Haunt - Mind Freeze Vinyl LP 2020

1. Light the Beacon
2. Hearts on Fire
3. Mind Freeze
4. Divide and Conquer
5. Saviors of Man
6. Fight or Flight
7. Have No Fear
8. On the Stage
9. Voyager

Simply put, Haunt is the new face of traditional heavy metal. Masterful despite their young years as a band, Haunt began as a solo project of Beastmaker frontman Trevor William Church and promptly self-released its debut EP, "Luminous Eyes", during the summer of 2017. Not long after, the EP was picked up for physical release by Shadow Kingdom Records, and henceforth did Haunt begin their ascent.

Church's vision proved infinitely powerful and poignant: Haunt's blend of turn-of-the-'80s heavy metal with touches of '70s hard rock positively exploded with electricity and excitement at every turn. "Mind Freeze", the third full-length album of Haunt is the glorious sound of new expeditions explored and conquests sealed. Here, the trademark Haunt dynamics are firmly in place - compact songcraft, immediately memorable hooks, impassioned playing, an understated emotional element that elevates everything above mere party fodder - but the band are finding yet more interesting twists to 'em. On the righteous evidence of "Mind Freeze", the band incorporate classic metal contours, of course, but also everything from '70s synth to '90s punk, with these moody-yet-molten anthems now evincing an almost mystical quality perfectly in line with Church's always-poignant lyrics. This time around, themes include carrying the torch, adventure, stagnation, politics, love, and triumph. Likewise, Church has handed most of the lead-guitar torch to John Tucker, who delivers one unbelievable solo after another here. As if it ever needed restating, read it here: "Mind Freeze" is the sound of a full-band effort, because Haunt is the very definition of a band - a gang of outlaws, in it to win it or go down trying.