With six full-length albums since their inception in 2017 – Fresno’s Haunt has managed to vault to the top in the traditional metal genre combining stellar guitar work that balances speed and melody along with vocals that hold a desperation that’s improved over recordings. The most important aspect of these ingredients are the songs are memorable and a selection of them have been stripped for a laid-back approach on Unplugged Vol. 1 – letting the tracks shine in a vulnerable environment.

Mainman Trevor Church is a romantic at heart. Unplugged Vol. 1 is filled with songs to make love to. It’s easy to get lost in the subject of the songs when the electric storm is raining down, but pulling back there’s much heart in the lyricism and it’s not done in a cheesy or eye-rolling manner. The cuts slice slowly letting the groove and melody flow with adept harmonies putting a shine on the choruses. The guitar work is on point with Church showing his proficiency on the acoustic instrument while also exuding confidence behind the mic.

It’s all non-electric instrumentation with claps being used in to accentuate a groove, tambourines, and soft drum beats. “In Our Dreams” flourishes in this world as the chorus has a beautiful tinge to it and stands as a highlight. For a more technical side of things, “Light The Beacon” shows fleet-fingering guitar work in the beginning stages and solo while the fluid guitar strokes on “Cosmic Kiss” is impressive. “Luminous Eyes” also receives a dress-down with large expressions in the verses and a thumping of the guitar giving it a folksy edge. The one drawback is “On The Stage” falls a bit flat compared to the other numbers.

A wonderful diversion from the electric hellfire that Haunt usually ignites, Unplugged Vol. 1 is a welcome addition to their discography.