The Haunted Songs Of Last Resort CD Review
I’ve always been in the minority when it comes to my loyalty to Sweden’s purveyors of controlled chaos, The Haunted. No matter how many records they drop, my go-to has always been 2004’s “Revolver”, a slab of riff-soaked rage that burrowed into my skull and never left. I can’t explain it neatly. It hit me like a bottle to the teeth at just the right time. Peter Dolving’s raw, venom-laced vocals dug in deep and stayed there.
But after years of the band grinding forward - shapeshifting, growing meaner, tighter, something unexpected happened. The band’s new album, “Songs for the Last Resort” didn’t just land; it detonated. And for the first time in two decades, “Revolver” has a legitimate rival.
This new record isn’t just a return to form; it’s a sharpened blade drawn across the throat of modern Thrash. If you’ve been riding with The Haunted since the jump, this one’s going to feel like coming home to a war zone that you somehow missed. If you’re new, buckle up. Marco Aro is still behind the mic, and honestly, I didn’t expect to warm to him the way I have. But here, he’s a goddamned beast. His voice is smoke and steel, he doesn’t sing so much as he commands. The grit, the fury, the presence, he owns this record.
Conceptually, “Songs for the Last Resort” is rooted in something cold, terrifying, and real: the actual letters penned by the UK Prime Minister to submarine commanders in the event of nuclear annihilation. This isn’t fictional horror, it’s a bureaucratic apocalypse. I usually steer clear of war themes; they weigh too heavy, they feel too real. But this album doesn't glorify war, it drags its corpse into the light. Listening to this album so close to Memorial Day hits harder than expected.
The opening track, “Warhead,” tears through the gates like a pack of wolves. It’s a violent, breathless nod to their classic tune “99”, a full-throttle, teeth-bared reminder of what Thrash should feel like. “In Fire Reborn” follows with just as much firepower but adds a melodic lead-break that offers a flash of beauty in the wreckage. Hooks, yes, somehow - catchy and crushing. Then there’s “Death to the Crown,” which stomps over the line between breakneck aggression and eerie melody. Aro’s voice here isn’t just a performance, it’s a weapon.
Not every track is sheer speed and fury. “To Bleed Out” slows things down and replaces velocity with sorrow here and there. There’s real grief in those lyrics. “Hell is Wasted on the Dead” is another highlight, loaded with cutting riffs and fire-forged groove. This one doesn’t just hit hard, it bulldozes.
The closer, “Letters of Last Resort,” leaves a mark. Mid-paced, spoken-word sections, moments of eerie stillness, all wrapped in a creeping sense of dread. It doesn’t resolve so much as haunt you. After everything that came before, it’s the sound of silence after the bomb drops.
If you’ve followed The Haunted through their career, this album feels like a reckoning. They’ve always delivered, even though not every album was a home run. But this album is a front-row seat to devastation done right. It’s war on wax. It’s melody buried under rubble. Next to Nite’s “Cult of the Serpent Sun”, this is one of 2025’s Thrash records to beat. Pick it up ASAP and get your face kicked in!