The Halo Effect burst on to the Swedish death metal scene with the debut single “Shadowminds” in late-2021 and immediately captured the attention of fans of heavy, melodic music. The band’s debut record Days of the Lost was among the best releases of 2022, and the highly anticipated follow-up March of the Unheard (released by Nuclear Blast Records on January 10, 2025) met the great expectations.
The Halo Effect was founded by five former members of In Flames, among the most influential artists of the Swedish death metal genre. Guitarists Jesper Stromblad and Niclas Engelin, bassist Peter Iwers, and drummer Daniel Svensson teamed up with early IF vocalist Mikael Stanne to form a quintet that sonically resembles the first six In Flames records far more than the current iteration. In Flames has forged a highly successful career, rising from the Gothenburg scene in the early-1990’s to release several critically acclaimed albums, including masterworks The Jester Race, Whoracle, Colony, and Clayman. While In Flames turned to a more commercial direction in the mid-2000s to the present, longtime fans clamored for a return to the classic sound (though In Flames remained a highly prolific and successful recording and touring unit). The Halo Effect delivered not only a pair of records that harken back to 1990’s In Flames, but with a fresh perspective.
Up-tempo album opener “Conspiracy to Deceive” begins with a glorious guitar lead into staccato riffing. During the chorus, Stanne screams “this is not the end, let our voices be heard.” “Detonate” echos Clayman’s "Pinball Map" in many ways, from its placement on the track list to the rhythm guitars during the verse building to a crescendo of a pre-chorus and then a “bouncy” chorus that is perfect for a live setting.
“Our Channel to the Darkness” opens up with an acoustic passage reminiscent of “The Jester’s Dance” before a pulverizing riff with an ultra-melodic chorus. The next track, “Cruel Perception”, is Clayman-era reincarnated. “What We Become” closely resembles several tracks from Days of the Lost, with yet another anthemic chorus over a Stromblad lead as its highlight. “This Curse of Silence” is a two minute instrumental track.
The March of the Unheard title track is among the band’s most passionate expressions, opening with the lyrics “how can we not feel it/the cries no one can hear/our reality given voices/a chorus of muted fears.” It’s a true statement.
“Forever Astray” begins with a dual harmony courtesy of Stromblad and Engelin, with some of Svensson’s finest work behind the pit. Singing in a clean voice, Stanne sings “what we ask from one another/and in honesty we’re lost without/it’s not the light, it’s truly the fire” before transitioning to his death metal vocals to proclaim “we are led forever astray.” From a non-In Flames perspective, several of these songs sound like Fractal Gates The Light That Shines material.
“Between Directions” is similar to “Cloud Connected” from In Flames’ Reroute to Remain, with Iwers’ bass setting the pace during a slower verse before the guitarists join the fray and Stanne to bemoan “it all feels like I am falling blindly backwards…we’re going nowhere/no direction for me.”
Stromblad opens “A Death That Becomes Us” with an effect-heavy lead on a mid-tempo anthem that resembles “Shadowminds.” The penultimate track “The Burning Point” begins in the vein of Lunar Strain before a frantic mix of layered guitars and Stanne coming to the realization that “death [] becomes us”; the song features a beautiful harmonized solo in its final minute, arguably the best guitar work on the album. The album closer “Coda” is the record’s second instrumental, this time with symphonic elements.
The deluxe edition also features three bonus tracks of the same caliber as the records twelve main cuts: "Path of Fierce Resistance," "The Defiant One," and "Become Surrender."
Days of the Lost was a statement release, and March of the Unheard is a worthy follow-up. The twelve-to-fifteen songs clock in between 2:00 and 4:28, and maintain a consistent sound and quality. Given that it is often difficult to recapture a seemingly abandoned or lost writing style (whether deliberate or otherwise), The Halo Effect remarkably crafted an outstanding, vintage Gothenburg-style Swedish death metal record.
Tracklist:
- Conspire To Deceive
- Detonate
- Our Channel To The Darkness
- Cruel Perception
- What We Become
- This Curse Of Silence
- March Of The Unheard
- Forever Astray
- Between Directions
- A Death That Becomes Us
- The Burning Point
- Coda
Rating: 8/10