Despite my rabid proclivity for metal’s deathlier side, I have a soft spot for well-executed female vocals. As the metalverse has become exponentially more accepting of the fairer sex within its midst, I am happy to reap the benefits of this “it’s-about-time” evolution. The result has placed some infinitely talented musicians on my all-time list. Darkher‘s Jayn Maiven, for instance, is my favorite artist running right now, alongside Windhand‘s Dorthia Cottrell1 and Messa‘s Sara Bianchin all continue to leave their indelible mark on metal’s doomscape and my regular listening rotation. Is this a long-winded way of getting to the point of this piece? Perhaps. But it is essential as I add Christina Chimirri firmly to that list, who, along with her Italian cohorts in Haunted, released a sneaky good doom album, Stare at Nothing, in April, and it’s one of my favorites of 2024. After sophomore album Dayburner dropped, receiving a mixed review here in 2018, Haunted disbanded and reunited with a fresh line-up the following year. During that brief hiatus, they went from a five-piece to a quartet, with Chimirri and bassist Frank Tudisco bringing new guitarist Kim Crowley and drummer Luca Strano into the fold. Still rooted in Black Sabbathian St. Vitus worship, this slightly leaner but meaner version of Haunted emerged with a new energy that breathes electrifying life into the songs on Stare at Nothing. Crowley’s guitar work, in particular, is mesmerizing. Whether she is laying down a hulkingly fat Windhanded riff (“Malevolent”), a slithering bluesy intro (“Garden of Evil”), or a fuzz-drenched solo (“Catamorph”) that pierces the heavier-than-thou haze with tons of seventies sensibility, Haunted‘s doom game is all the more deadly for her addition. Like Atlas, Tudisco’s muscle-bound basslines and Strano’s monstrous drumming shoulder the weight of Crowley’s massive world of riffs, which, when combined with Carlo Longo’s warm mix and Esben Willems’ doom-heavy master, complete Stare at Nothing‘s impenetrable wall of sound. Spread over the top of this monolith like a lightly caressing death shroud are Chimirri’s lilting incantations. While Cottrell and Bianchin comparisons are valid, some Stevie Nicks badassery and Ann Wilson grit are at play in Chimirri’s vocal delivery, which tops the whole thing off like a perfectly placed cherry. Her performance unites all the pieces of Haunted‘s puzzle to a tee and will have you yearning for a well-worn leather chair in a cozy room draped with Persian rugs. A place where you can sit with a nice glass of whiskey and watch the swirling haze of incense and other smoky emanations intertwine with the sounds wafting from the speakers, washing over you in waves of fuzzy warmth. It has not been a particularly good year for doom. And while 2024 has not been entirely void of quality—Crypt Sermon, Counting Hours and Endomos notwithstanding—the pickins have been pretty slim. I heartily invite you to check this Thing out because if you’re searching for something that will cave in your chest and crush your heart but bathe your dying body in angelic siren-song as you pass over to the other side look no further than Haunted‘s Stare at Nothing.