THE HALO EFFECT
March Of The Unheard
Nuclear Blast Records
When it was issued in late summer 2022, Days of The Lost, the debut from Swedish supergroup THE HALO EFFECT was hailed by many as the album they had been wishing for from IN FLAMES for like 20 years.
The plaudits and comparisons were due, in no small part, to the fact that the entire HALO EFFECT lineup was made up of IN FLAMES alumni - founding guitarist Jesper Stromblad and longtime guitarist, bassist and drummer Niclas Engelin, Peter Iwers and Daniel Svensson, respectively. Frontman Mikael Stanne sang on IN FLAMES' 1994 debut, Lunar Strain, before taking the mic with his own band DARK TRANQUILLITY when its frontman Anders Friden joined IN FLAMES!
While IN FLAMES had floundered, especially over its most recent work, Days of The Lost's mix of vintage Swedish melodeath grit and modern metal panache hit a certain "that's more like it" sweet spot. But just when it seemed THE HALO EFFECT might steal what thunder IN FLAMES had left, IN FLAMES came roaring back in early 2023 with Foregone, a rather stunning and unexpected return to form that went a long way in polishing the band's tarnished image.
Which leads us to March of The Unheard, the second release from THE HALO EFFECT, and an album that is much more likely to be judged on its own merits - as it should be - than under the lens of "how does it compare to IN FLAMES?" Indeed, the obvious comparables are less, well, obvious here as THE HALO EFFECT seems focused on developing its own personality.
You can certainly hear the classic IN FLAMES sound in some of the anthemic choruses, twin guitar motifs and thrash-and-groove back and forth, most notably on "Detonate" and "Our Channel To The Darkness". But they are less frequent and prominent, as THE HALO EFFECT ramp up the melodeath intensity while also adding more traditional metal flourishes for something that remains both abrasive and undeniably catchy, but without seeming quite as slick as Days of The Lost.
March is certainly more aggressive, especially over the first half, with Svensson's propulsive drumming laying the groundwork for Stromblad and Engelin's surging, crunchy riffs. There are still ample and opulent guitar harmonies that at times is truly epic, and huge hooks and grooves all over the place, but this is a consistently brisk, up-tempo affair that is more mosh worthy than arena friendly - especially when you factor in Stanne's assertive vocals.
Despite this being his fourth album with four distinctly different bands - the others being the old school death metal (GRAND CAVADER) and gothic rock (CEMETERY SKYLINE) side projects and his day-job band DARK TRANQUILLITY - in just 18 months, the boundlessly energetic Stanne is as commanding and tenacious ever here. His wolverine snarl ensures the dense melodies and numerous anthemic swells maintain plenty of bite, and indeed make "Between Directions" a surprisingly ferocious power ballad, contrasting his own croony cleans and the accompanying strings with jarring gutturals and rasps.
The thrashy "Forever Astray", which precedes "Between Directions" is the only other track where Stanne breaks out the cleans. Yet even here the gruff voice is predominant and leaves plenty of jagged edges to contrast the majestic sweep of the choruses.
As with Stanne's myriad pursuits, the March material is widely varied yet nicely balanced and the energy never wanes for long - which was an issue with Days of The Lost and its somewhat drab midsection. The songs and the performances here brim with the confidence and purpose of a lineup that is genuinely coalescing after working together for a couple years - on again/off again as it might have been, since just about everyone is involved in other projects. With March, THE HALO EFFECT has obviously become more than a one-off - and indeed developed into a genuine band.
3.5 Out Of 5.0
