The latest release from singer and multi-instrumentalist JShell is called “Haunted” and it is a collab between himself and Karen Abrams on vocals, Fernando Chirinos on lead guitar, and Sofie Jane on additional vocals/vocal effects.
The song is accompanied by an animated music video that captures some of the horror vibes as well as the intensity of the instrumentation. The song starts with the recognizable intro of Bach’s infamous composition Toccata and Fugue played on an organ and is shortly followed by a manic laugh from Sofie Jane that sets the whole mood and atmosphere for what’s about to come. After that, we hear the super groovy bassline and the husky vocals of JShell in the verse and pre-chorus, where he shows off some belting and head voice during the higher parts. He has a very similar technique to that of Paul Stanley of Kiss when he uses his mixed register or adds a bit of distortion/screams. In the chorus, he is joined by Karen Abrams’ magnificent and clear chest voice. She then sings her verse and pre-chorus followed by a chorus on her own and I really loved this section of the song so much and especially the way her vocals were mixed with the buildup part during the pre-chorus. After that, we get an epic guitar solo played by Mr. Fernando Chirinos, which gets an epic reply from JShell on the organ, and slowly it turns into a guitar vs keyboard battle. The following chorus has all of the vocalists singing together, and the lead guitar harmonizing over them followed by an outro and another evil laugh.
The number of surprises and sophisticated moments in here will have you repeating the track over and over again trying to wrap your head around all the beautiful harmonies and how these moments were crafted to give these 70s vibes and still sound modern and accessible to modern-day rock audiences. With the “ensemble of musicians” style and the multiple transitions that this track shows, it felt like I was listening to a full-blown Rock-Opera that still has more acts and chapters to it. Believe me when I say this song will leave you craving more of the same goosebumps and rock n roll greatness.
For more information check his official jshellmusic.com
