becoming much more versatile than usual in The Red in the Sky Is Ours for example.

I think the main difference between The Haunted and At the Gates is the simplicity. The songs are not overly technical, even the solos are quite flat but they have the ideal power so they don't go unnoticed. What if I never get to fully agree is the voice. It would seem that Dolving tried to make more random screams instead of using a bit of technique, but the good thing is that it is an aggressive voice after all and is an ideal complement to the musical style.

The musical composition in this work is as I said before, simple. The rhythms are nothing to write home about and can even be monotonous, however there are some songs like In Vein, which is the song with a groove/stoner hook that is not lacking in almost any melodic death metal album, which adds more flavor to the album so as not to get bogged down in the typical thrash metal rhythm that can become boring. Unfortunately, the album in general terms does suffer from that continuous rhythm without any impediment. It's not bad for the gang to offer all their fury, but if it's all they have to offer, they won't surprise many. Although I do have to admit that there are two more outstanding songs than the rest, one is "Three Times" which is brutal beyond measure and "Bullet Hole" which is a song with varied riffs, with suspense in its rhythm changes and solos that they give you a great sound.

With "Now You Know" the "groove formula" returns to give the album more hook, although it really falls short. The following songs are compositions that stand out for their consistency in repetitive rhythms, without going too far, opting for plain brutality. It's something that tires you out at a certain point and makes you think that this album should be much shorter. And that barely lasts 40 minutes.

The Haunted with their self-titled album did not leave me cold the first time I heard it, not even in years to come reviewing it. But it is without a doubt an album that does not go beyond the ordinary, that for the listeners of this type of music it would not surprise them in the least, unless they are just starting out in this.

Before integrity's destruction - 80%

Felix 1666, April 21st, 2018
Written based on this version: 1998, CD, Earache Records

The Haunted is one of these bands that have lost their integrity completely during their career. In Flames say hello, but let's stay at The Haunted. How can a combo call the opener of its debut "Hate Song" - and believe me, this is a fitting title - and release afterwards albums like "The Dead Eye" or "Versus"? Of course, almost a decade lies between these works and the here reviewed debut. Nevertheless, don't speak of "natural evolution". Let's call it self-denial or musical treason.

Anyway, the first album of The Haunted scores with almost virginal innocence. Tracks like the opener or "Undead" do not need groovy sections. They destroy everything that stands in their way with Slayer-like riffing, straight patterns, an overdose of velocity and a pinch of punk vibrations. "Choke Hold" is cut from the same cloth, staccato riffing is combined with freely flowing leads and the drummer tortures his kit with uttermost precision and power. These tracks show the young The Haunted at its best and sound like an eruption of hatred, brutality and mercilessness. Great tunes that have never lost their fascination throughout the last twenty years.

On the other hand, the more groove-oriented "In Vein" reflects the less murderous facet of the debutants. This track is pretty ambivalent, because it reveals a somewhat whiny touch. I am pretty sure that I have found a homeopathic dose of grunge and commercialism in this song. But okay, one representative of mediocrity does not hurt the quality of the full-length in a significant manner. More important is that the dudes shred their guitars as thoroughly as possible. The sound of the six strings is a key factor for the rude appearance of the well produced album. Moreover, the voice of Dolving must be mentioned in this context. I like his rampant performance up to a certain point, but his voice also expresses a missionary zeal which is typical for some hardcore or punk combos that are able to see through the hype, to save the whales and to condemn material values of all kind (until they inherit the house of their once hard working parents).

Tunes like "Bullet Hole" are located between the speedy eruptions and "In Vein". The slicing riffing is combined with a less vehement drum approach, while the occasionally knocking double bass drum increases both the heaviness and the dynamic. Indeed, some songs of the album's second half do not reach the level of fury that shapes the highlights of the first six tracks. But there are also velocity-fueled injections like "Shattered". It lies in close proximity to the angry assaults at the beginning without being representative for the second half. The Swedes drift into their own form of thrash that unites many traditional elements with some modern ingredients. Be that as it may, one thing is out of question: The Haunted's eponymous debut offers only more or less repulsive and nasty sounds. The final highlight ("Blood Rust" with its very coherent riffing and a pretty triumphant chorus) and the last number, introduced by an atmospheric beginning with spoken vocals, close a good and technically competent work, forged by a band that did not lack integrity until then.

Not fucking around - 96%

gasmask_colostomy, October 8th, 2014

Firstly, The Haunted do not fuck around. Count up all the wasted time on this album and you don't have even have a moment to take a deep breath and await the onrush of the next song. It's that relentless and tight. The songwriting is almost impeccable, because every song is fully fleshed out and dramatic in its own way, yet only two exceed 4 minutes. 'Undead' is the shortest track on here and it's a fucking scorcher, blazing through the verses on a razor sharp riff, gasping through the chorus, a vicious solo intervenes, and the shortened bridge brings the last chorus avalanching down. The first half of the album is marginally stronger, where 'Hate Song' and 'Undead' inflict maximum chaos, 'In Vein' provides the album's most memorable refrain, and 'Chasm' and 'Chokehold' slay as absolute riff fests. The remaining songs are not exactly more restrained, but build on these qualities and explore a darker, menacing undercurrent that suits the band well.

