Haunted, is a very complete album. From the perfect vocals, to the tight guitars, it is like being dragged by your teeth, through a valley of thorns, then being slammed repeatedly into a wall. Painfully exquisite. Chris Barnes' vocals, have definitely matured with this. By slowing his singing down, he has exposed, the full richness of his voice. You can feel his talent, throughout the record, from his low growls, and high shrieks. Allen West's guitar playing, is quite a bit, like his playing with Obituary. If he is trying to get away from his work with Obituary, then he has not yet attained that goal. His playing, does add greatly, to the overall sound of the music. It is incredibly tight, and very intricate. Terry Butler's bass playing in this, is 4 steps above perfect. The dark notes, emanating from his bass, provide a backdrop of misery and decay, for Chris' singing. At many times, the basslines seem to be simple, and at other times, complex, but it is consistently right-sounding, for every part of the album. Greg Gall, has been flamed by many, because at times, he seems to lack the intensity of the normal Death Metal drumming. Much of his drumming, is soft at times, and has a more subtle sound. In "Human Target", I must admit, I love the drumming during the chorus. He could be a stronger drummer, but his style, still seems perfect, for the songs. In my opinion, the best songs off of this, are "Beneath a Black Sky", "Human Target", and "Suffering in Ecstacy".
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