JANUARY 15th, 2025
THE HALO EFFECT
Review by Dmitry Sukhinin
Photos by Polina Kulikovskikh
Photo Gallery: http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/the-halo-effect/

Once upon a time another version of In Flames from some alternative universe… decided to unite in our universe. Every member from The Halo Effect has some relation to In Flames, including Mikael Stanne, who sang on the first In Flames album (ironically, Anders Friden sang on the first Dark Tranquility record, almost like they did a swap afterwards. Haha!). Mikael is coming back to Oslo for the third time within two months - as a frontman of three of his four bands! Five days ago The Halo Effect released their second album, March of the Unheard. It is the first date of their tour, and we are pumped too.

Bloodred Hourglass has the sexiest merch I’ve ever seen. This was intriguing. I had my assumptions on how they would sound and it was, indeed, quite close to my guesses. Intro, and five members are onstage. Three guitarists (and each of them has several instruments that they change as the set progresses). Good sound (though, I do not hear why three guitars are needed) and some of the finest windmilling - they are absolutely killing it! I can hear some good bass (which has normally been an issue in Vulkan). The obvious In Flames influence is there, I also hear a blend of Children Of Bodom, but Bloodred Hourglass are much more diverse. Backtrack supports the show making song transitions very smooth and organic. It is a very well-prepared set, not just a bunch of songs in some order. Damn, it must be dangerous to play after this band! The vocals are superb, and when the vocalist announces the songs in English, - I am puzzled: I cannot recognize the accent, it does not sound Scandinavian, while the music definitely does. But that is only me, - the audience knows the band (and their merch is all around me)!! I am enjoying the show a lot and still trying to guess where they are from, - both melodic, but with some thrashy moments. Finally, closer to the set end: “We are Bloodred Hourglass from Finland”, - now everything makes sense. I should have guessed. Noone. Noone windmills better than finns! Jarkko Koukonen is a very diverse vocalist, and when he speaks, it feels like he is working in a radio, or TV - it is a very well-set voice.

The Halo Effect sees a traditional intro, artsy lights and regretfully no Jesper Strömblad on guitar (Patrik Jensen is filling in). The Halo Effect have even bigger sound than the opener, and massive bass delivered by charismatic Peter Iwers. I feel like I am writing about someone’s good sound every time, but this is not something that you should take for granted - I’ve also seen loads of big bands with terrible sound - it feels that you are listening to a supergroup - the experience is definitely there.

Stage presence? Mikael Stanne looks very happy jumping around the stage. The band establishes eye contact with the audience, which is very engaging. Niclas Engelin (guitar) loses his in-ears a couple of times (while mingling with the audience), but in general the show goes very smoothly. The band is much better live than on the recordings - much more grove and energy. One can’t help to compare them to other Swedish exports. Having seen Dark Tranquility very recently in the same club, I think I prefer The Halo Effect live over Dark Tranquility.

The light engineer uses the same color palette as the recently released record. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Thank you for 13 songs!