The CD was £10.99, so not exactly cheap... but for these guys I'll pay.
Five Former Members Of In Flames Unite In The Halo Effect
- Thread starter CladInShadows971
- Start date
Clean vocals are only growing even more on me. That's all I wanted to say. I also like the little variations, I can appreciate that they didn't just copy and paste the parts around. Like how in A Truth Worth Lying For when he sings the "Self-deception is a part of me" line, it's different in the first chorus rhythmically compared to the others later on that are syncopated in comparison.
TheJestersDoor
Keep calm and bash Anders
- Jul 25, 2016
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Listened to it when I got home from work last night (I finish at midnight, convenient) and it's great. Probably agree it's an 8/10.
Great guitar work throughout. Lots of strong riffs, memorable melodies and often the bridge/middle sections of the song are the best bits. Tone is great, and the quieter clean parts sound really good too.
Harsh vocals are really solid if a little one dimensional (lacking diversity in delivery & tone), cleans not Mikael's best to be honest.
Rhythm section is excellent, top notch. Not much more to say as I'm a guitar guy by trade (not literally I'm a fucking amateur lmao)
Gateways was the most interesting on first listen, so many layers to that one and the chorus is huge. Conditional is relentless and really strong. In Broken Trust has a cool riff but the chorus is weak. Truth worth Dying for is the other non-single that I really liked.
Main criticisms I'd throw at the album are a lack of real diversity (Shadowminds and Gateways being the 2 most "different" songs) and that there weren't really any surprises on the album (except Heafy, which was welcome, even if he sounds a bit loud in the mix). Real nitpicking when it comes to the downsides, but that's what this forum seems to love to do
Great album, would recommend to a newcomer to melodeath as a good intro album to the sound. Not sure how I feel about a 2nd album not because I don't want it but because I don't want The Halo Effect to become "just another band" and I want them to remain special. I feel that the more they release the more we will take it for granted. Also it kinda puts the future of DT's sound into question if THE continues to release music like this - at least from the non-Mikael members of DT's perspective anyway.
Great guitar work throughout. Lots of strong riffs, memorable melodies and often the bridge/middle sections of the song are the best bits. Tone is great, and the quieter clean parts sound really good too.
Harsh vocals are really solid if a little one dimensional (lacking diversity in delivery & tone), cleans not Mikael's best to be honest.
Rhythm section is excellent, top notch. Not much more to say as I'm a guitar guy by trade (not literally I'm a fucking amateur lmao)
Gateways was the most interesting on first listen, so many layers to that one and the chorus is huge. Conditional is relentless and really strong. In Broken Trust has a cool riff but the chorus is weak. Truth worth Dying for is the other non-single that I really liked.
Main criticisms I'd throw at the album are a lack of real diversity (Shadowminds and Gateways being the 2 most "different" songs) and that there weren't really any surprises on the album (except Heafy, which was welcome, even if he sounds a bit loud in the mix). Real nitpicking when it comes to the downsides, but that's what this forum seems to love to do
Great album, would recommend to a newcomer to melodeath as a good intro album to the sound. Not sure how I feel about a 2nd album not because I don't want it but because I don't want The Halo Effect to become "just another band" and I want them to remain special. I feel that the more they release the more we will take it for granted. Also it kinda puts the future of DT's sound into question if THE continues to release music like this - at least from the non-Mikael members of DT's perspective anyway.
Xpyro125
Active Member
- Dec 1, 2021
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Edited this to make “Last of Our Kind” a 9/10. It’s really stuck with me throughout the day along with “Conditional”, and I absolutely love it.
Okay, that’s a fucking awesome feature. If that’s not the standard, it absolutely should be. If it is, awesome.
I completely agree about “A Truth Worth Lying For”‘s cleans. They’re absolutely incredible, with the power they really needed and with each chorus being completely different recordings and having different emphases in them. I just wish “In Broken Trust” had that same sort of love. It doesn’t feel nearly as good, even if it is still catchy, and considering that 1. The backing vocals aren’t there and 2. The vocals that are there just aren’t full in the mix whatsoever (The backing synths feel like placeholder melodies), I genuinely have no idea why it was the next single. Sure, it was performed at the rooftop concert, but any song could’ve been. If anything, I think “A Truth Worth Lying For” would’ve been a much better candidate, considering its acoustics, nods to Jesper’s work in In Flames, and usage of clean vocals. Oh well, I still absolutely love this album, and I’m already terrified that I’m going to listen to it to the point where I burn myself out of it.
