Nice! Weird for them to release it like this, but THE can be unconventional in this way so it's all good.
The Halo Effect - New Album 2023/2024
- Thread starter DE4life
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Moonshield_
Member
Wow, I was coming here to say how basic, simplistic, repetitive and undevelopped this song sounds to me but after watching the video and witnessing this fabulous intro I'm way more enthusiast!
It felt absolutely magical, juste like on Conditional
Moreover, I love the production on this one. Very poppy but I've accepted THE is not about agression anyway.
It felt absolutely magical, juste like on Conditional
Moreover, I love the production on this one. Very poppy but I've accepted THE is not about agression anyway.
The Grayfox
#MusicTheoryBro
Love that intro and it really helps the song feel more complete in some way. I wonder why it doesn't open the album, but I'm sure they had their reasons. Definitely looking forward to the album. And another six singles.
Cronopio
Glorious Imperator
I don't fanboy very much these days, but these guys still manage to bring back that feeling I had as a mid-to-late teen, where stuff like In Flames, DT, Soilwork, ATG, Arch Enemy, etc just blew me away. There isn't much MDM that does that for me these days - I would put it down to genre fatigue but I've been listening to Power Metal since the early 2000s as well and I still hear new stuff that gets me majorly pumped up, so I don't think it's that. THE just has that sound which I'll always love, and that you just don't hear anymore. Not properly, anyway. ATG still does a good job instrumentally, but I can't stand Lindberg's vocals these days. Stanne, on the other hand, sounds pretty much perfect to me in THE.
Xpyro125
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Modern MDM generally goes for the modern core-styled downtuned chugging, so I don’t feel it whatsoever either. THE actually feels like melodeath, since it’s actually, you know, melodic. I won’t go on a tirade right now since I’m at work, but I really think that modern metalcore and its stylistic pitfalls have been completely fucking over so many newer bands and works in all different subgenres— Obviously it’s not everyone, bands like Boston Manor and HFTS (Very different styles) are going surprisingly strong by avoiding modern core, but bands I once found interesting like Erra and Spiritbox are simply lackluster these days with how their creativity’s nearly-completely run dry. Of course, this has led so many bands to just do what they do.
In any case, God bless THE for being real melodeath.
In any case, God bless THE for being real melodeath.
There have been a handful of MDM albums I've really enjoyed over the past few years. Nightrage's Wolf To Man was something I really liked, and even though most didn't agree, I also got a lot of mileage out of Arch Enemy's Will to Power as well. Soilwork's Verkligheten and DT's Atoma both had some solid rotation for me as well.
But yeah, even the modern MDM albums I've enjoyed haven't embodied that older spirit as such. I've just enjoyed them for what they are. THE's stuff is the closest I've come to feeling that classic Gothenburg vibe again, and I doubt anybody else could really come close to doing what these guys do.
Of course we have to mention Foregone as that's basically a lost In Flames about straight out of 1996. So back to the roots it basically is the roots. However it seems unfair to bring it into the conversation as it's basically The Jester Race but even better.
But yeah, even the modern MDM albums I've enjoyed haven't embodied that older spirit as such. I've just enjoyed them for what they are. THE's stuff is the closest I've come to feeling that classic Gothenburg vibe again, and I doubt anybody else could really come close to doing what these guys do.
Of course we have to mention Foregone as that's basically a lost In Flames about straight out of 1996. So back to the roots it basically is the roots. However it seems unfair to bring it into the conversation as it's basically The Jester Race but even better.
Moonshield_
Member
Finally you admit it. In Flames tried hard to produce good melodic death metal between their 93-2011 era but they've always failed until 2014 and I think we all know that.
In fact, true Gothenburg sound = Siren Charms/Battles/Foregone
Xpyro125
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I think there’s a couple classics on all those albums (I wouldn’t really class Verk as MDM at this point, but maybe I’m wrong), but I think newer “melodeath” bands in particular are massive letdowns. Maybe I just haven’t been looking in the right places for underrated/overlooked hidden gems of bands, but so much of what I’ve found is just deathcore with 2% more melody (And considering shit like Where Owls Know My Name, that’s more MDM than some of the “MDM” shit I’ve found), and it’s just not for me. There are a few newer melodeath bands that harken back to the Finnish style of melodeath, and that is cool, but I really want the Gothenburg sound in full force— Creative and progressive or classic and “safe”. THE is the closest there is, and it kind of sucks to see that that’s it. Arch Enemy does little for me— Deceivers just isn’t a good album to me— and Overgivenheten was a total borefest. It’s the same shit with that kind of “second-wave” metalcore (as I refer to it anyways) where it was more MDM-inspired back in the early to mid 2000s— Modern metalcore is just everything that I find to be the death of melody and creativity within metal, and that’s spread to other subgenres I love. Sure, there are a few good bands and good moments, but something like Oscillator from Make Them Suffer (Which I don’t hate) just doesn’t scratch the itch as something like Next Life by In This Moment.
