The Halo Effect - New Album 2023/2024
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Xpyro125
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Moonshield_
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Moonshield_
Member
Ok, so you have to go with Foregone as a punishment.
The Grayfox
Nija
As a whole album, I think MotU is a lot more fluid and just flows really nicely together. It feels like a cohesive effort. And it's a very solid one.
Also, their setlist for the headline tour:
This Curse of Silence
March of the Unheard
Feel What I Believe
In Broken Trust
The Needless End
Detonate
Conditional
Cruel Perception
A Truth Worth Lying For
Become Surrender
What We Become
Gateways
Last of Our Kind
Days of the Lost
Shadowminds
Coda (outro)
Kind of sucks they're only playing video songs from MotU, but oh well.
Also, their setlist for the headline tour:
This Curse of Silence
March of the Unheard
Feel What I Believe
In Broken Trust
The Needless End
Detonate
Conditional
Cruel Perception
A Truth Worth Lying For
Become Surrender
What We Become
Gateways
Last of Our Kind
Days of the Lost
Shadowminds
Coda (outro)
Kind of sucks they're only playing video songs from MotU, but oh well.
Moonshield_
Member
I'll go with Battles because I want to keep my instincts sharp.
I think there is some recency bias with MotU. Very little mention of the fact that at least two songs on the album are just different variations of Conditional, lol. It doesn't bother me but it should be acknowledged. If it was IF I think we'd be pointing it out (but the songs would also be shit, which would make it worse).
I find DotL to be more interesting and fresh, whilst MotU is more like slipping into a pair of comfortable slippers. Both are great but nothing on MotU hit me as hard as Conditional did the first time I heard it. I'm also one of the few who really, really likes Shadowminds, and I'd still class Days of the Lost and Feel What I Believe as more exciting tracks than anything on MotU.
I think someone said it a couple of pages back, but basically the highs of DotL are greater than those on MotU, but MotU is more consistent as an overall album.
I find DotL to be more interesting and fresh, whilst MotU is more like slipping into a pair of comfortable slippers. Both are great but nothing on MotU hit me as hard as Conditional did the first time I heard it. I'm also one of the few who really, really likes Shadowminds, and I'd still class Days of the Lost and Feel What I Believe as more exciting tracks than anything on MotU.
I think someone said it a couple of pages back, but basically the highs of DotL are greater than those on MotU, but MotU is more consistent as an overall album.
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That was me. The issue with DOTL is that there is a vast difference in how interesting there are the songs. I reject to say quality. But, there are some songs that really stand out while others are just ok. While MOTU is more cohesive. The are no lows or highs. At least not highs that grab more attention than the overall album. In that, MOTU is a better album. And, it's an album that gains with more and more listens because there are a lot of guitar overlays that are almost hidden by the main melodies and make the whole thing even better.
I think it depends on the level you see highs and lows on a less consistent album though. If one album is consistent 7/10 for every song and another varies between 7/10 and 10/10 songs then the less consistent album is still better.
DotL doesn't really have any lows for me on the sense of bad songs, so it's then a case of whether the really great songs tip the balance versus the consistency of MotU, and at this point I don't know. I'd need much more time with MotU before I can decide, but either way the preference is going to be miniscule because I find both albums to be excellent regardless.
DotL doesn't really have any lows for me on the sense of bad songs, so it's then a case of whether the really great songs tip the balance versus the consistency of MotU, and at this point I don't know. I'd need much more time with MotU before I can decide, but either way the preference is going to be miniscule because I find both albums to be excellent regardless.
Yes. As I said it's not a matter of quality as it is about how much I enjoy the songs. There are some, Conditional, FWIB, that I listen to a lot while others, well, if I skip them I don't miss them at all.
Instead, MOTU, so far, feels, I feel, like there is a compact effort. That every song benefits from the global and the global benefits from every song. That doesn't happen with DOTL.
Instead, MOTU, so far, feels, I feel, like there is a compact effort. That every song benefits from the global and the global benefits from every song. That doesn't happen with DOTL.
