Halo
Body of Light
Relapse 2003
By Nathan Pearce
Anybody unfamiliar with Relapse should not buy this thinking you will be getting the usual dose from the label. If you are familiar with Relapse but unfamiliar with Halo . . . be careful. This is Halos first release with Relapse (as far as I know), and it follows much the same, noisy path their previous material has.
Halo is a brutal ambient-noise duo from Australia (as far as I can tell . . . the band is pretty enigmatic). For someone unfamiliar with Halo, think of Sunn 0))) and Godflesh trying to make music while pissed off so much they cant decide whether to kill someone/themselves or create music. Halo is atmospheric in the sense that nothing they do is about groove or riffs; consequently, everything they do is about the feeling of total oppression put to music. Dont look for any resemblance of a beat or even a typical guitar riff. Everything has been warped and twisted with feedback, digital manipulation, and just plain noise.
On one hand Halo is terribly hard to get into (this coming from a fan of noise), but on the other hand Halo is easy to feel. Anybody listening to the band for the first time will undoubtedly come away feeling the anger and dissent the band intends for the listener to feel. However, after several listens, things start to unravel. Halo doesnt create songs; they create artistic soundscapes.
Think of a large open field. Everything is gone . . . the grass, the trees, the buildings, even the people. The sun has set and the apocalypse has taken its toll on humanity. Halo will be heard playing in the background for a scene like that. Halo is the rare band that truly hates everything happening in the music world. They are destroying everything good about music, and they are doing it for our own good.
9/10
www.halo.antisound.net
www.relapse.com
Body of Light
Relapse 2003
By Nathan Pearce
Anybody unfamiliar with Relapse should not buy this thinking you will be getting the usual dose from the label. If you are familiar with Relapse but unfamiliar with Halo . . . be careful. This is Halos first release with Relapse (as far as I know), and it follows much the same, noisy path their previous material has.
Halo is a brutal ambient-noise duo from Australia (as far as I can tell . . . the band is pretty enigmatic). For someone unfamiliar with Halo, think of Sunn 0))) and Godflesh trying to make music while pissed off so much they cant decide whether to kill someone/themselves or create music. Halo is atmospheric in the sense that nothing they do is about groove or riffs; consequently, everything they do is about the feeling of total oppression put to music. Dont look for any resemblance of a beat or even a typical guitar riff. Everything has been warped and twisted with feedback, digital manipulation, and just plain noise.
On one hand Halo is terribly hard to get into (this coming from a fan of noise), but on the other hand Halo is easy to feel. Anybody listening to the band for the first time will undoubtedly come away feeling the anger and dissent the band intends for the listener to feel. However, after several listens, things start to unravel. Halo doesnt create songs; they create artistic soundscapes.
Think of a large open field. Everything is gone . . . the grass, the trees, the buildings, even the people. The sun has set and the apocalypse has taken its toll on humanity. Halo will be heard playing in the background for a scene like that. Halo is the rare band that truly hates everything happening in the music world. They are destroying everything good about music, and they are doing it for our own good.
9/10
www.halo.antisound.net
www.relapse.com
