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Swedish thrashers The Haunted always seem to have an album release close to Halloween. Coincidence? Maybe. Is “Versus” a good album regardless? Positively.
It’s an album fans of the group may approach with trepidation – 2004′s “rEVOLVEr” is a masterpiece of fury and speed, volcanic riffs and a rejuvenated band; 2006′s “The Dead Eye” is an experimental waste masqueraded in slick production.
With “Versus,” the songwriting matches the tight sound of the mix. The Haunted don’t break any barriers here, but it then demolishes any fearful notions of being burned out in their 10th year. The 11 tracks on tap are played with the ferocity and groove of a band certainly still inspired – no one’s going through the motions on this record.
The Haunted’s sixth studio release sometimes approaches the quality of their best work. The first five tracks are a vociferous metal attack, kicking off with the explosively cathartic and fun “Moronic Colossus.” Then “Skuld” initiates the first of minimal experiments: Tribal-sounding drums, piano and all clean-tone, foreboding guitars flesh out a creepy piece unlike the rest of the album’s fare.
“Crusher” is straight Slayer, from the forget-everything-and-thrash guitars to the Dave Lombardo drum beat to the high-speed, stream-of-hatefulness vocals. Peter Dolving, who has a lot of anger to channel, evidenced by his oft-updated blog rants, lucked out with an equally raging band of musicians backing him.
“Versus” was reportedly all recorded live, with solos and vocals added later, and it shows. They power through a 40-minute album that is stringently cohesive on every track. The record operates on a steady diet of speed and heaviness, but flashes of melody and impressive solos occasionally sneak up in welcome appearances.
The Haunted may not have their sights set on a metal revolution (guitarist and bassist brothers Anders and Jonas Bjorler already accomplished that with “At The Gates” in the early ’90s), but as far as tapping into the spirit of heaviness to produce a solid thrash album every few years, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
Grade: B-
Bangor Daily News