Jester Slave
Narcissist
You guys are way overvaluing this record and in a months time will knock down your scores by 1.5-2 points. It's not a bad record but holy shit these scores and reviews about the record are in some massive fanboy territory. Not as bad as the reviews on the latest Rammstein record, where the record itself was an actual dogshit, but fanboys were like "yep, that's a 9.5 if I can say so myself!!!", but still...
Almost all of the songs are just balls to the wall chugging. In a vacuum they are pretty good, but throw 7 of them onto the same record and it's just not that interesting. In fact, if it is truly the best mdm record you've heard in the past 20 years, then the genre is officially dead and buried. Stanne alone knocks at least a whole point down from the final score because his voice is just so fucking boring. Yes, if you are a hardcore mdm fan, you won't mind because you don't care too much, it's more about the harmonies and what not, but if you have the slightest taste for something more accessible, more fun vocal wise, than Stanne's growls are just not that. Again, it's fine if you only listen to one of their "CHUGA CHUGA CHUGA" songs from the many, but for nearly 40 minutes straight?! Microsoft Sam had more emotion in his voice, than Stanne's growls...
His cleans are way better. In Broken Trust his cleans would supplement the rest of the song amazingly, if only it wasn't for the mundane, "Stanne does what Stanne does" verses. Anders said that he thought THE sounded more like DT, and while I haven't listened to much DT, I did listen to Atoma (song) a lot and it is veeeery similar with In Broken Trust.
The one song which is actually very good is A Truth Worth Lying For. It's still a copy and paste Stanne performance on the verses, but they really nailed it with the chorus, not as sleepy as In Broken Trust and the instrumental part is much more interesting as well.
My 5 cents if they ever make a new record: 1. either replace Stanne or hire other vocalists at least for the studio versions 2. slow the fuck down sometimes; I know you have to produce your hit singles but mdm's strength is not in musicians banging on their instruments like lunatics 3. add more solos and solo transitions like in Last Of Our Kind - so basically copy Soilwork lol.
My biggest takeaway from this record is that I still miss Daniel.
Almost all of the songs are just balls to the wall chugging. In a vacuum they are pretty good, but throw 7 of them onto the same record and it's just not that interesting. In fact, if it is truly the best mdm record you've heard in the past 20 years, then the genre is officially dead and buried. Stanne alone knocks at least a whole point down from the final score because his voice is just so fucking boring. Yes, if you are a hardcore mdm fan, you won't mind because you don't care too much, it's more about the harmonies and what not, but if you have the slightest taste for something more accessible, more fun vocal wise, than Stanne's growls are just not that. Again, it's fine if you only listen to one of their "CHUGA CHUGA CHUGA" songs from the many, but for nearly 40 minutes straight?! Microsoft Sam had more emotion in his voice, than Stanne's growls...
His cleans are way better. In Broken Trust his cleans would supplement the rest of the song amazingly, if only it wasn't for the mundane, "Stanne does what Stanne does" verses. Anders said that he thought THE sounded more like DT, and while I haven't listened to much DT, I did listen to Atoma (song) a lot and it is veeeery similar with In Broken Trust.
The one song which is actually very good is A Truth Worth Lying For. It's still a copy and paste Stanne performance on the verses, but they really nailed it with the chorus, not as sleepy as In Broken Trust and the instrumental part is much more interesting as well.
My 5 cents if they ever make a new record: 1. either replace Stanne or hire other vocalists at least for the studio versions 2. slow the fuck down sometimes; I know you have to produce your hit singles but mdm's strength is not in musicians banging on their instruments like lunatics 3. add more solos and solo transitions like in Last Of Our Kind - so basically copy Soilwork lol.
My biggest takeaway from this record is that I still miss Daniel.
Good old Slave, you knew he'd come steaming in to criticise something that the rest of us are praising, especially something that Jesper was involved in just can't help himself.
As is often the case Slave, your issue stems from your inability to comprehend that your opinion is not a globally accepted truth. Whilst your opinion is perfectly valid and fine to express, you fall into the same trap you always do of being outraged that most of us have a different view.
Just because you think Stanne's vocals are boring on this record doesn't make it a fact. Just because you think these songs together aren't interesting doesn't make it a fact. Whatever you think MDM's strengths are is irrelevent, as you are on record as calling TJR boring. You don't understand or, as far as I can tell, even really like the genre. You really aren't based placed to comment on it, let alone lecture others on what MDM should or should not be.
As for knocking the scores down in a month or two - I rate Shadowminds and Feel What I Believe higher now than I did when they came out, so probably not.
