Hailing all the way from California, USA we have Heavy Metal underground kings HAUNT with their brand new album "Golden Arm" which was released in early May 2023. This is the brain child of main man TREVOR WILLIAM CHURCH, the band was formed in 2017 and has gone on to release a whopping total of 9 albums in that time (which makes Mister Church a very busy man). HAUNT are big supporters of DIY ethics and the underground scene with inspiration from the likes of ANGEL WITCH, OZZY OSBOURNE, THIN LIZZY, DEF LEPPARD and DOKKEN.

The album opens with the sounds of a motorcycle revving up and then we get guitars and drums bursting in and right away the opening track "Hit and Run" in underway. From listening you can feel that there is a lot of energy here. There are some nice guitar harmonies and some cool soloing. This is definitely a headbangers band right here. It is a good opener and gives us a taste of what the band is all about. Next up we have the title track "Golden Arm" which opens with this cool old school riff with some slight synths to lift the song up in parts. It is a bit of a slower pace than the previous song but plenty of cool riffs through-out. There is a real stand up and shout style chorus to be found here but the speed then picks up half way through and just in time for a blistering guitar solo as the pace is brought down for a final chorus.

The track "Chimera" starts off with a bang. Some real stylish riffing going on here but with a bit of melody to be found as well. There is a really big sounding chorus present and the guitar work is a real highlight. With some epic sounding solo's too this is a really cool track. "Save Yourself" opens with this sort of VAN HALEN sounding riff (well that's what came to my mind anyway), the song then marches on as the speed picks up. This is a real moshing song and again those old school 80's vibes are there through-out. A guitar solo then rips through as the song comes full circle to close.

Right away we get some very heavy riffing for the last track on the album and the bands final assault with "The Horses Mouth". The guitars and drums here show a lot of speed and precision and the lead guitar lines are very cool with a bit of a dynamic solo style. From listening I could see lots of circle pits and banging heads to this one as there is so much energy to be found here. From listening to "Golden Arm" you can tell that HAUNT are a very tight band with lots of great riffs and harmonies. The songs here are very catchy at times and there is a lot of energy through-out this album. The album is short but it packs a lot in there and really draws you in. Definitely a band and album that are totally worth checking out.