Songs like IBT or ATWLF, I don't care that much about them. Then when listening to MOTU, maybe, if I think about them in an individual way, I would not care about, probably, a couple of songs but, when I listen to the album, I feel like I'm missing something if I skip them.
Even the songs that I wasn't sure about, like the last single, I'm liking them more the more that I listen to them.
Even the songs that I wasn't sure about, like the last single, I'm liking them more the more that I listen to them.
Moonshield_
Member
Hey don't get me wrong, Conditional-style songs are very much welcome. I just feel like a couple of tracks on MotU are a little too similar. Detonate is the obvious one. Our Channel to the Darkness also comes too close in the verses for comfort. I mean, there's one point where Mikael growls "burrnnnn" in the exact same way, and it's basically the same vocal hook as is on Conditional. As much as I like Conditional, I don't need parts of it already being repeated on only the second album.
It's funny because a lot of people called out DotL for not taking any risks at the time, but when you compare it to MotU, you find that wasn't really fair. There was some experimental stuff going on there, which is why the album perhaps doesn't flow as well as MotU. It feels like a groudswell of pent up ideas being unleashed, whereas MotU is a more concentrated and calculated set of songs which merge together in a better way from start to finish, but lack slightly in unpredictability. That sounds like I'm being negative about MotU, but that's certainly not the case as I think the album is superb. I just feel DotL was more interesting as a collection of songs, even if it wasn't as cohesive as the follow up. I guess as a personal preference I prefer a little chaos in an album - I like being (pleasantly) surprised. I'm obviously not talking about "The Truth" or "This Is Our House" kind of surprise, but if we're using IF as a comparison, more like a "Cloud Connected" or "Evil in a Closet" kind of surprise. Something you don't expect but is actually pretty cool.
Probably the weakest part of DotL are the cleans, simply because they feel too dry. That's definitely improved on MotU, although there isn't a huge amount of clean vocals on either album anyway.
It's funny because a lot of people called out DotL for not taking any risks at the time, but when you compare it to MotU, you find that wasn't really fair. There was some experimental stuff going on there, which is why the album perhaps doesn't flow as well as MotU. It feels like a groudswell of pent up ideas being unleashed, whereas MotU is a more concentrated and calculated set of songs which merge together in a better way from start to finish, but lack slightly in unpredictability. That sounds like I'm being negative about MotU, but that's certainly not the case as I think the album is superb. I just feel DotL was more interesting as a collection of songs, even if it wasn't as cohesive as the follow up. I guess as a personal preference I prefer a little chaos in an album - I like being (pleasantly) surprised. I'm obviously not talking about "The Truth" or "This Is Our House" kind of surprise, but if we're using IF as a comparison, more like a "Cloud Connected" or "Evil in a Closet" kind of surprise. Something you don't expect but is actually pretty cool.
Probably the weakest part of DotL are the cleans, simply because they feel too dry. That's definitely improved on MotU, although there isn't a huge amount of clean vocals on either album anyway.
I fail to see any similarity between Detonate and Conditional. Not in the structure or mood of the songs. Not in the riffing or the verses. Conditional sounds like IF while Detonate has a strong Iron Maiden vibe.
As for cleans, in my opinion, they are far better in MOTU. They fit better the songs and the songs themselves aren't as similar as they were IBT and ATWDF.
Then, when it comes to the experimental part, the only song that really surprised me in DOTL was Gateways. In that regards, I feel, mostly, the same about Between Directions.
Yes. I also feel that this album is less varied but, at the same time, I feel that this is the album where they definitely stablish their sound. TODL was the foundation while MOTU is the confirmation.
As for cleans, in my opinion, they are far better in MOTU. They fit better the songs and the songs themselves aren't as similar as they were IBT and ATWDF.
Then, when it comes to the experimental part, the only song that really surprised me in DOTL was Gateways. In that regards, I feel, mostly, the same about Between Directions.
Yes. I also feel that this album is less varied but, at the same time, I feel that this is the album where they definitely stablish their sound. TODL was the foundation while MOTU is the confirmation.