I know it hurts that these guys just released an album of such quality Anders and Bjorn could only dream of doing the same, but it's going to be OK man.
just can't help himself.As is often the case Slave, your issue stems from your inability to comprehend that your opinion is not a globally accepted truth. Whilst your opinion is perfectly valid and fine to express, you fall into the same trap you always do of being outraged that most of us have a different view.
Just because you think Stanne's vocals are boring on this record doesn't make it a fact. Just because you think these songs together aren't interesting doesn't make it a fact. Whatever you think MDM's strengths are is irrelevent, as you are on record as calling TJR boring. You don't understand or, as far as I can tell, even really like the genre. You really aren't based placed to comment on it, let alone lecture others on what MDM should or should not be.
As for knocking the scores down in a month or two - I rate Shadowminds and Feel What I Believe higher now than I did when they came out, so probably not.
I know it hurts that these guys just released an album of such quality Anders and Bjorn could only dream of doing the same, but it's going to be OK man.
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Come to think of it - yes. I like Shadowminds better now than 9 months ago. The same applies to Days of the Lost. FWIB was a pretty much perfect MDM song for me right from the start and it still is.
You know, for all of the singles, I like them know more than when they were released. Not only that, their placement in the album has made me like them even more.
Now, saying that we won't like this album because of some random reason, it's like saying that we will stop listening to Clayman or R2R after a month while those are albums that I've been listening to for two decades now.
Fact is that you have no saying in what people likes. You don't like it and veryone was expecting this to happen. But, at this point, you should know what kind of music the most of us like to hear and you should understand that is mostly something like this. If you don't, then you have not read a single word of what we wrote for the past years.
Now, saying that we won't like this album because of some random reason, it's like saying that we will stop listening to Clayman or R2R after a month while those are albums that I've been listening to for two decades now.
Fact is that you have no saying in what people likes. You don't like it and veryone was expecting this to happen. But, at this point, you should know what kind of music the most of us like to hear and you should understand that is mostly something like this. If you don't, then you have not read a single word of what we wrote for the past years.
I always liked Shadowminds a lot, but hearing it live I was just like... yeah, I really get what they were going for with this one and they fucking nailed it. FWIB for whatever reason didn't bowl me over straight away, but nowadays it's one of my favourites. Days of the Lost isn't quite on that level for me but I definitely like it more now having heard it live.
I certainly don't need Slave to lecture me on what I will and won't feel in a month's time. I know myself well enough - when an album blows me away from the first listen I will love that album pretty much forever. That's just how my brain operates. There's no album that I've listened to and thought "holy shit this is amazing" and then in a month or two's time been like "meh, actually that album is just OK". Literally never.
I certainly don't need Slave to lecture me on what I will and won't feel in a month's time. I know myself well enough - when an album blows me away from the first listen I will love that album pretty much forever. That's just how my brain operates. There's no album that I've listened to and thought "holy shit this is amazing" and then in a month or two's time been like "meh, actually that album is just OK". Literally never.
With this album I have the same feelings as when I first listened to Clayman. There was something special about the songs. And still there is.
Now, the same here. Even if I won't compare the quality of both albums, that's not what I'm doing here, songs like Feel What I Believe are yet a part of my top favourite songs, and is a list that never loses a song, I always add to it.
About the album, this is the most excited that I've been since CC, and CC has been non stop in my top 2 IF albums, which means that it's my my top 2 favourite albums ever.
But Slave is telling me that I'm wrong because he knows me better than I do. While the fact remains that the rest of us knew what was going to be his reaction. Which means that we know him better than he knows us.
I specially like the part where he's not aware that they are yet making a new album.
Now, the same here. Even if I won't compare the quality of both albums, that's not what I'm doing here, songs like Feel What I Believe are yet a part of my top favourite songs, and is a list that never loses a song, I always add to it.
About the album, this is the most excited that I've been since CC, and CC has been non stop in my top 2 IF albums, which means that it's my my top 2 favourite albums ever.
But Slave is telling me that I'm wrong because he knows me better than I do. While the fact remains that the rest of us knew what was going to be his reaction. Which means that we know him better than he knows us.
I specially like the part where he's not aware that they are yet making a new album.
I was very tempted recently to write something along the lines of "let's wait for Slave/Ciko/Krofius to come in and tell us that actually this album sucks", as those three have traditionally always been saltiest about anything Jesper is involved in, but restrained myself as I didn't want to invoke their presence Ciko and Krofius are notable in their absence though.
Ciko and Krofius are notable in their absence though.Similar threads
