Confess: Haunters (SG)

Oh man, how did I miss this one earlier in the year? Haunters is the third album from Swedish sleaze rockers Confess, and it is pure dynamite. You know the usual suspects: Hardcore Superstar, Crashdiet, Crazy Lixx; Confess fits right in with that hook-heavy party rocking crowd.

I’ve only heard clips from the band’s previous album (2014’s Jail), but from what I can tell Haunters is a much more polished album, dialing back the raw sleaze factor a bit. To my ears that’s a smart call. Confess sounds like Hardcore Superstar and Crashdiet with a dose of early Santa Cruz and Skid Row here. Haunters is ridiculously catchy, rocks hard, and is just a really fun, really addictive album. The vocals are dynamic in a Sebastian Bach kind of way, and the choruses are just made for singing (or shouting) along. The party anthems “Stand Our Ground,” “We Are the Rats” and “Animal Attraction” are my favorites, but even the more melodic “Haunting You” stands out with its Reckless Love vibe.

These Swedish sleaze rock albums can seem to blend together after a while, so it takes something really special to really stand out. Haunters is just that kind of album. It’s the kind of album you’ll spin 20 times and never get tired of it. If you dig the Hardcore Superstar sound, or even just want something that rocks out like they did in 1989, Confess is a band you need to hear.