Exit Wounds

Author: Primož Novak

Artist: Haunted, The
Label: Century Media
Release: year_month
Length: 44:08
Rating: 4/5

Swedish outfit The Haunted, formed in 1996 from the remains of At The Gates (who are, of course, going strong again these days), have thrown a few curveballs over the course of their career. Despite some lineup changes, they stuck to their style, labeled modern thrash metal, until the band put out the poorly received album Unseen. With Unseen the band drifted away from its sound and started experimenting in more hard rock and stoner rock waters, which didn’t go down so well with the fans. When At The Gates reactivated, the band almost fell apart, because former guitarist Anders Björler simply couldn’t be bothered with The Haunted anymore. On top of that, the band didn’t see eye to eye with former vocalist Peter Dolving’s vision.

When only guitarist Patrik Jensen and bassist Jonas Björler were left in the band, it looked like The Haunted were finished for good. But things turned out quite differently. The talented guitarist Ola Englund (Feared, ex-Six Feet Under) joined, and drummer Adrian Erlandsson (who played on the first album) came back, along with vocalist Marco Aro, who recorded the legendary albums The Haunted Made Me Do It (2000) and One Kill Wonder (2003) with the band. The band decided to put its faith in The Haunted once again. In early 2014 they released the EP Eye of the Storm with three new songs that definitely recalled the older The Haunted albums. An even clearer picture emerged with the current album.

Exit Wounds serves up 14 tracks with a whiff of the first four albums. The album is defined by uncompromising aggression, thrash-flavored riffs, Marco Aro’s truly pissed-off vocals and a powerful rhythm section. The fast-paced tracks take center stage, but mid-tempo songs aren’t missing either, and there the band shows a good sense of groove. A fine example is the track Time (Will Not Heal). Guitarist Ola Englund brought plenty of freshness; like Jensen, he’s basically got a PhD in right-hand guitar technique, which is pretty essential in Swedish thrash metal and early melodic death metal bands. For proof, just put on any of the faster tracks.

The reawakened The Haunted don’t overcomplicate things. The rhythm section, made up of the legendary drummer Adrian Erlandsson and bassist Jonas Björler, is simple but distinctive. Still, the guitars are the most interesting part, with a few solos here and there, but nothing overblown. Sure, thrash metal moves are up front, but you can also hear the odd melody that isn’t cheesy and keeps the original aggression intact.

On Exit Wounds, The Haunted have maybe strung together one song too many. The album starts to drag a bit toward the end, but it wraps up pretty sensibly with the morbid, atmospheric track Ghost In The Machine, which even recalls the album The Dead Eye (2006). The production deserves praise too, courtesy of longtime collaborator Tue Madsen.

The Haunted are back, and they’ve done it right. This is the band that gave us The Haunted Made Me Do It and One Kill Wonder. Maybe it’s not a masterpiece, but it’s an album with balls, and it shows a lot of potential for the current lineup. The hope here is that the band will hit the road for a longer tour, since the other members are so busy with their day jobs and other bands that The Haunted, sadly, only play a handful of shows a year.

Lineup

Production

Tue Madsen

Tracklist