THE HALO EFFECT

Both cherished and maligned, melodic death metal seems to have survived a sustained onslaught from pop-inclined metalcore and rediscovered its cojones again. Admittedly, plenty of bands have kept the flag flying throughout metal's innumerable ups, downs and shameless cash-grabs, but a combination of IN FLAMES' heroic return to top form, DARK TRANQUILLITY's ongoing creative spurt, and the ascent of THE HALO EFFECT have all had a profound, revitalizing effect. With the slight drawback that most of its main protagonists in 2025 are the same men that torched the rulebook back in the early '90s, melo-death is thriving. A few new, young bands of similar quality would not go amiss at this point, but "March Of The Unheard" suggests that the old guard still have plenty to say.

Firstly, it must be time for vocalist Mikael Stanne to have a nice sit-down. With new albums from DARK TRANQUILLITY and CEMETERY SKYLINE released in 2024, and old-school death metal crew GRAND CADAVER still very much alive and undead, he has multiple musical identities: THE HALO EFFECT's bombastic arena melo-death is the most potent among them. Unabashed in his death metal fury, Stanne spends most of "March Of The Unheard" snarling and growling like it's 1995 all over again. Songs like the fiery, fast-paced "Detonate" and the stately, dynamic "Our Channel To The Darkness" never sound old-fashioned, but the grit that originally underpinned melodic death metal's gloss is unmistakable. But while noticeably faster and more brutal than the majority of 2022 debut "Days Of The Lost", these songs are still swollen with the effortless, hyper-melodic sensibilities that informed classic albums like IN FLAMES' "Colony" and DARK TRANQUILLITY's "The Mind's I" many dark moons ago. "Cruel Perception" is deliriously anthemic and stirring; "What We Become" burns slow and grinds hard before erupting into a glittering, euphoric colossus of a chorus with strong CHILDREN OF BODOM vibes; and "This Curse Of Silence" unfolds like a surprise symphony, with guitarists Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad entwined in a multi-layered dance of (melo-)death, before the song itself unfolds like some futuristic THIN LIZZY playing "Message In A Bottle" in the middle of an intergalactic battle.

Elsewhere, Stanne unleashes his increasingly commanding croon midway through the strident pomp 'n' pummel of the title track, to hugely charismatic effect. Sweeping strings and an eerie atmosphere give "Forever Astray" a welcome dash of gothic moroseness. Best of all, "A Death That Becomes Us" and "The Burning Point" cram classic metal bluster, overwrought AOR lushness, AMORPHIS-like prog metal panache, and venomous, 21st century heaviness into two distinct chunks of Swedish melodic death perfection, while closing instrumental "Coda" is blearily cinematic and really quite beautiful.

"March Of The Unheard" trounces its predecessor on every level. THE HALO EFFECT are making melo-death sexy again. More of this kind of thing, please.