Secondly, Peter Dolving is a madman and, my god, does he let you know it. He is utterly rabid on this album. Dolving has always brought something extra to The Haunted that Marco Aro just didn't possess, a sense of danger and unpredictability that is the exact mirror of those ominous flames on the album's cover, wreaking their destruction while the real perpetrators lurk just out of sight. The lyrics are not in thrall to the music, but provide an intensity that completely fits the frenzied riffs. It would be difficult for most metal frontmen to bring credibility to lines like "You're in the real world now. So how does that feel for a change? How does it feel to be the victim?" but Dolving convinces with a sense not only that he has lived it, but that he is currently living it as his hardcore-ish bark and tortured howls tear across the ripping pace of his bandmates. And just to prove that he has the versatility to really give this album an edge, the spoken word outro of 'Forensick' is chilling.

Thirdly, and this is what makes the album the most important of The Haunted's career, the style was a breath of fresh air for the late '90s European scene. Thrash had run its course and the Gothenburg sound was starting to lose steam, anything catchy was becoming commercial, and a lot of metal's big names were turning in weak and hackneyed albums. Sure, The Haunted did not revolutionalise thrash (the subgenre into which they most nearly fit) but they were vital in ramping the extremity back up to Slayer or Dark Angel levels of intensity, while marrying that brutality to songwriting and instrumental chops that dealt in hooks as well as heaviness. The style on this album is not very close to the melodic death sound that - due to the Bjorler brothers joining after the demise of At the Gates - The Haunted have often been labelled with, since the riffing attack has more down-picking, palm-muting, and flat-out spastic groove than In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, or ATG themselves, not to mention the complete absence of any trademark Swedish melody. The melodeath influence only comes out in some of Anders Bjorler's solos, around half of which are played catchily and thoughtfully, though there are also more adrenaline-fueled moments.

This aspect of the solos serves as an excellent counterpoint to Dolving's manic delivery and solves the problem of thrash leads in the vein of Kerry King's random noise bursts. These slightly sweeter moments also complement the rhythm guitar tone which is predominantly trebly and crisp, creating a bite and acerbity that increases the overall danger and pace of the album. The same songs played with thicker guitars might sound a little too groovy, but the band have in fact reached an astounding compromise that addresses the slightly weak production by using the minimum distortion possible (there's a riff in 'Chokehold' where one or two notes stand out as almost clean) and playing recklessly fast. Jonas Bjorler on bass and Adrian Erlandsson on drums do a phenomenal job of filling up that thinner sound and - ferocious riff invention aside - are responsible for the kamikaze rush of the songs. However, the reason this album works is not down to any particular element or one member of the band. It is down to every element and every member of the band being in perfect balance and turning in great performances. Here, 5 musicians move as one, and the result is as imperious as expected.

Not as bad as it looks - 72%

Tongues11, May 27th, 2008

Funny I’m attempting here to review this album which is highly viewed as either crappy mallcore or boring hardcore punk. Funny too that no matter how much I can agree to these general statements I still find myself willing to give this album a positive review. Now, if most of the people who find The Haunted to be just some cold, lost-under-the-bed-for-five-years ATG leftovers (ATG means At the Gates for the uneducated) are like me, this means that they’ve all assumed that The Haunted is crap. They never bothered listening to it, convinced it could never reach its ancestor’s greatness. They were right. But they still should’ve given the band a chance.

Now I’ve always made it a policy to listen to something before passing any judgment and The Haunted was apparently the exception to this rule. However, after years of shunning the dried, cold remains of ATG, my curiosity and sense of professionalism (read: boredom) brought me to purchase The Haunted’s eponymous album. And I wasn’t impressed. It lacked color, personality and it seemed highly (if not entirely) redundant and unoriginal. The songwriting was somewhat reminiscing of Slaughter of the Soul but it just sounded diluted, uninteresting, dead like everybody else was saying. And so, after promising myself to find ASAP some crazy person (or any 12 year old Trivium fan) to sell back this horrible insult of a cd to, I dumped it in my “to forget” pile and it remained there…for two days.

Here’s the catch: even though I didn’t enjoy this album as I would a masterpiece of songwriting and intensity (i.e. Keep of Kalessin’s Armada) I still found myself going back to it. The bastards didn’t write a good album but they did write a catchy one. As I like to say, it’s (and I hereby issue a totally illegitimate copyright on this term): “easy-headbanging”. I will not say that it’s not punk-ish. I will not say that it doesn’t sometimes sound very much like your generic hardcore twaddle. But it sure is great if you just feel like some harsh, random metal. The Haunted have accomplished to make commercial metal that can actually be appreciated for what it is. Yes, it’s not impressive in terms of musicianship but just because these guys are not writing music as well as they used to doesn’t mean they play it poorly. All the songs will sound somewhat the same at first and it takes a couple of listen to get used to it but even if this could be seen as a real turn-off, I think it allows the listener to moderately enjoy the album from start to end instead of going through the dramatic mood changes (or the “skip” button) between the few good tracks and the many crappy tracks that typical bad albums offer.

