[imgleft]http://www.ultimatemetal.com/bandpics/halo.jpg[/imgleft]By Nathan Pearce
HALO is a band of uncompromising and oppressive aural intensity . . . or simply anti-sound as the band likes to call it. With Body of Light, their latest, HALO finds themselves in near solitary confinement. Very few bands are venturing into such uncharted territory. Not only have they abandoned the usual structures and styles that pigeonhole so many bands, theyve completely erased all preconceived notions of what music is supposed to be.
Formed in Melbourne, Australia in1998 out of the necessity to create something original, HALO consists of Skye Klein (bass, vocals, and samples) and Robert Allen (drums and extra noise). Considering that HALO uses such limited instrumentation, its amazing that such huge and obliterating sounds can be generated by two guys. Skye Klein elaborates:
Weve been around since about 98, when we, Robert and I, started jamming together after the gradual disintegration of a band we had played in together previously. It started as a kind of experiment, with very little forethought as to what music we wanted to make. We wanted to take what we thought of as heavy music further, and to indulge in our love for noise and atmosphere. The bass & drums lineup was just a consequence of our initial jams we liked what we heard, and saw no reason to add any further instrumentation. We started recording ourselves, then self-releasing CDs, and it grew from there.
While Skye seems pretty nonchalant about the sounds HALO so effortlessly assaults the listener with, the songs themselves are strangely arranged and seem almost like an artistically rendered musical landscape.
Most HALO songs are improvisations, generally recorded live to multi-track, so a song comes from whatever we happen to start playing at any given time. As a consequence, most recorded material and live shows are one-off moments. There are some songs that are repeated, and also songs and lyrics that become the basis for new songs its all pretty amorphous, and pretty much dictated by our frame of mind.
HALO would seem to be attempting to create an atmosphere of total density. The entire album seems to envelope the listener in an inescapable darkness.
Im not exactly sure what kind of effect were attempting to create, apart from absolute intensity and singularity of vision. I think were trying to surround the listener, in all possible ways, with sound.
To me, HALO seems to be more of an artists attempt at painting the final apocalypse, but Skye doesnt see it that way.
HALO is definitely music whether that music can be seen as art is entirely up to the listener. I dont know what defines art as such, and have given up attempting to do so.
As a fan of everything Swans related as well as Godflesh, I can hear influences from both bands in HALOs sound. Anybody familiar with early Swans material would note the same oppressive feel that HALO seems so capable of demonstrating.
Did these bands have some influence on HALO?
Some influence, particularly in the early days, in showing that heavy music isnt necessarily metal, but less influence these days. I certainly respect those bands enormous influence on extreme/heavy music, but these days HALO is pretty much influenced by nothing but ourselves.
I think we were influenced by the intensity and purity of pure noise music such as Merzbow, as well as Fudgetunnel, Black Sabbath, and that kind of thing. Speaking for myself, Im far more influenced by My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive than metal, as well as general ambient/industrial sounds that you hear at four in the morning in the city.
So does HALO even fit into what most of us would label metal? Their label, Relapse, seems to take pride in finding bands that bend and twist styles and genres.
Not sure if HALO fits in at all, Im not particularly familiar with the metal scene, although I cant see HALO fitting in to anything smoothly. Id like to think that HALO appeals to fans of grindcore and so forth, as well as the more experimental end of metal, such as Neurosis, and bands melding heavy sounds with a more experimental and industrial approach.
Lyrically HALO is pretty enigmatic. Most songs seems to concentrate most of their energies on the sonic crushing of the listener. However, upon closer listen the discernable lyrics seem to be connected to the aural intensity of the music.
The lyrics are intrinsically tied to the music they are generally written in my head whilst we are jamming songs, and are a reaction to the sounds we happen to be making at the time. That said, some lyrics are written separately. Also, lyrics tend to be swapped around with different music where it feels right, or changed and rearranged.
Content-wise, the lyrics are pretty much a reflection of my feelings and reactions towards the rest of the world, and interpretations of the interpersonal relationships of the galaxys most dangerous predator.
Thats the main reason that they arent included in our CD packaging the intention is to not present them as finished works by themselves they only completely make sense when they are a part of the music.
While HALO is obviously way off in left field musically, many magazines and webzines seem to be taking note.
Weve been getting a number of great reviews, which is awesome. Its very gratifying to see people getting into music that we have always made for ourselves, without any external thought. Then there are the what the fuck reviews, which are hilarious.
We also get a lot of great emails from fans; particularly gratifying are the ones that say we have inspired them to make their own music.
Our soon-to-be-released EP is named after a comment made by a fan in an email.
Musically HALO is pretty layered upon first listen, and as a duo it would seem nearly impossible to duplicate such an all-consuming sound live.
Although not recently, HALO has played live a fair bit in the past. We did a 3-week tour of the US last year (it was supposed to go for 6 weeks longer, opening for Godflesh) as well as intermittent gigs in Australia before that.
I think the sound is pretty similar, given that we are using the same equipment and methods as when we record. Some reviewers dont understand that there is very little digital manipulation on the recordings all the sounds are performed live. There is less fidelity and definition live, of course, but the same elements are there as on record.
Relapse seems to be a label willing to take chances, and 9 times out of 10 those chances pay off. But still, HALO seems to be a pretty big departure from the more typical grind and brutality of their label-mates.
It was a pretty one-in-a-million chance. We sent a copy of a self-released album to them, and a couple other labels on a whim, and heard nothing for at least a year. Some time later, I got an email from Matt at Relapse. The CD we had sent was the initial release of Guattari, which they reissued, and the rest is history.
