Timeless Haunt - Haunted Symphony

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There is not a lot of information circulating about this band, TIMELESS HAUNT, other than the information that I have been able to obtain from their promo release and sparse info from the website and Facebook pages mentioned above. They appear to be from Pennsylvania. John Jesuele, the very capable drummer, has worked with the band BEYOND FALLEN in the past, and they show some influence from both later symphonic metal such as ICED EARTH and SYMPHONY X, and some earlier eighties style neoclassical metal such as Yngwie Malmsteen. One other fact that I have been able to ascertain is that they absolutely and unabashedly know what they are doing musically, and they are as talented as most working today.

This twenty-eight minute EP opens with “March of Death,” and it doesn’t take long to get into the meat of the song past the nice keyboard and heavy guitar intro. The lyric content in the song is half spoken, half sung, and is very effective and brings the dark foreboding feeling that has become synonymous with a lot of the European gothic bands out there.

Continuing on, the song “Claustrophobia,” leaves one wondering exactly what hell this guy has stumbled into. Is he imprisoned? Possibly buried alive? Again, half spoken, the vocals left me with such a sense of remorse for the poor bastard relaying the tale that it was difficult to get out of my head for the remainder of the EP. It is also hard to ignore a song that can effectively utilize the word “catabolism” in its chorus. Kudos to the band for pulling that off.

“Sands of Agony,” opening with a quite beautiful piano and guitar piece, is my favorite cut from the record, and is apparently the lead single, if there is truly a lead single to be had. It is a power ballad, although a bit softer than I have come to expect from such fare, and is extremely well written, both musically and lyrically. My favorite lyric from the song is “My epitaph was written long before I took a breath…” which really kind of sets the entire mood for this, their debut release.

The other tracks, “Hellion Witch” and “Darkness Falls,” are exactly what you anticipate them being. They are filled with the same dark images and well executed musical arrangements as the remainder.

This band shows promise, if “Haunted Symphony” is any indicator of what is to come. Tommy Eye is an incredible guitarist, Fortune’s keyboard work is tasteful and never over the top, and Jesuele and Dimitri hold everything together with the expertise of true vets of the industry. Bring it, guys. I’m all in. A side note directed to The Unknown Vocalist: let us know who you are. You blew my mind.

Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10