CD review HAUNT (U.S.) “Mind Freeze’

Haunt from Fresno, CA is probably one of the most productive bands these days. It was three years ago when the quartet appeared on the scene with an EP called ‚Luminous Eyes’. A debut followed in 2018 and with ‚Mind Freeze‘ album three reaches the record stores in early January this year.

Haunt, that’s Heavy Metal being influenced by the spirit of the NWoBHM and the sound of Thin Lizzy. Haunt isn’t afraid of melodies either, reflected by songs like the easy-going ‚Saviours of Man‘. ‚Fight or Flight‘ shifts gears. The uptempo song is straight to the point, builds on a firing riff and is equipped with an excellent solo part. Another track, being a faster one on ‚Mind Freeze‘, is called ‚Hearts on Fire‘ reminding me of the early Stormwitch, mainly due to the vibe that comes with the song but also because of the chorus that includes some memories of ‘The Masters of Black Romance’-sound.

What’s very well balanced on ‚Mind Freeze‘ is the variations Haunt adds to their interpretation of Heavy Metal. There are the mentioned faster Metal hymns, but there are the moderate paced ones too. ‚Have No Fear‘ is one of them. Not too fast but rock solid the tune carries a lot of the NWoBHM spirit and is a treat for your ears.

As with any of the other two longplayers also ‚Mind Freeze‘ isn’t too long. Actually it has with 38 minutes already an epical length for Haunt (U.S.) releases and still, an extra songs would not have meant suffering for fans of traditional Metal. But since the nine songs tracklist features excellent material and since Haunt has such a high release-rate we can live with the fairly short running time.