Review: Haunt Get Retro-Metal Right on ‘Burst Into Flame’

In metal as in many other styles, retro reigns. Bands and labels are falling all over themselves to evoke the Heavy Metal Parking Lot golden age via studiously old-school production values and cover art that screams 1987, right down to the cheesy font choices. A lot of the results look the part but falter when you actually hit play. Haunt’s debut LP is a noteworthy exception for one simple reason: Impeccable old-school trappings aside, bandleader Trevor William Church – who also heads up the more Sabbath-indebted Beastmaker – writes great songs. His readymade anthems combine the ornate riffs, thundering rhythms and wailing vocals of cult Eighties bands like Grim Reaper and Angel Witch with the world-weary pathos of Thin Lizzy. (Clearly the guitarist-vocalist also took a few cues from his dad, Bill “The Electric” Church, who played bass for Montrose and Sammy Hagar back in the day.) Church isn’t simply mimicking the past; with Burst Into Flame, he’s bringing it back to life.