Customer Reviews

One Kill Wonder

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although The Haunted's first two albums were both excellent, apparently they were just warmups for "One Kill Wonder." The Haunted's third album certainly isn't a departure from their modernized version of old-school thrash metal, but it distinguishes itself by being even faster, darker, and more malevolent than its predecessors. With a sound honed as sharp as a Samurai sword, and every bit as lethal, "One Kill Wonder" is doubtless one of the most superbly crafted metal albums released so far this decade. While some melodic elements do creep in, speed and heaviness are the name of the game here. Never have the band's often-mentioned parallels to Slayer been more apparent: "One Kill Wonder" is so devastating in its precision, and so unrelenting in its aggression, that any comparisons to classics like "Reign in Blood" and "Divine Intervention" are completely fitting. Marco Aro screams like a man possessed, Jensen and Anders Bjorler unveil a nonstop stream of thunderous riffs and ear-piercing solos, and Per Jensen's drumming is downright machinelike. Jonas Bjorler's bass isn't as audible as I'd like, but when everything else is so good it's easy to overlook. "Godpuppet," the first song after the intro, crams more sonic mayhem into two minutes than I would've thought possible, and the band rarely missteps from there. They don't slow things down until the fifth track, "D.O.A." and even then the result is a crushingly heavy song, filled with violent riffing and tortured vocals. I could rave about every song, but they're all no less than excellent, so I'm not going to bother. Now stop reading and buy buy buy!

My taste in music runs the gamut from Abdullah Ibrahim to Hank Williams Jr., but even the most open mind can be tested by some of the more extreme metal bands that have marched on the scene over the years. Bands like Deicide and Mortal Sin come to mind; Beavis and Butthead-cum-Anton LaVey Satanic lyrical content, and three to four cord riffs played really fast over blast drumming. You can play it on an Ipod but if you ever let anyone else listen to it, they'd call you a idiot, even if they enjoyed heavy metal music.

Many of the bands I've been exposed to in recent years hailing from the Swedish Metal scene are different. They are in many ways equally as extreme, but more than a few of them display a level of musicianship and songwriting ability that at its best, is as brilliant as anything found in any genre. And The Haunted on this album are the best example.

Anyone who says there is no correlation between music and feelings of aggression ought to listen to track #9 so perfectly titled "Sh#thead", and if you've done so without robbing a liquor store by the end of the song I withdraw this review. Incredible drumming and guitar, and track after track of the most catchy and brutal riffs, its as if the group managed to meld every bonecrushing metal lick you've ever heard or even imagined on one album. You get used to the semi-cookie monster scream vocals and once they grow on you, you're hooked. Skip their new one and get this album now!!

'One...' is the Swedish death metal band's third release,it's an okay effort,that is if you like the genre.Tunes that I thought were decent enough are "Privation Of Faith,Inc.",the in-your-gut slammin' "Demon Eyes","Sh**head" and "Bloodletting".Line-up:Marco Aro-vocals,Anders Bjorler-guitar,Jonas Bjorler-bass and Adrian Erlandsson-drums.Just might appeal to fans of At The Gates,Dark Angel,In Flames and Testament.

This album is good, but could have been much better. Technically the band is flawless, but i cant say same for the songwriting and the production. The songwriting isnt bad, but after 'the haunted made me do it', these songs leave a lot to be desired. there are a few unexpected twists and turns, and some unbelievable tracks, but more often than not it sounds as if they are just following a formula that has proven itself in the past. my main problem with the album is the production, or rather the over-production. marcos vocals, while endlessly brutal, sound as if they were given a brutal protools treatment. the guitars have an amazing tone, but werent mixed well. on the previous release, every 16th note was clear and concise. on this album you have to strain to hear the pick attacks. for most genres this wouldnt be a big deal, but were talking about thrash metal! the reason this bothers me so much is that if you listen closely the guitars are doing some amazing stuff, and it would be much more enjoyable if they jumped out at you, and you didnt have to try to pick the riffs out of a huge wall of sound. the production of the previous release should have been applied to this one, and too bad it wasnt, the album suffers because of it. despite everything ive said, this isnt by any means a bad album. the album is worth the purchase for the drums alone. but after THMMDI, i hold this band to very high standards. this isnt the best they could have done. moderately good album from a great band. hopefully the next one will be better.

If you like Slayer you need to check this out. If you like the gothenberg sound, you need to check this out, and if you are just a fan of violence in general you need to purchase this album immediately! One Kill Wonder may not be ground breaking musically (although these guys are extremely talented musicians) but what this album has is a vibe that can only be described as "unabashed violence". The speed, precision and aggression that is displayed on this album is just for lack of a better word AWESOME. The guitarwork is spectacular and dynamic, the drumming is possessed and tight as hell. What really brings this album together is Marco Aro's vocals, the guy is a beast and his gutteral yells truly complete this symphony of slaughter. The lyrics are sharp, and the subject matter perfectly fits the mold of the music, absolutely sick! So please for the love of all that is unholy, buy this masterpiece of madness and enjoy metal the way it was meant to sound.

