Review Summary: It is derivative but at least the guitar playing is good.
Haunt is a band that takes the classic heavy metal style from the 80’s, such as bands like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest, and recreates it for the present. After six albums with very short gaps in between each release, you would think that it would be best to start to break away from the formula that they follow so closely. They do not, and this causes their seventh studio album,
Windows of Your Heart to become a really forgettable release. Every song here follows their formula so closely and strictly that each track feels indistinguishable from the rest, even after multiple listens. Another problem is that this album is less catchy than their previous work. They have shown that they are capable of writing a good hook, but on this album, very few moments stand out, causing the album to have little to no replay value.
Dream On It is the only track here that I remembered the melodies in and it is pretty good, so where did the rest of the melody writing go? One of the biggest issues
Windows of Your Heart faces is the vocals that leave so much more to be desired. Vocals in classic heavy metal should have range and power, which Haunt’s vocalist lacks. This causes the songs to lose their energy and memorability because the vocals are getting on your nerves. However, what prevents the album from being a complete bore is its stellar guitar playing. There are some really good guitar solos scattered throughout the record that add some much needed excitement to the tracks, especially in the opener,
Mercenaries, where the guitar playing peaks. Overall,
Windows of Your Heart falls short of being an entirely engaging listen due to its derivative nature, mediocre vocals, and boring and formulaic songwriting, but the guitar playing is excellent and easily the album's highlight.
