Coming from the view of someone who was a fan of The Haunted until, and through, The Dead Eye, there was a certain amount of "awwwww fuck" sitting in my guts as I clicked play on the most recent output from the once beloved Swedes. To say things have changed a bit over the years would be an understatement. Losing founding members, getting a founding member back, the once-ex-then-current vocalist, then replacing said vocalist with his initial replacement: it's been messy to say the least. And while some bands would fold after having to replace 3/5 of their lineup, founding members Jensen (guitar) and Jonas Bjorler (bass) keep on keeping on. New recruit Ola Englund (guitars), and returning members Adrian Erlandsson (drums, appeared on The Haunted) and Marco Aro (vocals, appeared on ...Made Me Do It and One Kill Wonder) (how's that for a weird looking family tree...) round out The Haunted now.
Dropping a 3-track single after some time gone/a lineup shift could be a way of testing the waters, pique interest, wet the appetite. Does it work, though? Well, any fan of The Haunted's first four albums will find plenty to enjoy. Lead single 'Eye of The Storm' still cuts with a bass-heavy guitar tone and their signature Swedish chug. Jensen's riffs still picked like they once were. Vocalist Aro still sticks with his somewhat hardcore shout. 'Infiltrator' captures the dynamics the band have always been good at utilizing: general speed with a slowed down bridge, leading into a short and sweet solo before closing out quickly at the end.
'My Enemy' is a simple one minute track that, honestly, is one of the most interesting pieces the band has recorded in some time. Quick, in-and-out, ripping/overloaded solo, done. Sounding a bit more vicious than anything we've heard from them in some time now, it leaves me wanting more, wanting to hear what the band will do next. Will the band deliver? Guess I'll have to wait til this summer (projected, anyways) to find out. Will it be worth the wait? Well you don't find any traces of previous album, Unseen, anywhere in these three songs. That fact alone is enough for me.
You can grab The Haunted's Eye of The Storm single, digitally or on 7' vinyl, on January 21 via Century Media Records.
