THE HALO EFFECT – March Of The Unheard (Album Review)

The unheard are the loudest.

Though seemingly a bygone era, the days when marrying the extreme aggression and fervor of death metal with the melodic contours of 80s traditional metal was considered a novelty remain fresh in the minds of many. The trailblazing early strides of At The Gates’ “Terminal Spirit Disease,” the agonized beauty of Dark Tranquillity’s “The Gallery,” and the mournful odes of In Flames’ “The Jester Race” stand among the pivotal forerunner albums that codified a musical movement that still impacts much of the genre nearly 3 decades later.

Yet, as often with any cultural phenomenon, innovation and evolution take things far from their home, finding even the original pioneers of a minted subgenre moving on with the times. But for The Halo Effect, a quintet of veteran musicians and former members of Gothenburg Big 3 adherent outfit In Flames, turning back the clock and manifesting new ideas from an older craft is the chosen path.

This fold’s 2022 debut LP “Days Of The Lost” was not so much an attempt to outright retread the past, nor necessarily to dwell upon the specific style In Flames brought to the table, but more so a general restatement of the original style that arose from the metallic wastelands of the mid-1990s. To this end, their sophomore follow-up “March Of The Unheard” conforms to the same modus operandi, but sees further distillation and refinement of that signature tightrope between infectious melodic hooks and harrowing darkness that melo-death walked before the rise of metalcore.

It channels the driving feel and concise simplicity of where In Flames was just before “Reroute To Remain” and marries it to colder and more electronic character of Dark Tranquillity’s “Fiction,” spearheaded by Jesper Stromblad’s and Niclas Engelin’s signature melodic riffing and the latter band’s front man Mikael Stanne’s frosty growls and occasional deep, gothic-tinged croons.

Banger entries that stick to conventional songwriting structures continue to be the order of the day here but from the opening foray of “Conspire To Deceive” in all its driving and riff-happy glory, the potency factor has been noticeably amped up. One can’t help but revel in the dancing melodic lines that filter in and out of Jesper’s and Niclas’ guitar work as Stanne shouts with the force of a raging blizzard and Daniel Svensson’s fill-induced drum work further spices up an already elaborate dish.

Even swifter entries like “Detonate” and “The Burning Point” reminisce upon the early Gothenburg classics’ ties to the thrashing character of their Stockholm death metal predecessors while still maintaining a consonant, Iron Maiden-inspired sense of melody amid the torrents of speed and fury. Equally rapid-paced yet more power metal-inspired anthems like “Cruel Perception” and compact title entry “March Of The Unheard” don’t slouch on the aggression, but push the memorable side of the coin the hardest.

Along for the ride in this riveting journey of dark messaging set to pristine harmonies is a surprising degree of nuance and contrast, considering the short and to-the-point songwriting approach. The otherwise pummeling heaviness and death-thrashing intensity of “Our Channel To The Darkness” is preceded by a poignant acoustic intro that hearkens back to the primordial strides In Flames made during the mid-90s.

The closest thing this album has to an epic entry, “Between Directions” plays up a quasi-cinematic approach complete with dense symphonic elements amid a seesaw approach of forceful stomps and mournful balladry, complete with Stanne breaking into arguably the most serene fit of clean singing he’s ever committed to recording. One would also be remiss not to note the Hollywood-like largess of the short instrumental entry “This Curse Of Silence” and the dramatic symphonic epilogue in “Coda” that closes things out on a note that all but begs for a screen upon which to roll the album credits.

Many analogies could be made about what “March Of The Unheard” actually is, from an album that In Flames could well have put together immediately following “Clayman,” to a more dynamic throwback to where Dark Tranquillity was circa the late 90s but with the production quality of their present material. But all of these lofty hypothetical eventualities only tell part of the story, as this album does touch upon territory that wasn’t explored in the 90s by any band in the Gothenburg locale and corresponding style.

It’s very much a modern album that fits in well with the practices of the present, occasionally mirroring some of the more progressive ideas that At The Gates brought in following their 2010s reunion. But when all is said and done, this is music that doesn’t shy away from channeling the glory of the past, and any old-school melodic death metal fan worth their salt will have little trouble hearing what originally drew them to the subgenre in each of this sonic storybook’s 12 chapters.

Released By: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: January 10th, 2024
Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Musicians:

• Mikael Stanne / Vocals
• Jesper Stromblad / Guitars
• Niclas Engelin / Guitars
• Peter Iwers / Bass
• Daniel Svensson / Drums

“March Of The Unheard” Track-Listing:

1. Conspire To Deceive
2. Detonate
3. Our Channel To The Darkness
4. Cruel Perception
5. What We Become
6. This Curse Of Silence
7. March Of The Unheard
8. Forever Astray
9. Between Directions
10. A Death That Becomes Us
11. The Burning Point
12. Coda
13. Path Of Fierce Resistance (Bonus Track – CD Edition only)
14. The Defiant One (Bonus Track – CD Edition only)
15. Become Surrender (Bonus Track – CD Edition only)

Pre-order “March of the Unheard” HERE.