If you want a brutal assault of death/thrash metal than look no further than The Haunted's "One Kill Wonder". This album starts out with an excellent guitar riff intro and then breaks into the thrash metal madness. Many of the guitar riffs sound like they came straight from the library of Slayer although heavier and more brutal than anything Slayer ever did. Also, this band takes a more death metal oriented feel to their thrash metal, and you can definitely tell these guys are Swedish, as they contain many similarities to other Swedish death metal bands. The best song on this album is "Shadow World".

The Haunted redefined the words "Heavy Metal" with this album. They took their sound a little further to create a storm of metal, with a strenghtened sound (guitars and drums) and killer riffing. Thrash metal, death metal? Who cares?. The band delivered a great album, with the typical fast and furious The Haunted songs and left some room for some experimentation as well. "One Kill Wonder" is more death metal than the thrashy selftitled debut album, with a blasting production and Marco Aro's intense growling. I prefer Peter Dolving, their original singer, who gave the band a more thrashier approach.

Overall, with the drumming, the guitar riffing, proper melodies and cool solos, The Haunted created a violent album, but clear, polished, sounding fresh and innovative at the same time (which is hard in a genre where almost everything seems to be invented) , and , to my opinion, an album totally worth listening to, if you're into tharsh, death, speed or any kinds of metal. Personally I had some At The Gates' memories with songs such as "One Kill Wonder" or "Sh+thead", but their ATG' past is a burden that the Bjorler bros will have to carry forever. The album has lots of highlights such as the before mentioned, and songs like "Shadow World", which is 100% speed metal and a song that'll make you shake your head, or the slow "Bloodletting", with a punishing solo and riffing.

If you want to listen to some of the best heavy metal, The Haunted is probably one of the best offers nowadays. Play it loud and enjoy the fury of The Haunted.

ps: Try to get the edition with bonus material, that features 3 extra songs, like my favorite "Ritual", and a Candlemass cover "Well of souls", different from the usual The Haunted stuff. If I was you, I'd purchase this edition with bonus.

I dont know what you people are talking about. This guy is way better than peter. He can actually death growl and have a consistant scream that is alot deeper than peter's. Maybe its just taste but i like this guy alot more. Nonetheless, the Haunted are the gods of death/thrash. If you like the more metalcore stuff, go for their newest release. Other than that if you like any kind of thrash like darkane, get this one.

The Haunted redefined the words "Heavy Metal" with this album. They took their sound a little further to create a storm of metal, with a strenghtened sound (guitars and drums) and killer riffing. Thrash metal, death metal? Who cares?. The band delivered a great album, with the typical fast and furious The Haunted songs and left some room for some experimentation as well. "One Kill Wonder" is more death metal than the thrashy selftitled debut album, with a blasting production and Marco Aro's intense growling. I prefer Peter Dolving, their original singer, who gave the band a more thrashier approach.

Overall, with the drumming, the guitar riffing, proper melodies and cool solos, The Haunted created a violent album, but clear, polished, sounding fresh and innovative at the same time (which is hard in a genre where almost everything seems to be invented) , and , to my opinion, an album totally worth listening to, if you're into tharsh, death, speed or any kinds of metal. Personally I had some At The Gates' memories with songs such as "One Kill Wonder" or "Sh+thead", but their ATG' past is a burden that the Bjorler bros will have to carry forever. The album has lots of highlights such as the before mentioned, and songs like "Shadow World", which is 100% speed metal and a song that'll make you shake your head, or the slow "Bloodletting", with a punishing solo and riffing.

If you want to listen to some of the best heavy metal, The Haunted is probably one of the best offers nowadays. Play it loud and enjoy the fury of The Haunted.

ps: Try to get the edition with bonus material, that features 3 extra songs, like my favorite "Ritual" and a Candlemass cover "Well of souls", different from the usual The Haunted stuff.

THE HAUNTED have assembled an album of infamous proportions in "One Kill Wonder". It's a wonder (no pun intended) why SLAYER (who are an obvious influence) don't play with this unbridled passion! This a thrash metal album through and through and, why this may not break any new ground musically, the sheer intensity of the performance here in more than makes up for that. From the un merciful, "God Puppet" on to the downright crushing, "Everlasting", THE HAUNTED deliver an album that is devoid of any filler material. 80's thrash enthusiasts will rejoyce at the palm muted, bay area tinged, guitar assault and the more-lomabardo-than-lombardo drumming of Per Möller Jensen. Marco Aro's vocals walk the fine line between death metal growl and hardcore-thrash attitude. The songs have memorable riffs and well defined melody lines. While I wouldn't consider THE HAUNTED to be a retro-thrash band, old school thrasher will certainly slam dance to every single tune on "One Kill Wonder". A must have for any serious metal head!