The guitars are actually quite good, always offering harsh and catchy thrash-influenced riffs from song to song. Also it must be said that the European obsession for melody does hold a high place in the guitar play but that never bothered me. Solos are not a force to be reckoned with on this album and they are not what will make you remember the songs anyway so I will not say anything more about them. The drum is simple and can be very reminiscent of early Metallica and although it doesn’t sound as great, it still does the job. The only down I could give it is that it sometimes doesn’t match the guitars’ speed and thus slows down songs which could have much more headbanging potential. Now when it comes to the bass I usually don’t have much to say so I’ll say that the Björlers are still working great together. The vocals, strangely, I enjoy. Dolving screams a very hardcore scream, I know but it just fits so well with the rest and it doesn’t sound forced, that’s good. I would also like to give him kudos for singing differently than every other freaking Swedish death metal front man. Finally, the somewhat questionable production quality manages to add some grit to the ensemble instead of just ruining the whole thing. So even if this isn’t meeting the high expectations of old ATG fans I still think it deserves a little more recognition and a lot less random and unfounded bashing. Heck, I don’t want them to “go back to their roots” or play “real metal” and I don’t care if Lindbergh disappeared because sometimes I just need a glass of water, not a beer.

My conclusion: this is not a masterpiece but it sure holds a nice place in my collection.

The return of speed - 89%

Julle, April 26th, 2004

From the mid to late 90´s there was definitley something missing in extreme metal music: speed. Of the glorious 80´s thrash days remained just a handful of bands, most of which had long since started to suck. The death metal explosion that occured early in the decade was too long since over, and many bands remaining in the scene (especially in Europe) steered away from their roots and went for a slower, more polished, in some cases rock ´n rollish sound. It was therefore extremely nice when, in 1998, there came a band that had the guts not to conform to the by then common practice of midpaced and boring death and thrash metal: The Haunted. Formed by people from At the Gates and Seance, they drew their influences from the 80´s thrash scene (mainly Dark Angel) as well as carrying on some of the sound that their previous bands had been a part of creating. To this they added hardcore-oriented vocalist Peter Dolving, who proved to be just what the band needed for that extra touch of aggression in the mix.

The songs on this album are fast, catchy and violent. At times there is a little melody included, but it never takes focus away from the intensity of the riffing, which really, together with the solid songwriting, is the greatest thing about this record. Most riffs are of the classic thrash type, but with the modern production of the album and in the context of it all, they never deteriorate into nostalgia and ”retro”. All the songs included are great, but to name a few standouts, I would have to say ”Chasm” (always a hit live), ”Undead” (incredible riffing) and ”Blood Rust” (great vocal arrangements sung over nice melodies). Worthy of mention are also ”Three”, a midpaced song which lets the listener breath for a couple of minutes, and ”Forensick”, a soft, haunting tune and closer of the album. The only negative thing I have to say about this album is that it´s structure is maybe a little too close to At the Gates celebrated final outing ”Slaughter of the Soul”, but it´s not a big problem, and you will probably not notice it at all.

All in all a magnificent album, and maybe it´s greatest merit is that it, as mentioned erlier, brought speed back into thrash and death metal. The Haunted will never make a record this great again, for sure.

Wow, this is utter fucking rubbish - 21%

UltraBoris, January 21st, 2003

Now this isn't just the worst album I have ever heard that is mislabelled as "thrash", this makes Slipknot sound brilliant. It's that fucking bad.

What does it sound like? Slayer "God Hates us All". Really. Boring-ass riffs, stupid hardcore vocals, combined with a slightly industrial production that makes all the malltwats jumpdafukup like they've never jumpdafukupped before.

Where do I start with this one? This is ridiculous how bad this is... even GHUA had the somewhat acceptable "Disciple". This has... nothing. From the first grating line noise to the stupid stop-go Pantera reject riff to start "Hate Song"... to the stupid pseudo-death melodic bullshit "riffs" (I hesitate to use the word, especially in the plural) to the completely superfluous backing screams done oh-so-wrong... this song is utter crap. And it's just about average for this album. They almost - ALMOST! - get a thrash break going at around one minute in, but then they drop that idea like a molten slab of iron.

Highlights... "Now You Know" has something going in the verses, but then they give you the forced, silly, over-the-top vocals in the chorus. The guitars are completely gone, the vocals take precedence. This is badly done punk rock. Combine with some Machine-Head-esque riffs... who the fuck in their right mind can call this thrash fucking metal?? This is stupid hardcore bullshit with the occasional Gothenburg overtones. Metal? Hardly. Thrash? Mother fucking HELL NO!

Listen to the latest Destruction if you want some fucking THRASH. Hell, if you want punk, get the latest Exploited. THIS is utter shit.