(Century Media)
Man, opener “Warhead” hammers home the point I kinda forgot: The Haunted are the Slayer of today, the song riding the straight line to thrash perfection, manic solo hinting at melody, vocals sharp and ready, barbed-wire hooks all over the place.
Here on their tenth record, there’s not exactly a ton of surprises from these Swedish stalwarts, which is good: The Haunted don’t really surprise great, but they thrash wonderfully, and Songs Of Last Resort is full of heads-down death-infused new-jack thrash ragers like the killer, memorable “In Fire Reborn” and jackhammer groove-fest “Death To The Crown”.
“Unbound” showcases more great melodic guitar work and a fantastic white-knuckle race to the finish line, and “Collateral Carnage” also toes the line wonderfully between melodic maturity and a youthful freneticism. The band can still hold the vibe while going slower, as “Labyrinth Of Lies” and “Salvation Recalled” prove, a couple of great examples of late-album breathing breaks.
The Haunted haven’t sounded this alive in quite some time, and I’m here for it.
Rating: 8.5
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The post REVIEW: THE HAUNTED’s Songs Of Last Resort: “The Haunted Are The SLAYER Of Today” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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