Artist: The Haunted
Title: Unseen
Genre: Post Thrash Metal
Release Date: 18th March 2011
Label: Century Media
Album Review
Each time THE HAUNTED takes a step forward with their music, it seems like they slowly become a whole new kind of band. If one were to look back on their album ‘One Kill Wonder,’ and compare it to their most recent release, ‘Unseen’, one would never know it was the same band. Gone is the deep growling and aggressive, melodic death metal structure that instilled such ferocity. Gone is the Swedish melodic death metal magic that made their album, ‘rEVOLVEr’, their most popular album to date due to its take on a band like AT THE GATES; a forefather of Swedish melodic death metal. Instead, what THE HAUNTED have done is taken the experimental route with their music for basically almost a post thrash/ rock album, which is enticing for the sake of variation, but at the same time, may turn away fans who have been used to their older style. Ten years ago it would have been impossible to conceive the idea that THE HAUNTED would make a more mainstream sounding album that sounds like a hybrid of RISE AGAINST, ALL THAT REMAINS, and VOLBEAT, but that moment is here with ‘Unseen’.
The result of THE HAUNTED’s experimentation is a very catchy album. There is hardly any screaming and mostly just rough, clean singing with catchy, engaging guitar moments and pretty melodic drum work. So, one could say that they still incorporated elements from ‘rEVOLVEr,’ but overall the entire feeling is something completely new. ‘Never Better’ kicks hard like a metalcore track, but doesn’t sound too generic with the engaging use of keyboards and warble slide on the guitars. ‘Disappear’ has a bit of a funky garage rock sound that might be associated with a band like QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and adds a bit of sludge grunge sound for THE HAUNTED, which is a first. The highlight would have to be the title track, ‘Unseen’, which is a great rock driven track with some excellent beats, soft interludes to add for progression, and overall some pretty great guitar work which really puts THE HAUNTED into a whole new level of music territory that separates it from anything they’ve done so far.
THE HAUNTED also take risks with putting almost random sounding tracks on the album, such as ‘The Skull’, which starts out with a very creepy, almost clownish guitar sound before delving into some thick drumming and a doom metal laced tone before breaking into the metalcore/ thrash bits. ‘Ocean Park’ is a very short acoustic piece that just doesn’t feel like THE HAUNTED’s style at all, but at the same time that’s probably what makes it so appropriate for being on ‘Unseen’ because the album itself is supposed to be an inverse to fans who are usually used to the group’s style, forcing them to evolve their tastes as the band evolves its sound. ‘The City’ is about as close as fans who are seeking satisfaction with THE HAUNTED’S older works with its focus on more screaming in the lyrics and overly aggressive pace rather than the more catchy and rock oriented feel that goes throughout the album, which is showcased best in the closing track, ‘Done’, which trudges along as a definitive statement to the band’s testimony that they will continue evolving no matter what fans say. They may lose fans due to ‘Unseen’s’ odd tastes, but at the same time new fans will most likely catch their fancy, along with those who always appreciate ever changing ingenuity within musical styles.
Tracklist
01. Never Better - 3:34
02. No Ghost - 3:34
03. Catch 22 - 3:44
04. Disappear - 3:50
05. Motionless - 4:25
06. Unseen - 3:02
07. The Skull - 4:04
08. Ocean Park - 0:49
09. The City - 3:08
10. Them - 4:06
11. All Ends Well - 4:16
12. Done - 3:49
Line-up
Peter Dolving - Vocals
Patrik Jensen - Guitar
Anders Björler - Guitar
Jonas Björler - Bass
Per M. Jensen - Drums
Website
http://www.the-haunted.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Sound: 9
Music: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10
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