▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Haunt ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Mind Freeze █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2020 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2020-01-22 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Heavy Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Shadow Kingdom Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ At a point in time where most bands take at least █ █ two years between albums, HAUNT's generous █ █ prolificity has been a real treat over the last █ █ couple of years. Not content with producing some █ █ of the best doom metal of recent years with █ █ BEASTMAKER, frontman and creative mastermind █ █ Trevor Church clearly had some extra fire in his █ █ belly when he launched HAUNT and their exuberant █ █ paeans to all things traditional in metal and hard █ █ rock. The result is that "Mind Freeze" is the █ █ band's third record in as many years and, somewhat █ █ against the odds you might think, their finest by █ █ some margin. Where a lot of other retro-minded █ █ metal bands get bogged down in surface details and █ █ painstaking reproduction of an era they never █ █ directly experienced, HAUNT have been all about █ █ the songs and the vibe from the very start. And █ █ while both 2017's "Burst Into Flame" and last █ █ year's "If Icarus Could Fly" were full of █ █ invigorating moments, "Mind Freeze" feels like the █ █ moment where Church's refined hybrid of THIN █ █ LIZZY, ANGEL WITCH, early MAIDEN and slightly █ █ later PRIEST takes on its own identity and simply █ █ becomes the HAUNT sound. █ █ █ █ Opener "Light The Beacon" is a brilliantly punchy █ █ starting point, with opulent helpings of twin-lead █ █ harmonizing and a hook so huge it can probably be █ █ seen from space. "Divide And Conquer" owes a more █ █ significant debt to US power metal than it does to █ █ the expected British pioneers, and it's a subtle █ █ change of emphasis that suits HAUNT perfectly, █ █ adding to the breadth of their vision in the █ █ process. Similarly, "Saviors Of Man" and "Have No █ █ Fear" incorporates synths and a faint whiff of █ █ psychedelic intent, coming across like a strange █ █ blend of early HELLOWEEN and BLUE OYSTER CULT. In █ █ less capable or classy hands, it could all seem █ █ like a cynical pastiche, but as they proved on █ █ those first two albums, HAUNT are breathing new █ █ life into this stuff, not just propping up a █ █ corpse. Unlike many of their backward-looking █ █ contemporaries, the Fresno quartet are making █ █ vital, exciting records that more than deserve █ █ respect in the modern metal world. Yes, this is █ █ aimed squarely at fans of the old school, but █ █ heavy metal thunder rarely sounds more alive or █ █ more explosively in the moment than it does here. █ █ Let's hope Church and his comrades keep the work █ █ rate up; we can definitely handle a lot more █ █ records like this. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Light The Beacon 4:25 ░ ░ 2. Hearts On Fire 3:25 ░ ░ 3. Mind Freeze 5:31 ░ ░ 4. Divide And Conquer 4:29 ░ ░ 5. Saviors Of Man 4:01 ░ ░ 6. Fight Or Flight 2:36 ░ ░ 7. Have No Fear 4:34 ░ ░ 8. On The Stage 4:12 ░ ░ 9. Voyager 3:54 ░ ░ 37:07 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░