Xpyro125
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I definitely don’t hear the resemblance between Detonate and Conditional. I think there’s a 30-40% resemblance to Conditional on Our Channel, but it’s different enough even in those regards to where I don’t just feel like throwing Conditional back on because it does all of that better. Not to say that it does any of it worse, absolutely not, and it’s easily still in my top two or three from DotL. I also feel like a couple elements of What We Become share some similarities to Conditional, but those are minute details at that.
The way I see both albums, when breaking them down to individual songs, they do go almost even— I will say that I’ve come around a lot on Detonate since I first scored everything. It’s still my least favorite off of the album, but not by much, and it’s become a pretty cool song in my mind when not worrying about things being homogenous. It very much has a distinct place and purpose in the album, and that’s something I will touch on. But for me, I’d say individual songs go about even, maybe a bit in MotU’s favor, save for The Most Alone being a mediocre song to me. The drumwork is better, though the sound of the kit is worse. However, the production, harsh vocals and utilization of clean vocals are absolutely better on MotU. While I have been critical of things not being adventurous enough on DotL, that’s moreso a criticism of the album than individual songs.
And I think that’s what I really love about MotU, it just feels like more of what I’d want out of a THE album. Both albums have the order of the tracks just about perfect (Conspire to Deceive is a wonderful opener, to the point where I do kind of get why they chose that instead of This Curse of Silence and the title track), though the lack of variety on DotL was already enough of a problem for me before MotU came out. I’ll give credit to the title track for its faster tempo, Gateways for being Gateways, Last of Our Kind for the orchestration, thrashier riffing, and feature, and to The Most Alone for being an experimentally moody closer that I can respect even if I don’t care for it. Otherwise though, there’s a lot that seriously blends together on the album, and I did have to stretch with giving the title track credit, since it and Feel What I Believe have quite a few similarities. Meanwhile, MotU has Cruel Perception being the only really DT-sounding song, Curse being the interlude, Between Directions being the Gateways of the album plus Katatonia-feeling clean vocals, A Death That Becomes Us for its southern drawl and groove metal riffing, The Burning Point for having the most classic IF melodic guitars, and Coda for being the THE’s Acoustic Medley/Themes and Variations that is completely distinct from Curse despite the possibility of them making it too similar to Curse being a very easy pitfall for them to fall into. Detonate and What We Become are the only two tracks that feel even remotely safe to me— Sure, Cruel Perception could’ve easily slotted into DotL, but it’s its own thing on MotU.
If we were to flip the order each album released in, I think everyone would have very different reactions to them. While it’s absolutely valid to hold expectations for March after DotL, and my expectations were raised higher and higher with each single, I have no doubt in my mind that DotL is held in as high of regard as it is because it was first, because it was fresher, and because of the hype of seeing everyone come together. THE’s formation was nothing short of a pipe dream, and even with me loving March, there is no matching the hype of when they made their initial announcements, when they dropped Shadowminds, and when they first played the album in full at Sweden Rock Festival before the whole album was released. Even when I first listened to Between Directions, which absolutely blew my mind, there was nothing like the excitement of hearing the whole album live. March was never going to be any sort of competition to DotL in that regard, but in terms of quality as a complete album front to back? In terms of delivering what I want? It absolutely did more for me than DotL did, and I feel that more listening back to DotL in retrospect. If March was released first, I’d love it just as much, if not more. If DotL was released second, I would still love it, but it’d undoubtedly be a disappointment to me after March.
But that’s just going off of what I’d want in a follow-up. At the end of the day, I’m only speaking for myself, save for saying that everyone would have different reactions to the albums if the order was flipped. I don’t know what those reactions would be, and maybe some people, especially here, would be just as happy with DotL second as they are March second. There were a couple commenters on the full album stream who were disappointed in MotU after listening to DotL. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that in the slightest, and I’m happy that others are able to find just as much enjoyment in DotL as they did initially, or even prefer it to March. It is still a great album, and each individual song is just as fantastic to me as they were initially— Hell, I’d definitely rate Feel What I Believe higher than I did initially, just like with Detonate. But I think that perfectly represents my stance: I feel like Detonate’s purpose and distinctiveness are far better realized on MotU than FWIB’s is on DotL. The adventurousness of the rest of MotU makes Detonate that much better, unique, and exciting in retrospect, especially when I listen to the album start to finish. I can’t say the same for FWIB, even if I appreciate it now a lot more than I did then.