As an endnote, I still have the Century Media rejection letter. Or was it Earache? I cant remember.
www.halo.antisound.net
HALO is a band of uncompromising and oppressive aural intensity . . . or simply anti-sound as the band likes to call it. With Body of Light, their latest, HALO finds themselves in near solitary confinement. Very few bands are venturing into such uncharted territory. Not only have they abandoned the usual structures and styles that pigeonhole so many bands, theyve completely erased all preconceived notions of what music is supposed to be.
Formed in Melbourne, Australia in1998 out of the necessity to create something original, HALO consists of Skye Klein (bass, vocals, and samples) and Robert Allen (drums and extra noise). Considering that HALO uses such limited instrumentation, its amazing that such huge and obliterating sounds can be generated by two guys. Skye Klein elaborates:
Weve been around since about 98, when we, Robert and I, started jamming together after the gradual disintegration of a band we had played in together previously. It started as a kind of experiment, with very little forethought as to what music we wanted to make. We wanted to take what we thought of as heavy music further, and to indulge in our love for noise and atmosphere. The bass & drums lineup was just a consequence of our initial jams we liked what we heard, and saw no reason to add any further instrumentation. We started recording ourselves, then self-releasing CDs, and it grew from there.
While Skye seems pretty nonchalant about the sounds HALO so effortlessly assaults the listener with, the songs themselves are strangely arranged and seem almost like an artistically rendered musical landscape.
Most HALO songs are improvisations, generally recorded live to multi-track, so a song comes from whatever we happen to start playing at any given time. As a consequence, most recorded material and live shows are one-off moments. There are some songs that are repeated, and also songs and lyrics that become the basis for new songs its all pretty amorphous, and pretty much dictated by our frame of mind.
HALO would seem to be attempting to create an atmosphere of total density. The entire album seems to envelope the listener in an inescapable darkness.
Im not exactly sure what kind of effect were attempting to create, apart from absolute intensity and singularity of vision. I think were trying to surround the listener, in all possible ways, with sound.
To me, HALO seems to be more of an artists attempt at painting the final apocalypse, but Skye doesnt see it that way.
HALO is definitely music whether that music can be seen as art is entirely up to the listener. I dont know what defines art as such, and have given up attempting to do so.
As a fan of everything Swans related as well as Godflesh, I can hear influences from both bands in HALOs sound. Anybody familiar with early Swans material would note the same oppressive feel that HALO seems so capable of demonstrating.
Did these bands have some influence on HALO?
Some influence, particularly in the early days, in showing that heavy music isnt necessarily metal, but less influence these days. I certainly respect those bands enormous influence on extreme/heavy music, but these days HALO is pretty much influenced by nothing but ourselves.
I think we were influenced by the intensity and purity of pure noise music such as Merzbow, as well as Fudgetunnel, Black Sabbath, and that kind of thing. Speaking for myself, Im far more influenced by My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive than metal, as well as general ambient/industrial sounds that you hear at four in the morning in the city.
So does HALO even fit into what most of us would label metal? Their label, Relapse, seems to take pride in finding bands that bend and twist styles and genres.
Not sure if HALO fits in at all, Im not particularly familiar with the metal scene, although I cant see HALO fitting in to anything smoothly. Id like to think that HALO appeals to fans of grindcore and so forth, as well as the more experimental end of metal, such as Neurosis, and bands melding heavy sounds with a more experimental and industrial approach.
Lyrically HALO is pretty enigmatic. Most songs seems to concentrate most of their energies on the sonic crushing of the listener. However, upon closer listen the discernable lyrics seem to be connected to the aural intensity of the music.
The lyrics are intrinsically tied to the music they are generally written in my head whilst we are jamming songs, and are a reaction to the sounds we happen to be making at the time. That said, some lyrics are written separately. Also, lyrics tend to be swapped around with different music where it feels right, or changed and rearranged.
Content-wise, the lyrics are pretty much a reflection of my feelings and reactions towards the rest of the world, and interpretations of the interpersonal relationships of the galaxys most dangerous predator.
Thats the main reason that they arent included in our CD packaging the intention is to not present them as finished works by themselves they only completely make sense when they are a part of the music.
While HALO is obviously way off in left field musically, many magazines and webzines seem to be taking note.
Weve been getting a number of great reviews, which is awesome. Its very gratifying to see people getting into music that we have always made for ourselves, without any external thought. Then there are the what the fuck reviews, which are hilarious.
We also get a lot of great emails from fans; particularly gratifying are the ones that say we have inspired them to make their own music.
Our soon-to-be-released EP is named after a comment made by a fan in an email.
Musically HALO is pretty layered upon first listen, and as a duo it would seem nearly impossible to duplicate such an all-consuming sound live.
Although not recently, HALO has played live a fair bit in the past. We did a 3-week tour of the US last year (it was supposed to go for 6 weeks longer, opening for Godflesh) as well as intermittent gigs in Australia before that.
I think the sound is pretty similar, given that we are using the same equipment and methods as when we record. Some reviewers dont understand that there is very little digital manipulation on the recordings all the sounds are performed live. There is less fidelity and definition live, of course, but the same elements are there as on record.
Relapse seems to be a label willing to take chances, and 9 times out of 10 those chances pay off. But still, HALO seems to be a pretty big departure from the more typical grind and brutality of their label-mates.
It was a pretty one-in-a-million chance. We sent a copy of a self-released album to them, and a couple other labels on a whim, and heard nothing for at least a year. Some time later, I got an email from Matt at Relapse. The CD we had sent was the initial release of Guattari, which they reissued, and the rest is history.
As an endnote, I still have the Century Media rejection letter. Or was it Earache? I cant remember.
www.halo.antisound.net
