Gear Factor returns with the first new episode of 2025, featuring popular YouTuber and The Haunted guitarist Ola Englund.If you’re not familiar with the series, we’ve featured over 100 of your favorite rock and metal musicians taking us all on their personal journey, playing the first riffs (or drum parts, etc) they ever learned, favorites from growing up and practicing, standouts from the music they’ve released, all the way through their most recent album.We’re thrilled to kick things off with Englund, whose warm personality, intriguing interviews (Coffee With Ola), nerdy gear insights and wide-ranging creativity has netted him nearly 900,000 YouTube subscribers.The Swede is a renowned champion of death metal when it comes to the music he dedicates himself to away from his computer. He’s released eight albums with his longest-running group, Feared and has been a member of The Haunted since 2013. You may also remember him from Six Feet Under’s standout record Unborn (2013).And get excited because The Haunted recently announced Songs of Last Resort, their first album in eight years (more details further down the page)!Englund goes back to his earliest days playing guitar, being inspired by Nirvana. “With Nirvana, at least, I could play most of their songs by knowing three different chords,” he says, “I remember when I borrowed my brother’s guitar, one of the first things I did play on that guitar was ‘Come As You Are.'”As usual with extreme metal musicians, the story starts far, far removed what they’re known for today. For Englund, his passion for guitar playing was truly ignited by Pantera. It also presented one of his first real challenges: pinch harmonics.”One day I mistakenly made a pinch harmonic,” he recalls, realizing that the “pinch” in pinch harmonic means literally pinching the string. “I never thought about that before,” the guitarist laughs.And you’ll hear Englund play a lot of Pantera in this episode. He was even in consideration to be the band’s guitarist as the celebrate the band’s legacy.READ MORE: Guitarist Ola Englund Reveals Philip Anselmo Considered Him for New Pantera LineupWatch the full Gear Factor video below to see what other riffs Englund loves to play, the first one he wrote for The Haunted and so many more!Follow Ola Englund on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok. Ola Englund (The Haunted) Plays His Favorite RiffsAbout The Haunted’s New Album Songs of Last ResortThe Haunted will release Songs of Last Resort, their first album since 2017’s Strength in Numbers, on May 30 through Century Media.Up first is the opening track, “Warhead.”The Haunted, “Warhead”Vocalist Marco Aro says “It’s an aggressive statement about the absolute horrors of the world we now have to live in!”Guitarist Jensen adds, “When writing this song, I knew that we were on to writing a good album. The main riff came to me at work, and I had to take the afternoon off that day to immediately get it recorded and worked on while the inspiration from this one riff was still creating goosebumps. Lyrics are about various people in charge being ‘warheads,’ thriving in one way or another off of waging war. The intro sound FX were created together with Örjan Örnkloo (ex-Misery Loves Company, who also performs on ‘To Bleed Out’ and the title track ‘Letters of Last Resort’). I think it’s not a stretch to say that this song stand a real chance of becoming a fixture of our live set for many years to come…”Get your copy of the new album at The Haunted webstore and get all of the details about the record directly below.the haunted songs of last resort coverCentury Medialoading…01. “Warhead” (03:39)02. “In Fire Reborn” (03:18)03. “Death To The Crown” (02:56)04. “To Bleed Out” (04:29)05. “Unbound” (03:34)06. “Hell Is Wasted On The Dead” (02:53)07. “Through The Fire” (03:01)08. “Collateral Carnage” (04:03)09. “Blood Clots” (01:30)10. “Salvation Recalled” (03:26)11. “Labyrinth Of Lies” (03:30)12. “Letters Of Last Resort” (04:06)The 25 Best Metal Songs of the Last 25 YearsSo much metal, so many subgenres, but these songs stood out above the crowd in furthering heavy music over the last 25 years.Contributions by Jordan Blum (JB), Chad Childers (CC), Joe DiVita (JD), John Hill (JH) and Lauryn Schaffner (LS).Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff