It seems like only yesterday I was writing about a supergroup helmed by Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity fame. That’s because I just covered Cemetery Skyline, his Goth rock project that dropped the very successful Nordic Gothic release late last year. Now in the blink of a Mind’s I, he’s back with the sophomore outing from The Halo Effect. This star-studded collective features various past members of In Flames. It’s essentially a salute to the early days of the Gothenburg sound, with an approach that conjures nostalgia of the glory days of both Dark Tranquillity and In Flames equally. This formula largely worked on 2022s Days of the Lost, and it works again on March of the Unheard. Part of that may be the enduring appeal of the core sound, but a lot of it comes from the sheer talent and charisma of the assembled cast. Aiding in the charm offensive, there’s a greater incorporation of traditional metal ideas and influences this time out, as well as more consistently interesting songsmithing. This makes what could have been a yawner of the throwback album something just a bit more compelling.
If you need an elevator pitch for what to expect here, think Fiction / We Are the Void era Dark Tranquillity meets Whoracle era In Flames. On paper that seems enticing and in practice it works quite well too. Opener “Conspire to Deceive” reminds me why I fell for the Gothenburg sound back in the early 90s. Stanne is his usual badass self, utterly comfortable in his melodeath growls and barks as melodic but crunchy leads and polished, glossy harmonies envelope him. The guitar work by Jesper Strömblad (Ex-Hammerfall, ex-In Flames) and Niclas Engelin (ex-Gardenia, ex-In Flames) is bright and shiny, full of melodic noodling but girded by meaty riffs. It reads more like a DT cut overall and that’s just fine by me. “Detonate” is just a fun, rocking dose of melodeath that belongs on your cardio playlists toot sweet. It’s uncomplicated and catchy and Stanne owns the hooky chorus. “Our Channel to the Darkness” is very much a DT creation at its core, thrashy, punchy, dark and regal. This could appear on any DT album from Damage Done to We Are the Void and be right at home. The riffs have bite and aggression and Stanne sounds extra venomous.
I’ll admit I kept waiting for March of the Unheard to go off the rails and become stale and boring. The strength of the album’s first half surprised me, but what really got my goat was how consistent all the material is. Tracks like “Cruel Perception” and “What We Become” offer melodeath fans all they could want, and later cut “Forever Astray” marries DT’s cold, sterile aesthetic with gleaming and glorious guitar harmonies for a rousing ride as Stanne throws in some effective clean singing for extra oomph. “Between Directions” drills down into DT’s frigid sound and again nails the clean bits for maximum maximumness. Only the inclusion of a relatively bland mid-album interlude and a long and unnecessary symphonic/folksy instrumental closer mar what is a very enjoyable romp through the salad days of Swedish metal. At 48-plus minutes, the album feels a touch too long due to the instrumental padding, but it’s still easy enough to spin. The sound and mix are fine for the material, with enough meat on the guitars and allowing Stanne enough room to shine.
Speaking of which, Stanne continues to be a legend in the melodeath universe and he’s aging like fine wine. He adds +2 to every song he graces and the man is a boon to whatever project he touches. His always expert delivery is enhanced by the solid and polished guitar work from Strömblad and Engelin. They split time mining the main acts of the members for inspiration, but they also bring in bits and pieces of Omnium Gatherum and Insominum and add subtle nods to the NWoBHM as well. It’s melodeath made for those of us who were there at ground zero in the 90s and offers nothing new whatsoever. That’s okay though when the writing and execution is this solid.
You can appreciate March of the Unheard as a lost Dark Tranquillity album or as a slick homage to a specific moment in metal history and it works well both ways. This is a superior album to Days of the Lost with a much greater replay potential and I’ve been surprised by how vital and fresh much of it is. Remove the instrumental flab and this clicks up to very good. Not bad for a bunch of olde dawgs retreading their own ancient stomping grounds. Here’s to the olden ways in these confusing modern days.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: thehaloeffect.band | instagram.com/thehaloeffectse
Releases Worldwide: January 10th, 2025
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