The Haunted is a Swedish death and thrash metal band from Gothenburg. Formed in 1996, the original band consisted of Patrick Jensen (guitarist, former Seance then Witchery), Jonas Björler (bassist), Adrian Erlandsson (drummer), Anders Björler (guitarist) and Peter Dolving (singer, ex-Mary Beats Jane). The brothers Björler and Erlandsson all came from the melodic death metal band At The Gates, a pioneer of the so-called "Gothenburg" death metal scene (also called melodeath).
The band mixes the sound of metal trends represented by Metallica and Forbidden, or by groups like Slayer and Dark Angel in the 1980s, to the Swedish style in bands like Dark Tranquility. There are also hardcore punk influences. A minority of present and former members are from Gothenburg: Patrik Jensen is from Linköping, Per Möller Jensen from Denmark, Adrian Erlandsson from Malmö and Marco Aro from Finland.
On July 27, 1996, Patrik Jensen formed the group with Adrian Erlandsson, former member of At the Gates group. The band releases its first album, following the signature at Earache Records, the eponymous album The Haunted in 1998. Before the release of the album, the band makes a demo, called Demo '97, in 1997. The album was recognized in particular by the nomination of Terrorizer qualifying it as "album of the year. The Haunted gained fame through their concerts on the Swedish stage and internationally as a result of their UK tour with Napalm Death.
The thrash influences of Slayer are clearly distinguishable on the compositions, already showing a form of balance between death and thrash. After the release of the album, in 1998, Peter Dolving and Adrian Erlandsson left the band. Peter Dolving will join the band in 2003, and Adrian Erlandsson will become a drummer for Cradle of Filth.
