The Halo Effect - March of the Unheard (2025)

Unleashing an earlier contender for album of the year, The Halo Effect returns with the excellent “March of the Unheard”. Continuing their In Flames-meets-Dark Tranquillity explorations of the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal sound, the band delivers twelve tracks and over 42-minutes of superbly catchy and engaging music with a certain softer tone to keep things more mellow and accessible.

Opening with the bombastic “Conspire to Deceive”, we get the signature riffing of Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad alongside Mikael Stanne’s snarls in a very catchy and engaging package. As the album progresses with “Detonate”, “Our Channel to the Darkness”, and “Cruel Perception”, the band showcases their signature sound while inserting some versatility with different tempos, dramatic guitar leads and an overall mastery of melody and pace.

Other tracks like “This Curse of Silence”, show a different and more melancholic side to things, changing the pace before total bangers like “March of the Unheard”, “Forever Astray” with Mikael’s soaring clean vocals, and “Between Directions” alongside very dramatic classical arrangements. With short and direct tracks, the band manages to keep the listener hooked from start to end, on pieces like “A Death That Becomes Us” and “The Burning Point”.

As a whole, “March of the Unheard” is a killer release that showcases the band’s dominance of the genre, while introducing some interesting arrangements in pieces like “Between Directions” and the closer “Coda”. Highly recommended for fans of Melodic Death Metal and bands like In Flames and DT, this release is dynamic, highly engaging, and a very fun listen to start the year.

Label: Nuclear Blast

Release: January 10th, 2025

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Sweden