Haunt's sound hearkens back to the classic 80's heavy metal bands with some obvious influences being groups such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Dio. While their music is not as ground-breaking as their influences, they still create an enjoyable listen.
As I said in the introduction, the band uses the 80's heavy metal sound and they do it perfectly. The album sounds like it could of been made back then. The song Hearts on Fire is a perfect example of this as the chorus, bridge and dual guitar solo feels very reminiscent of Iron Maiden. There are many choruses here that get stuck in your head throughout this album. The title tracks chorus has on of the most memorable hooks of any metal song this year. In Our Dreams and Sea of Dreams are close contenders of this too but the songs primarily shine through their fantastic guitar solos. The album excels with their guitar solos and there is no doubt that it is the best part of this album.
The biggest problem that this album possesses is that they follow their formula very closely. They never try something new or different. This makes some tracks forgettable and bland, especially at the latter half of the album. While the band are good at making catchy hooks, some choruses do feel underdeveloped. Fortunes of Wheel is a great example of this as the chorus falls flat and becomes instantly forgettable after the song is finished. After repeat listens, the vocals do start to become somewhat irritating as he keeps the same style and tone throughout the majority of this album but this not a deal breaker.
Overall, the album is decent with some good or even great songs but many misfire as they lack interesting parts whether it be a catchy chorus, a great bridge or an impressive dual guitar solo. However, if you are a huge fan of 80's heavy metal, I cannot recommend this album enough as they undoubtedly nail the sound.
MY TOP 5 SONGS:
1. In Our Dreams
2. Sea of Dreams
3. Beautiful Distraction
4. It's in My Hands
5. Face of Danger
