Haunt - Mind Freeze - review
Haunt - Mind Freeze - review
Tracklist
01. Light The Beacon02. Hearts On Fire
03. Mind Freeze
04. Divide And Conquer
05. Saviors Of Man
06. Fight Of Flight
07. Have No Fear
08. On The Stage
09. Voyager
A review by
nikarg January 31, 2020
I'll get straight to the point: Mind Freeze clocks in at just over 37 minutes, yet it feels that it's overstaying its welcome; at least to me. Trying to sound like a mix between Ozzy's solo work, Dokken and Angel Witch, it is merely a combination of unremarkable songwriting and largely generic riffs. Like Cauldron more or less. The addition of keyboards is also unneeded for the most part, because the notes played are very basic and the mix makes them sound cheap and puerile. On top of all that, the choruses are invariably repeated so many times by such an average voice that they become annoying.
On the other hand, Trevor William Church is a talented guitarist and this is mainly heard in the soloing, which is generally quite tasty. There are also some very nice parts in songs but unfortunately, and much to my frustration, I did not find one song on Mind Freeze that I enjoyed from start to finish. This shouldn't have come as a surprise though, because everything that this band has released ranges from average to just above average as far as the songwriting is concerned.
The most serious problem though is the vocals.
Haunt started as a one-man band and even though this has now changed, Church feels that for some reason he should sing. His vocals are an expressionless mix of Kevin Heybourne and Ozzy, and they taste blander than unsalted Brussels sprouts. And the thing with Haunt is that the songs are not good enough to make the listener forget about how bad the vocals are. If I can make a comparison, Nate Garrett is not that much of a better vocalist if you hear him next to Church, but Spirit Adrift's songs are so compelling, catchy and memorable that the band's not-so-talented singer is not an issue.
Heavy metal is simple; had Church hired someone capable of singing and used on only one album the best riffs, solos and choruses of Haunt's releases of the last two years, he would have come up with something much more than a just decent record. And 'just decent' is what a lenient reviewer would call Mind Freeze. To me right now, this overkill of output is seriously harming the quality offered, to the point where it is a real shame to see talent being wasted like that.
Listen at Bandcamp and see if you find it more appealing.
Comments
Comments:
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 Posts: 9624 |
Posts: 9624 Quote: No shit, my mother gave me some raw Brussels sprouts a few days ago and now this. But they were quite nice.
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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| Posts: 9624 |
Posts: 9624
I probably like it more than you do, but not by much. I pretty much agree with most of what you said.
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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 Posts: 8252 |
Posts: 8252 Written by RaduP on 31.01.2020 at 15:37 Raw??? I had now idea they are edible if uncooked. They taste like shit anyway.
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Posts: 9624 Written by nikarg on 31.01.2020 at 15:40 Pardon me, I had a moment of confusion and mistook Brussels sprouts and brocolli. I obviously meant the latter, which I love in all forms. Brussels sprouts are ok in soup but i never ate them in any other context.
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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 Posts: 692 |
Posts: 692
Wow, savage review... Even though I rather agree with it through an through, I have to stand for Cauldron. Cauldron has been writing generic riffs and lame songs, but they kept improving over the years, and their latest albums are far more enjoyable than Haunt's. New Gods had a groove carried through all the album, and a mood, and interesting riffs I think, despit the songwriting being only decent. On Haunt's part it's quite the contrary, every time I check them I'm less and less interested. Their EP Mosaic Vision was really good, and the short length was just enough to stack a bunch of easy heavy metal tracks. All their albums are dragging on, bland tune after bland tune, I don't understand. Did they decide to keep a dense release agenda just to flood the market, and shpe their songs this way, or are they clueless about what they do?
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Posts: 724  |
Posts: 724
I don't care much for this album, but I LOVE Brussel sprouts baked until crispy in avocado oil with 1 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp crush black pepper, cumin and coriander to taste :3
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Posts: 9624 Written by Crème fraiche on 31.01.2020 at 19:18 MS culinary posting
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 8252
@Ansercanagicus: I also prefer Cauldron to Haunt myself (slightly though). And you are right, Haunt are getting worse with every release, I'd be okay with a two- or three-song EP. And, frankly, who the fuck has told him that he is allowed to sing? @Crème fraiche: I have only tried them boiled, but I'm going to give a go at your recipe because it sounds like it might work next to a t-bone steak. Btw, does your nickname have anything to do with this?
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Posts: 724 |
Posts: 724 Written by nikarg on 31.01.2020 at 21:06 Awesome! I hope you like! I'd also recommending maybe tossing the sprouts with 1 or 2 tbsp of butter once done and maybe add more salt to taste (I find they are never salty enough for me lol). YES!! You figured me out haha :3
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 Posts: 64432 |
Posts: 64432
Chain up the chans... Wsit wrong bsnd
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 552  |
Posts: 552
Yes, 3 albums in just over 2 years is overkill, with an EP thrown in there too. I really liked the debut Burst Into Flame, but it's just getting worse like it's already been said. I'll laugh if they release a best of soon 
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Posts: 5642  |
Posts: 5642
I liked the album, but why release a new album so soon, this is indeed overload.
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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 Posts: 172 |
Posts: 172 Written by John_Doe on 03.02.2020 at 13:13 Talk about overkill, Church's other band Beastmaker has released 12 EPs in two years, plus all of this Haunt content. Either he thinks he is some sort of song writing machine or he has no concept of quality over quantity.
---- Written by Dangerboner on 02.11.2009 at 08:11
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Posts: 582  |
Posts: 582 Written by nikarg on 31.01.2020 at 21:06 Try roasting them and salting, roasting is the only way I'll eat them myself. Maybe use your favorite dipping sauce.
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