The Haunted, Unseen-- My Impressions

I won't pretend that this is a review; this is a flat-out promotion and worship of the latest album of The Haunted that came out late last month. I can't hide my biases in that this has been one of my favorite bands through my high school years and still now at this point in my life. These feelings don't go by unjustified though, so let me tell you why:

Unseen is a very daring album and really reflects the confidence that The Haunted has in themselves and their identity when producing this record. There is a considerable amount of fans that criticize this album for drifting away from the thrash-metal roots of The Haunted's earlier releases, but this in no way makes Unseen any less of a masterpiece. Every song on this record has a distinct sound, which is a feat in itself when making such a great sounding listening experience. For this reason alone, it is hard to pick out the stand-out tracks. I have personal favorites such as No Ghost and Motionless, but it is truly a subjective opinion when it comes to dissecting the record song by song.

Peter Dolving (vocals) is at his best in Unseen. He has always been able to deliver a intense emotional voice and message in everything he ever touched, especially when The Haunted started experimenting with their sound with The Dead Eye album. Unseen has a great sing to scream ratio as well, and really narrows in on the intensity when it is due, making an all the more dynamic experience. In an interview with Metal Sickness, Dolving answered the question regarding the meaning of the album's title, Unseen:

"Look at us! All of us, going along with the everyday stride, everyone like good little puppets on a string, dancing to the tune of the piper. We keep justifying what we all feel frustrated and unhappy about. At the center of an entire civilization is a deep-rooted dissatisfaction. We claim we don't want to be mere cogs in a machine we claim to dislike. We have a thousand excuses as to why, and a thousand ways to escape our drab gray realities. Yet we all know. We really really know what is wrong, and what keeps us complacent. We just don't have the guts to turn the lights on to look at it."

This response echo's through the album, and is not only emotionally provocative like past releases, but also emotionally satisfying as he alludes to a sense of hope not present before-- "Until we shine the light of truthful loving trust, it's never going to change."

You can stream Unseen here. If you enjoy it, I highly recommend buying a copy.