The Haunted's frontman Marco Aro says having a regular day job means he can enjoy being in a band once again.
Aro is looking forward to the release of the band’s eighth album Exit Wounds on August 25 – the first album the group has made since he returned for his second spell as singer last year.
And although he says he always missed being in The Haunted after leaving in 2003, it was a reduced touring schedule and the stability of a day job that convinced him to return.
He tells Dear Rhetoric: “I’ve always been a metal worker – a construction worker, blacksmith. The thing about this time around is that we all have jobs so our lives don’t depend on The Haunted – we can do it just for fun.
“We don’t need to do it to put food on the table. Music is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to be a must. Once it becomes a must, you can tell. We don’t ever want to be that band that is doing their job and you can tell from a mile away. We are doing this for fun, and once it becomes a must, we need to sit down, take stock, and reconsider what the point is that we are missing.”
Aro’s first spell with the band came when he replaced original singer Peter Dolving in 1999, before leaving four years later – to be replaced by Dolving. The revolving door continued when Dolving left for a second time and Aro got the call.
Along with Dolving walking out in 2012, guitarist Anders Bjorler and drummer Per Moller Jensen also quit, leading to widespread lineup changes.
Aro says: “There’s always going to be a Marco camp and a Peter camp. Even back then there were die-hards in each direction. We are still really good friends with Peter and Anders and Per – there’s no animosity.
“I think it’s a phoenix rising kind of thing, but with respect to the history of the band. It’s not like every other band when they decide on a new member and they scrap the old songs and just do the new ones.
“The Haunted has a solid base, where everyone is still good friends and there is no animosity between members and ex-members. I still get to talk to Per and Anders quite a bit. I don’t get to talk to Peter that much though since he moved to Copenhagen. People want there to be animosity but there isn’t anything like that.”
Exit Wounds tracklist
- 317 2. Cutting Teeth 3. My Salvation 4. Psychonaut 5. Eye Of The Storm 6. Trend Killer 7. Time (Will Not Heal) 8. All I Have 9. Temptation 10. My Enemy 11. Kill The Light 12. This War 13. Infiltrator 14. Ghost In The Machine
