David E. Gehlke of Dead Rhetoric.com recently conducted an interview with new THE HAUNTED guitarist Ola Englund (also of SIX FEET UNDER and FEARED). Excepts from the chat follow:

On joining The Haunted: "Jensen (guitars) gave me a call after he’s been watching a lot of my videos, really. Starting talking about gear and stuff and he eventually popped the question. I didn’t know anyone of the guys from before. I’ve been knowing this for almost six months and it’s hard to keep it in, for sure, especially when you’re so excited about something. But we kept our cool, which definitely gave the unveiling a lot more impact.”

On new material: "The new stuff is definitely going to be heavy and fast. That goes without saying now that Marco (Aro, vocals) is back, really. Also, I think it’s a healthy direction for the band to strive towards. I’m personally a fan of all The Haunted albums but I’ve always been a straight-up 90s metal guy. That just appeals more to me.”

On the band’s tour plans: "The Haunted is not going to be a touring band right now, but we’re not saying we’re NOT going to tour ever. For now we’re going to play festivals, one off gigs here and there. So yeah we’re going to focus on the album and our other stuff. I wouldn’t mind touring, though. I like to keep myself busy."

Read more here.

The Haunted are finally back in the spotlight after almost a year without public activity and restructuring behind closed doors, following a major switch of lineups around fall of 2012. But the time has finally come to break the silence and announce the return of The Haunted to form...

The Haunted's 2013 lineup (from left to right in above photo):

Jensen - Guitars

Ola Englund - Guitars

Marco Aro - Vocals

Jonas Björler - Bass

Adrian Erlandsson - Drums

Watch the following video for a proper introduction to the new lineup with interviews and fresh rehearsal room footage:

The Haunted’s founding member and guitarist Jensen checked in to comment on the recent developments as follows: “The Haunted went through some difficult times last year. Losing three band members is a pretty huge blow to any band. Jonas and I agreed immediately that we wanted to continue with the band, but we wanted to take our time and not rush into anything. Meanwhile, news from The Haunted’s camp have been pretty scarce. This changes starting today. We are very happy to be able to present you a full band lineup. Some of you might recognize a few faces, some of you might not. Adrian Erlandsson is back on drums and Marco Aro is back on vocals. Adrian you might know from playing on our first album and Marco sang on The Haunted Made Me Do It, Live Rounds In Tokyo and One Kill Wonder. On guitar we also have Ola Englund bringing some pretty heavy chops to the band.

"We're all VERY excited about having The Haunted back in working shape again and we can't wait to get back out on the road to play for our very patient and faithful fans again. A new album is also already in the works and if you are familiar with the individual band members of this new lineup, you can be assured that the new material will grab you by the throat from the get-go!

"A huge ‘thanks’ goes out to all the people that responded to our call for new members applications. You put a lot of time and effort into your auditions and we are very grateful to have had such talented and cool people wanting to join the band! We truly appreciated your support!”

Vocalist Marco Aro (ex-FACE DOWN, also in THE RESISTANCE) was previously involved with The Haunted for three acclaimed releases between 1999 and 2003 as well as for several worldwide touring campaigns. Drummer Adrian Erlandsson (also in AT THE GATES and PARADISE LOST) belonged to the original lineup of The Haunted together the Björler twins after the demise of their previous legendary group, At The Gates. Together with Jensen, they launched The Haunted’s self-titled debut in 1998, an album which has been widely considered as the kick-start for a new era in the thrash metal movement and which, despite its initial underground status, climbed to be a massively inspirational record for a whole new generation of musicians and bands in the following decade. Guitarist Ola Englund is a highly talented young player from Sweden, who has recently been active as touring and recording member of US death metal institution Six Feet Under. Together with guitarist Jensen and bassist Jonas Björler, The Haunted’s announcement of this new formation promises to be only the beginning of greater things to come.

Expect more news about The Haunted’s next album and their upcoming touring plans soon.