The Haunted "Revolver" CD
[Century Media]
All I can say is: Fuck... yes... Peter Dolving is finally back on vocals for The Haunted! I loved their debut and I'm not sure they'll ever be able to top it, but the records they did sans Dolving just weren't cutting it for me... he's simply a stronger frontman. He's more energetic, more pissed off, more effective, more efficient for their sound... it just works, you know? So, while still not as powerful as their first record, "Revolver" is definitely a more formidable effort than either "One Kill Wonder" or "The Haunted Made Me Do It". The recording is stronger too, much cleaner and more on the punchy side - like the first record. The guitar tone is crisp as fuck and very well harnessed, the drums are well balanced between clear rigidity and natural resonance, and the vocals sound perfect - not too loud, not too soft... just right. I'm not picking out much bass at all, but it is there thickening things up in the distance, so screw it. As for the writing? It's still contemporary thrash through and through, drawing heavily from the old and bringing in the new with a little added variety and attitude, of course flirting with bits and pieces of melody, but nothing that sheds their brand of heaviness. "Abysmal" is the first true standout, opening with sinister clean guitars and a toned down vocal performance that walks the line between singing and speaking before opening up into a plodding rhythm and intense screams; an approach the resurfaces in the slower and subtly sludgier "Burnt to a Shell" - which touches on a little more of a rock undercurrent in some of the softer vocal work. Both songs are fucking intense, though. I'm all for it. "99" is a bit more moderately paced and menacing but still harnesses plenty of energy, "All Against All" gets more creative with its picking patterns and is on the more melodic and memorable side, Lou Koller from Sick of it All lends some guest vocals to "Who Will Decide" and provides an excellent match for Dolving's approach (at times they blend eerily perfectly, it's a shame this isn't one of the stronger tracks musically), "Liquid Burns" opens up into one of the faster cuts despite its dark intro, etc. "My Shadow" rounds things out at seven minutes in length by bringing back the slower pacing and sinister spoken vocals (With full blown singing during the chorus!) over clean guitars and destructive distorted chords for a truly bleak piece that makes for one of the finer moments of the CD. The layout's all done in very simplistic black and white using lots of bold text and some super glossy coatings, plenty of tasteful blank space, and simple high contrast figurative images, but it looks pretty damn good to me. It's weird that the lyrics appear out of order, but whatever. The content is pissed as hell though, definitely bringing back Dolving's personal flare to the lyrics: "It's been a long, cold, lonely ride. The blood takes the lead on down the line. Some know it well, others never try. To go down that dark and crooked mile... I've seen his weary eyes. I've walked that feed kill chain. My love it's been awhile but I'll be there again..." Sign me up. Like I said, this is still not quite as good as their debut (but admittedly part of that's because "In Vein" is an amazing song and I'll be floored if they ever do better), but it's as close as they've come since, and I'm so psyched that Dolving's back in place. I hope he sticks around this time, because it makes a huge fucking difference. I've definitely re-entered the fold as a fan of The Haunted now. Good stuff. (7/10)
Running time - 45:52, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Abysmal, All Against All, Burnt to a Shell, My Shadow]
Century Media Records - http://www.centurymedia.com

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