Change and growth are always a good thing…but when the world is preparing for another scream-your-head-off thrash-fest when the result is a challenging “thinker” of an album, confusion and disappointment ensue. At first, The Dead Eye invokes those very emotions. While the album shows THE HAUNTED exploring their musical ambitions as growing musicians and human beings, the end result is a difficult one. Reduced tempos “lighten” up the band’s thrash attack, OPETH-like passage change-ups break up the flow, more textured guitars as opposed to riffy riffs “rock” it up, and Peter Dolving vein-popping screams are mostly replaced by semi-clean/semi-melodic “singing.” “The Failure” is typical of this new found style with an almost nu-metal-meets**-KATATONIA** melodic intro, bizarre but pleasing acoustic passages, and a fragmented song structure. “The Guilt Trip” plods along with a mid-paced rock feel but a tasty chorus with Dolving singing, “It’s all dead quiet,” sweetens the deal. Perhaps most importantly, the good ol’ Jensen and Björler brothers riffage is still intact, just fewer and far between and anchored by less one-two-one-two drumming. Despite the about-face, The Dead Eye is far from a dud but certainly requires a number of listens before it “grows” on you. If The Dead Eye were THE HAUNTED’s first album, we would all be screaming praises. After all, The Dead Eye sounds good, thanks to Tue Madsen’s production expertise, and doesn’t skimp on attitude or ideas. THE HAUNTED still remain one of metal’s top contenders, but who are we kidding? We miss the over-the-top neck-breaking destruction. (Century Media)