Haunt The Woods' singer, Jonathan Stafford, opens with a short solo set of acoustic songs. The material is in the style of Radiohead or early Coldplay. He has a great Thom Yorke style voice, fragile and delicate in parts yet powerful when he opens up. The songs are mainly works in progress but still sound really good.
The band open with the overblown prog pomp of 'Fever Dream', with its dramatic mix of Muse, Queen and Radiohead. Jonathan has a terrific falsetto and the high notes even have a touch of Justin hawkins about them. It's a terrific start. 'Gold' is fantastic, sounding like 'In Rainbows' era Radiohead. There's much more energy and passion than the studio recordings. The incredible 'Save Me' is Radiohead at their most damaged before morphing into a Queensryche style power ballad. Jonathan's voice at the climax hits Geoff Tate levels and is spine tingling. 'Equilibrium' is quite romantic, like Coldplay's 'Shiver' as performed by Radiohead. 'Elephant' boasts an incredible chorus. New song 'Ashes' is unbelievable, a more stripped back affair with a Laurel Canyon CSNY vibe, and the four part harmonies are amazing. 'Ubiquity' sounds huge despite its delicate nature. 'Overflow' is staggering, so emotional it almost makes me weep. It is probably the best song Radiohead never wrote. Guitarist Phoenix Elleschild plays a number of fantastic solos, particularly on 'The Line Pt. II'. The Muse-like 'Now Is Our Time' is one of the more powerful and dynamic songs in the set. 'Amethyst' features yet more guitar pyrotechnics and a super chorus. The quality never drops throughout and I'm left wondering why Haunt The Woods aren't massive because they are absolutely first rate.
Haunt The Woods *****
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