The Dead Eye

Why oh why has it taken me so long to review this album? Certainly the dark horse of all The Haunted's releases (as opposed to 'Unseen', which is the dark horse faeces), 'The Dead Eye' is a strange beast when taken on its own terms and even stranger when considering the previous four albums. Until then a ferocious melodeath/thrash shooting range, this album saw the Swedes significantly broaden their sound, departing from much of the breakneck aggression and all-out riff worship of the past in favour of a more rounded metal sound that included a few ventures into atmospheric and progressive spheres. I was baffled and disappointed with this when I bought it, but now I see it more as an adventure than a compromise and have come to recognize the more subversive qualities at work beneath the skin.

Any owner of a physical copy of 'The Dead Eye' will quickly register that the x-ray on the cover is taken up by the inner artwork and lyrics, which appear as doctor's notes on several cases, seeming to depict the status of a group of patients who are afflicted by trauma, stress, psychosis, and helpless rage. That range of themes (for themes they are, making up the bulk of the lyrical content) may seem familiar to those who enjoyed 'One Kill Wonder' and 'rEVOLVEr', yet the handling of the anguish, anger, and angst is carried out more deeply and subtley than ever before, both as a result of Peter Dolving's compelling vocal delivery and the way the rest of the band vary their angle to show many snapshots - case studies if you like - of the same basic condition, which would appear to be the bitter venom of modern life. What baffles me is that there wasn't really a precedent for the sharp departure in sound, 'rEVOLVEr' having toyed with some different ideas though never taking them much beyond the basic intention of diversity. Here, almost every song throws something unexpected into the mix, making 'The Dead Eye' easily the densest and most elusive of The Haunted's efforts.

Something else that becomes ever clearer upon repeated listens is that this doesn't particularly sound like any other band either. Certainly The Haunted's early work put them in league with Darkane, Hatesphere, Dew-Scented, and the other bands blending melodic death with explosive, angry modernity, but the more obtuse, less aggressive (though no less hooky) riffs on 'The Dead Eye' cut them adrift from that scene and floats them out towards an odder assortment of bands. I think of some modern bands like Sylosis, whose sound has always combined thrash's vitality, a melodic sensibility, and an ear for the unexpected; Grip Inc. started to head out towards a vaguely similar destination with 2004's 'Incorporated', though they kept the riffing style of old; I think of Katatonia of all bands during the gentle intensity of 'The Fallout' or 'The Cynic', along with a wonky post-punk sense of rhythm and guitar tone. That Katatonia comparison should instantly ring alarm bells for any thrash fans, but it highlights the way that the heaviness is sometimes redirected through roundabout attacks instead of direct ones, while Dolving captures every mood between bug-eyed venom-spitter and recounting hermit. This album has nooks and crannies that you will think you have explored by the third or fourth listen, though some of the mellower parts and more obvious curveballs will have you working until you're well into double figures on the play count.

The songs on 'The Dead Eye' run the gamut from riff-hungry monsters ('The Shifter') to hooky melodic oddness ('The Medusa' plays like Insomnium with modern Dark Tranquillity shoved up their arses) to tranquil catatonic reveries ('The Fallout') that burst madly into flame with unnerving spontaneity. The flow of ideas is subtle compared to the band's early releases, though there is still plenty of power in instruments and vocals, the five bandmembers striking at least once per song in unexpected places, such as the bass-heavy gurgle of 'The Drowning' or the gargantuan doom of 'The Guilt Trip' that rises up to towering heights at the end of the album. There is an overwhelming sense of drama and gravity to most of the songs, which Dolving is pivotal in creating. His performance is by turns anguished, impotently raging, mellow, haunting, and nostalgic, while his greatest asset by far is his ability to always sound like he means every word. Listening to the pleasingly soothing opening of 'The Reflection' is a revelation for fans of this band: "She was a little girl and I was only just learning to crawl / I would call her name to see her beautiful eyes glow". The lyrics elsewhere are outstanding and poetic too, such as this verse from 'The Fallout':

"Seaweed's like emerald veins
She sleeps beneath the breaking weight
A silent dying ocean's slow defeat
The floods will rise and take us all".

Aside from the delicious gentle moments, there are a few bursts of real anger and ferocity, in particular the super-strength 'The Medication', speed demon 'The Shifter', and the most classic Haunted-sounding track of all, 'The Stain'. They stack up moderately well against songs from 'Made Me Do It' and 'rEVOLVEr', though serve more as sudden stabs through the mist than as concentrated battles, since the real damage is done by the album's scope and spine-tingling moments like the closing song. Perhaps my marginal favourite track of all, 'The Guilt Trip' is both menacing and inevitable in its weighty progress, but it's Dolving's howl of "And it's all dead quiet at the centre of the pain" that really digs itself into my brain and steals my breath every now and then.

Manifestly not an album for steadfast fans of The Haunted's neo-thrash sound, 'The Dead Eye' is so much more than just an experiment that has its moments - it is the band's unique statement and a rare gift unlikely to be repeated. Subtle, poignant, and magisterial in both victory and defeat, this is amazing in its own right.