Review of the Album "Revolver" by Swedish Thrash Metal Band the Haunted
Here Is Peter Dolving the Vocalist That Replaced Marco Aro in 2003
Original Vocalist Peter Dolving Returns for the Album "Revolver"
Swedish thrash metal band The Haunted released two quality heavy albums early in their career that defined their no nonsense approach to creating heavy, fast, and loud thrash metal. Their 2004 studio album called "Revolver" also sees the return of original vocalist Peter Dolving as the first song called No Compromise is pretty self-explanatory. Sometimes nothing has to be said and no statements need to be made as we cannot compromise when it comes to certain things in life. The song called 99 is actually a song about being careful of the influences that try to bring us down so that we live in a world of lies. We must extinguish those lies. A family that is built on abuse cannot survive. So pay attention closely to the lyrics and you will see that the band's intentions are good. Dolving sounds a little like Johan Liiva (ex-Arch Enemy vocalist) in this song.
Stylistically, this first song really isn’t too different from the way that their self-titled debut starts and finishes. Think of The Haunted as a better version of the band Mental Care Foundation with better riffing and vocals.
The Song Called "Abysmal"
Peter Dolving Sounds Like Phil Anselmo in the Song Called Abysmal
However, the song Abysmal starts out differently than what we have heard from this band. There is an acoustic touch to this band which builds up to a slow heavy song. Upon further analysis, Dolving’s voice has some similarity to Pantera’s Phil Anselmo but the melodic beginning of the song shows the band’s maturity and this is a musical quality that they have to improve upon. Dolving ends the song by singing and saying: “come a little bit closer, so I can see what you taste like.” The lyrics are pretty harsh, describing a person that is obsessed with getting stronger by the power of dominating lives and then ending up in a place he should not be. Listeners can easily infer what the song’s message is.
"Sabotage"
The song Sabotage sees the band return to using speed in their songs. The song is about what can happen to a country or society when the facts are distorted to suit some other purpose and the citizens get misinformed. This band is not a Slayer clone by any means. Their vocals do not sound like Tom Araya at all and the riffs are not of the same fast staccato variety either.
"All Against All"
The melodic song All Against All is a song that we can use as motivation to call for a more trustworthy world instead of broken promises slipping through our fingers. Trust is something that is earned.
"Burnt to a Shell"
The song Burnt to a Shell sees a return to the use of melodic softer guitar as this song is about someone that has taken a long journey through life. He is determined to love, live, and not be controlled by anyone anymore. The song called
"Who Will Decide"
Who Will Decide is a song about not trusting what the corporate media reports. Unfortunately especially in the United States, the mainstream media does what it can to brainwash the public with the goal of keeping them informed. The news media reports whatever stories that it thinks will be newsworthy. Some news sources are credible while other news sources are not. The song’s main message is that how can we focus on social movements when most of us cannot even read?
My Shadow is the Album's Weakest Song
My Shadow starts with an atmospheric part similar to Theatre of Tragedy in their earlier days. Dolving’s narration is there followed by some screams in the background and this song may be the weakest song in the album thus dragging the album’s score down.
The Song Called "My Shadow"
Final Thoughts About the Album "Revolver"
The song Liquid Burns is a song about deception and it is also about a person that drinks whiskey to numb their pain and they say that they are able to reach a moment of peace inside them. As good of a band that The Haunted are, these guys need to work on constructing songs with just a touch more melody in their songs and they will be even better. Still Revolver is a respectable release from this talented bunch of Swedish guys.
This content reflects the personal opinions of the author. It is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and should not be substituted for impartial fact or advice in legal, political, or personal matters.
© 2017 Ara Vahanian