Year: 2022
Total Time: 40.46
Label: Nuclear Blast
Back in March 2021 a Facebook post from Jesper Stromblad was informing us about the formation of his new band. As a big fan of this particular artist, I immediately started digging for further information about it… with whom? when? why? … and all those questions that your mind brings up when you get excited. I quickly discovered that a secret desire of mine (and a lot others) is coming true.
The old “gang” from Gothenburg reunites after many years to give us some more of their creativity. Older, more musically mature but also wiser, it happened… “The Halo Effect”.
The idea started at the beginning of the covid pandemic, when Stanne had finished the new DARK TRANQUILLITY album and there was nothing to do at this period of time or the near future. So they thought “let’s do it…”. Without restrictions or deadlines and with “Nuclear Blast” label giving them their full support. Former collaborators in IN FLAMES, friends for many years, some of them even family. All of them though «fathers» of Swedish Melodic Death Metal.
The anticipation was high from March 2021 until August 12, 2022 when we finally have their first completed release in our hands. Of course, for a year and a half now, the band made sure to keep the hype high enough with 5 single releases and video clips.
Before the slightest note comes to my ears, I had the feeling that we will have the good, old IN FLAMES again. But the guys proved all of us wrong and they did well, because as I mentioned before, they are wiser and I believe they understood from the beginning that they should give to the fans something new, something cool and something to remember.
So, the album entitled “Days Of The Lost”, has a total duration of almost 41 minutes and consists of 10 tracks, five of which we already know. It started with “Shadowminds” in November 2021 where it was the spark that set the fire. Moderate tempo, heavy, melodic, with a solo that captivates you. The similarities with the music of D.T or I.F.are inevitable, it makes sense. But don’t be fooled, it’s not like they’re trying to play like D.T or I.F., that’s how they play because they gave birth to that kind of music.
In January 2022, a second bomb “Feel What I Believe” explodes, the melodies of Niclas’s guitar almost make me wanna cry out of emotions. As it goes on with the “Days Of The Lost” where synthetically it takes me back to “Colony” era, of course not in a pretentious way.
Lyrically the whole record is inspired by the band mate’s personal experiences, their childhood, the difficulties they faced, their long friendship and of course their personal “demons”. “The Needless End”, one of my favorites, with a very nostalgic melody and lyrics that talk about how much we put weight and effort on meaningless things that seem big and serious, thus neglecting the really big problems in our lives. “In Broken Trust” is the first “mini live” performance of the band for a chosen few, as the video clip was shot on the rooftop of a tall building in Gothenburg. Stanne’s clear vocals (at some parts) give another meaning and dimension to this song.
The whole record moves in the familiar range of Swedish Melodic Death Metal that we all love. Nostalgic melodies, catatonic lyrics but in a strange way and energy that give you the strength you need to become invincible and face your own “demons”. To stop anything psycho-destructive or toxic, to look reality in the eye and beat the shit out of it. I believe this is the success recipe for this kind of music. Psychology, personal experiences, difficult times and how to overcome them. If you think about it, it’s not music, its psychotherapy…I could write for hours about how music helped me in my life but let’s not overdo it. I am writing a record review, not analyzing my psyche.
By the time you are reading these lines, the album is already at the number one position in the Swedish charts, leaving behind much bigger names. Also it’s the first time that a debut album enters the first place.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the band started with very good conditions, with a fairly good record and above all, with love for music. They didn’t start out to create rivalry with their previous band, although many will think that, but it’s not like that. Friendship and love for music are the driving forces to hear even better work from THE HALO EFFECT.
Rating: 8/10
Editor: Marios Tsampazoglou
Related Link: THE HALO EFFECT – Official Page
