There was a significant period where melodic death metal was in decline as the legends of the genre diversified their sound and experimented with other genres but the rise of melodeath supergroup, The Halo Effect, could be the start of a new wave of melodeath. Made up of members of In Flames and Dark Tranquility, The Halo Effect finally brought their headline tour to the UK in support of March Of The Unheard. Pain and Bloodred Hourglass acted as support.
First up was Bloodred Hourglass and they were an impressive group from even just a manpower stance. The band had 3 guitarists and made full use of all of that melodic power as they utilised harmonised guitar lines and melodies as often as possible in the same vein as Soilwork and even Children of Bodom at times.
Their stage presence was really engaging and set a high standard for a night of Swedish metal despite Bloodred Hourglass hailing from Finland, a fact that a learned ear could figure out from just a few songs. Melodic death metal is a niche genre with a very specific sound but the fact you can tell bands apart based on their home countries’ interpretations of the genre speaks to how eclectic the genre is as well as how much craft goes into creating a unique approach to the genre.
Next up was Pain, their set was over-stuffed with manic energy and Eurovision sounds and even guest appearances from some kind of weird costumed figure giving people the finger. Apparently this is all standard for a Pain show which was absolutely incredible.
It’s strange to hear clean vocals so prominently on a bill like this but luckily vocalist Peter Tagtren does a great job of still maintaining that gruff metal bravado even during the more synth-driven tracks like ‘Don’t Wake the Dead,’ he even manages to fit in a brilliant Boris Karloff impression during ‘Zombie Slam’. The heavier tracks like ‘Call Me’ benefit especially from these vocal stylings in particular and he even manages to have some authentic blues feeling on ‘Have a Drink on Me’.
‘Have a Drink on Me’ was also the one of several costume changes and featured the band donning cowboy hats and slide guitar work as the band sat down and threw down a heavy metal blues rock track complete with a classic ZZ Top swagger. This song speaks to how eclectic Pain can be from a songwriting standpoint, there’s clearly a wealth of different influences that make up the band and they’re obviously willing to celebrate that.
The Eurovision sound is the biggest selling point of Pain, their techno inspiration makes them fairly unique on tracks like ‘Go With the Flow’ which also features a mini keytar solo. The balance of metal and dance is perfect on tracks like ‘Suicide Machine’ which also features some stellar hair-ography from the whole band.
Pain finished their set with ‘Shut Your Mouth,’ an attitude-filled metal rager complete with a costumed creature throwing up middle fingers and a melody that will never leave your head after just one listen. A brilliant set from Pain left everyone ready for even more Swedish heavy metal as everyone prepared for The Halo Effect.
The Halo Effect took to the stage as they opened with the title track from their brand new album, March Of The Unheard. There’s an immediately recognisable and comfortable sound of pure Swedish melodic death metal filling the room, harmonised guitars, gorgeous melodies all held together by savage drumming and it’s all mixed beautifully.
There are tracks that border on power metal like the brilliant ‘Feel What I Believe’ which gave the setlist some interesting ebb and flow as they mixed in slower more ballad-like tracks including ‘Conditional’. There are even acapella sing-along moments throughout the show, particularly on ‘The Needless End’. Mikael Stanne quips “You successfully turned a metal show into a football game”, a skill that many Mancs possess.
Mikael Stanne gives an insight into what In Flames might have been if he hadn’t left to join Dark Tranquility and it’s a much more laid-back vibe than In Flames live shows, but more of an emphasis on balancing the melody with the metal. His stage presence between songs gives a cool dad vibe as he asks “Are you ready for Gothenburg death metal?” and that balances amazingly with his harsh vocals which pack an incredible punch.
There are songs in the set that harken back to periods of In Flames throughout the years; the monstrously heavy borderline groove metal riffing of ‘Detonate’ feels like it could comfortably sit on the Clayman tracklist. ‘In Broken Trust’ is a perfect microcosm of The Halo Effect’s sound, it sounds like a modern iteration of ‘Soundtrack to Your Escape’ by In Flames and works as a logical follow-up to that record and perhaps In Flames in general.
The whole crowd took the initiative and began singing along to the melodies of tracks like ‘A Truth Worth Lying For’ as the band effortlessly created some of the most majestic dual guitar melodies and anthemic solos that would fit perfectly on something like ‘Come Clarity’. The Halo Effect finished their set with ‘Shadowminds’ which has a gigantic industrial intro fit for arenas before a gigantic melodeath riff kicks in that is sure to go down in history as an all-time classic melodic death metal banger.
Swedish melodic death metal may have had a dormant period in the 2010s but The Halo Effect have made every effort to bring it back in full force and we can only hope imitators will follow as a new dawn of melodeath begins.