It just makes me worried that when the classic bands retire, there just won’t be much in the way of new classic melodeath. I really hope I’m wrong about that, lots of love for 90s alt rock and shoegaze has reinvigorated those genres, but I’m not so sure it’ll be the same with modern metalcore dominating the style a ton of metal bands seem to go with these days. It’s just what people like, I guess— Lord knows that’s what you’ll see from Nik Nocturnal’s comment section.
I hope I’m wrong in the future.
Seeing how they have writing material during the past year, and they still seem to be in the writing process, the must be the first band to have two or three albums written and recorded years before they are released.
Blast_The_Virginborn
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The Grayfox
#MusicTheoryBro
Xpyro125
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It’s good, but honestly, I feel like I’ve just heard it before. It doesn’t feel like The Needless End, but it’s in the same key, the verses remind me of Conditional, the solo reminds me of the beginning of Gateways’ solo. I’m all for THE going for the same sound and style without much experimentation if the compositions are at least going to be distinct from each other, but they just aren’t to me here. I guess to put it this way, nothing we’ve heard from these three singles feel like a progression from nor noticeably different from anything from DotL compositionally— The production, Mikael’s vocals, and the drum sound are all different, yes, but otherwise these feel almost interchangeable with the tracks off DotL. I’d say they’re inferior, but I do have to question if I’m suffering from bias due to DotL’s existence beforehand.
The chorus is almost really enjoyable, and at least is completely original, but I find that the production on Mikael’s cleans lack the fullness with the lower end to round them out well. I don’t know if that’s usually achieved with a second vocal track or if it’s studio magic, but whatever normally makes his vocals shine is somewhat missing here. I will say that I do like them more than I dislike them, especially since the harsh vocals at the end of the chorus is a rather nice curveball to make it different from In Broken Trust and A Truth Worth Lying For. Speaking of the drums, I think Daniel’s playing is a step above his usual efforts in THE, which is awesome, but the kit still sounds like a massive step down to me. Additionally, the synth in the intro just hit right for some reason. I couldn’t tell you why, but it’s easily my favorite part of the song.
I’ve done a lot of complaining here, but I do think it’s a fine song on its own. I just wish the band would take some risks and be a little more ‘progressive’, give us more like Gateways at the very least. I hate when bands get safer on subsequent efforts instead of being hungry and challenging themselves further, which is what I’ve been feeling throughout these entire singles. The only thing I’ve really been in love with is the intro in the March of the Unheard music video, which I can only pray is on the full album. The title track’s definitely my favorite of the three singles so far, but compared to anything off DotL, it only beats The Most Alone. I’m just hoping they’ve saved the killers for the full album release like with DotL.
The chorus is almost really enjoyable, and at least is completely original, but I find that the production on Mikael’s cleans lack the fullness with the lower end to round them out well. I don’t know if that’s usually achieved with a second vocal track or if it’s studio magic, but whatever normally makes his vocals shine is somewhat missing here. I will say that I do like them more than I dislike them, especially since the harsh vocals at the end of the chorus is a rather nice curveball to make it different from In Broken Trust and A Truth Worth Lying For. Speaking of the drums, I think Daniel’s playing is a step above his usual efforts in THE, which is awesome, but the kit still sounds like a massive step down to me. Additionally, the synth in the intro just hit right for some reason. I couldn’t tell you why, but it’s easily my favorite part of the song.
I’ve done a lot of complaining here, but I do think it’s a fine song on its own. I just wish the band would take some risks and be a little more ‘progressive’, give us more like Gateways at the very least. I hate when bands get safer on subsequent efforts instead of being hungry and challenging themselves further, which is what I’ve been feeling throughout these entire singles. The only thing I’ve really been in love with is the intro in the March of the Unheard music video, which I can only pray is on the full album. The title track’s definitely my favorite of the three singles so far, but compared to anything off DotL, it only beats The Most Alone. I’m just hoping they’ve saved the killers for the full album release like with DotL.
It's unfair to say that he is the weakest part. There is very little room for the vocals, there's not a whole lot of different stuff he could do that would fit the song here honestly.
It's also maybe a bit fatiguing to hear his voice coming from 3 or 4 different bands in the past year before things start all sounding alike, and that's not his fault.
As for the song itself, I like it. I don't mind the clean vocals I just wish there was some intensity behind them, most of recent Stanne clean work could easily fit on an EDM track the way its performed and produced. I do like these tracks that tend to be more on the melancholic sounding side of things.
It's also maybe a bit fatiguing to hear his voice coming from 3 or 4 different bands in the past year before things start all sounding alike, and that's not his fault.
As for the song itself, I like it. I don't mind the clean vocals I just wish there was some intensity behind them, most of recent Stanne clean work could easily fit on an EDM track the way its performed and produced. I do like these tracks that tend to be more on the melancholic sounding side of things.
I still think that he's the weakest part. It's not about the "room" that's left for his voice because it was the same for the previous album. So far, his vocal parts seem to be less inspired that they were in DOTL. So yeah,for me he's being the weak point in these past three singles. I hope that he does a better job in the rest of the album.
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