Search - The Haunted :: The Dead Eye

In a word: astonishing!

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 11/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Haunted's fifth full-length, "The Dead Eye," is the kind of album you'd absolutely love to hate. Consider the history behind it: For the first six years of their career, these five Swedes were making the kind brutal, Slayer-indebted thrash albums that would satisfy all fans, but never attract any new listeners. But then, at the end of 2003, vocalist Marco Aro suddenly and somewhat shockingly left the band; so the door was open for a reunion with original frontman Peter Dolving (who had left the band in 1999). Some fans were sad to see Aro go, and were skeptical of Dolving's vocal abilities. And what's worse than this? The next year, The Haunted added insult to injury by releasing "rEVOLVEr," an undeniably refined and well-produced release with a greater number of slow(er) tempos, and even several spots of clean singing. And now, in 2006, Dolving and the gang are back with "The Dead Eye." Is there any chance the band could forget all about this whole evolving and maturing thing and just go back to the kind of one-dimensional music of old? No way! This is, to date, easily the most experimental and melodic work in The Haunted's discography.



However, as is the case with any "new-sounding" release, your reaction to "The Dead Eye" is almost entirely based on how open minded you are. Unimaginative longtime fans who despised "rEVOLVEr"'s melodic edge will positively loath this album, and think it is a "sell-out" if there ever was one. But if you gave that 2004 release a fair-minded listen, nothing here will shock you, and you are sure to realize that this is just a perfectly natural progression.



This album is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is bursting at the seams with terrifically memorable mini-epics composed of phenomenal dynamics, wonderful melodies, long-lasting hooks, impeccable musicianship, stellar, vehement, heartfelt vocals, and depressing, emotional, often thought-provoking lyrics (every track title begins with the word "the," thus implying a concept album.) There is a great wealth of variety to be heard, as well. Some songs may have a lot of the same characteristics as others, but no two are the exact same, and almost every one brings something new to the table.



But don't let any of this fool you. There's no doubt that The Haunted have gotten adventurous and are breaking a lot of new ground, but they are nowhere even close to going soft because guitarists Patrik Jensen and Anders Bjorler are still, without a doubt, two of the best speed-pickers on the planet. As such, no matter how melodic or experimental "The Dead Eye" gets, there is always plenty of excellent, razorwire riffage waiting just around the corner. For a case in point, see the two openers: "The Flood" is mostly straight thrash, and is propelled by brisk, fleet-fingered riffing, strong bass lines, and deft, forcefully slamming skins. Around two and a half minutes in, though, "The Flood" throws you a big curveball when it adopts a completely unexpected melodic breakdown with gentle strings and soft tribal drums. But this positively mellow and gorgeous part is immediately offset by "The Medication," an urgent and blistering speedster.



All twelve of these songs (not counting the brief intro, "The Premonition") are great, so it's almost impossible to pick a favorite, but there are two central highlights. The first is "The Drowning," which boasts one of Dolving's all-time best performances, and is a shining example of his truly amazing range. He sounds positively livid as he rants and rages throughout the verses (sample lyric: "This messed up reality!") in his typical, hardcore-ish, phlegm-flecked style, but abruptly switches gears for some near crooning in the choruses, making them very catchy. Then, following a doomy breakdown around the mid-section, Peter changes it up again, and shows off a bit of impressive, proper singing, before concluding with a couple of deep, lung-stretching yells. Secondly, if there's any song that will elicit the most booing and hissing from fans, it is "The Fallout." Despite having a couple of strong, driving, chug and churn riffs, this is easily the most melodic and restrained moment on the whole record. Here, Dolving's gloomy, docile baritone croons (and sometimes whispers eerily) over cool piano keys and an industrial drum beat, Suffice it to say, it is a superbly ominous, pretty, foreboding, dreary, chilling, dark, and even mildly unsettling piece.



Elsewhere, The Haunted dabble in beautiful guitar textures (see the Porcupine Tree-esque acoustics of "The Reflection" and the Isis-inspired strings and prominent, grumbling bass notes in "The Failure"), thus creating a fantastic juxtaposition between them and their surrounding heaviness, and establishing an overall subdued and soothing atmosphere that lures the listener into a false sense of security. "The Cynic" would also sound fairly warm and inviting -- that is, if Dolving weren't singing things like "Get your sticky fingers off me/I hate the stench of you." Also of note, "The Prosecution" (which features muscular, crunching, "Dimebag" Darrell-like guitar licks) and "The Medusa" are two very infectious and instantly memorable big chorus numbers (and the fairly long and deliciously melodic solo that crops up in "The Medusa" is just the icing on the cake); and the set closer, "The Guilt Trip" (which teasingly fades out before storming back with a huge, booming wall of sound), is almost pure doom metal. Finally, the fiery and blood-pumping "The Shifter" and "The Stain" put the listener back in Kansas again and remind and reassure everybody that The Haunted can still thrash it up with the best of them.



"The Dead Eye" will likely leave you cold after your first listen, and it will probably take several listens to reveal its true genius, but your patience will definitely pay off. This is not only one of the finest releases of 2006 and a new millennium thrash classic -- it is also, in all seriousness, one of the best and most intricate, epic, expansive, contagious, dynamic, addictive, well-textured, well-rounded, meaningful, and innovative thrash albums in history. This is good stuff, folks. Trust me."

One of my favorite disks

Skip Savage | West Vancouver, British Columbia Canada | 12/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've got this one in frequent rotation. I have a thing for Swedish prog metal and The Haunted inhabit the end of the spectrum where real head-bangers live. Always tight and in the pocket, this new recording adds epic melodies to the thrashing. The result is masterful.



Some reviewers have expressed their disappointment with The Dead Eye and who am I to discredit their grief? The Haunted have changed and people are entitled to their disappointment.



Leave them to pull themselves together while you and I reach new highs with The Haunted.



"

This hits right on target!

king beagley | warsaw, in usa | 08/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this is The Haunted's fifth or sixth album and they still know how to rock! granted, they have some slow parts on this album on song no. 2, but they don't detract from the album. since Peter Dolving came back into the fold, they kick some butt. I hope their next album turns out this good.

rock on guys!"