The way I see both albums, when breaking them down to individual songs, they do go almost even— I will say that I’ve come around a lot on Detonate since I first scored everything. It’s still my least favorite off of the album, but not by much, and it’s become a pretty cool song in my mind when not worrying about things being homogenous. It very much has a distinct place and purpose in the album, and that’s something I will touch on. But for me, I’d say individual songs go about even, maybe a bit in MotU’s favor, save for The Most Alone being a mediocre song to me. The drumwork is better, though the sound of the kit is worse. However, the production, harsh vocals and utilization of clean vocals are absolutely better on MotU. While I have been critical of things not being adventurous enough on DotL, that’s moreso a criticism of the album than individual songs.
And I think that’s what I really love about MotU, it just feels like more of what I’d want out of a THE album. Both albums have the order of the tracks just about perfect (Conspire to Deceive is a wonderful opener, to the point where I do kind of get why they chose that instead of This Curse of Silence and the title track), though the lack of variety on DotL was already enough of a problem for me before MotU came out. I’ll give credit to the title track for its faster tempo, Gateways for being Gateways, Last of Our Kind for the orchestration, thrashier riffing, and feature, and to The Most Alone for being an experimentally moody closer that I can respect even if I don’t care for it. Otherwise though, there’s a lot that seriously blends together on the album, and I did have to stretch with giving the title track credit, since it and Feel What I Believe have quite a few similarities. Meanwhile, MotU has Cruel Perception being the only really DT-sounding song, Curse being the interlude, Between Directions being the Gateways of the album plus Katatonia-feeling clean vocals, A Death That Becomes Us for its southern drawl and groove metal riffing, The Burning Point for having the most classic IF melodic guitars, and Coda for being the THE’s Acoustic Medley/Themes and Variations that is completely distinct from Curse despite the possibility of them making it too similar to Curse being a very easy pitfall for them to fall into. Detonate and What We Become are the only two tracks that feel even remotely safe to me— Sure, Cruel Perception could’ve easily slotted into DotL, but it’s its own thing on MotU.
If we were to flip the order each album released in, I think everyone would have very different reactions to them. While it’s absolutely valid to hold expectations for March after DotL, and my expectations were raised higher and higher with each single, I have no doubt in my mind that DotL is held in as high of regard as it is because it was first, because it was fresher, and because of the hype of seeing everyone come together. THE’s formation was nothing short of a pipe dream, and even with me loving March, there is no matching the hype of when they made their initial announcements, when they dropped Shadowminds, and when they first played the album in full at Sweden Rock Festival before the whole album was released. Even when I first listened to Between Directions, which absolutely blew my mind, there was nothing like the excitement of hearing the whole album live. March was never going to be any sort of competition to DotL in that regard, but in terms of quality as a complete album front to back? In terms of delivering what I want? It absolutely did more for me than DotL did, and I feel that more listening back to DotL in retrospect. If March was released first, I’d love it just as much, if not more. If DotL was released second, I would still love it, but it’d undoubtedly be a disappointment to me after March.
But that’s just going off of what I’d want in a follow-up. At the end of the day, I’m only speaking for myself, save for saying that everyone would have different reactions to the albums if the order was flipped. I don’t know what those reactions would be, and maybe some people, especially here, would be just as happy with DotL second as they are March second. There were a couple commenters on the full album stream who were disappointed in MotU after listening to DotL. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that in the slightest, and I’m happy that others are able to find just as much enjoyment in DotL as they did initially, or even prefer it to March. It is still a great album, and each individual song is just as fantastic to me as they were initially— Hell, I’d definitely rate Feel What I Believe higher than I did initially, just like with Detonate. But I think that perfectly represents my stance: I feel like Detonate’s purpose and distinctiveness are far better realized on MotU than FWIB’s is on DotL. The adventurousness of the rest of MotU makes Detonate that much better, unique, and exciting in retrospect, especially when I listen to the album start to finish. I can’t say the same for FWIB, even if I appreciate it now a lot more than I did then.
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