The Halo Effect, PAIN & Bloodred Hourglass, KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton, 23.01.25
The first “official” reviewing/shooting gig of the year sees us back down at KK’s in Wolverhampton for a night of Scandi Death Metal.
A noisy and raucous start to our gig year with three very different styles of death metal. First up were Finnish outfit Bloodred Hourglass (8). A new name to me but I was surprised to see that they’ve been around since 2005 with six studio albums under their belt. They come out all guns blazing with a short sharp set of classic death metal.
Three guitars create a rolling tsunami of brutal riffs as they open up with The Sun Still In Me a track taken from their latest album How’s The Heart.
It sets the tone for the rest of the set, those riffs are backed up by the impressive rhythm section. There are breakdowns aplenty, and just enough melodic phrases to keep your attention. All in all a nice discovery, and a great start.
Next up were a name we were familiar with and a band that likes to break the death metal mould. PAIN (9) have been around just as long as BRHG and have gathered a loyal army of followers along the way. From Tägtgren’s more traditional roots with pioneering death metal legends Hypocrisy, his studio project PAIN has evolved into a multi-faceted band that like to layer a multitude of styles and add eye popping visuals to keep you hooked.
Next up were a name we were familiar with and a band that likes to break the death metal mould. PAIN (9) have been around just as long as BRHG and have gathered a loyal army of followers along the way. From Tägtgren’s more traditional roots with pioneering death metal legends Hypocrisy, his studio project PAIN has evolved into a multi-faceted band that like to layer a multitude of styles and add eye popping visuals to keep you hooked.
The latest album (not including the recent re-issues) I Am is featured heavily with stand out tracks Go With The Flow and Party In My Head. They definitely bring the party, imagine an Avatar/Rammstein mash-up. It’s great fun and the crowd love it. Songs like The Great Pretender and Shut Your Mouth highlight that industrial mix.
When you think of Swedish Melodic Death Metal you think of the Gothenburg influences such as In Flames, At The Gates and Dark Tranquillity. Add The Halo Effect (9) to that illustrious list (to be fair it is pretty much In Flames re-born and re-vitalised)
When you think of Swedish Melodic Death Metal you think of the Gothenburg influences such as In Flames, At The Gates and Dark Tranquillity. Add The Halo Effect (9) to that illustrious list (to be fair it is pretty much In Flames re-born and re-vitalised)
This is old school melodic death metal, they’ve gone back to their roots with blistering riffs and drum blasts that wake the dead from their post new year slumber. Stanne’s vocals take us back to those early In Flames years whilst the twin axe partners in crime of Engelin and Ströblad look like they are reliving their youth and enjoying every minute of it.
They open up with March Of The Unheard, the title track off the new album, and it’s everything you want from a melodic death metal song. Gnarly vocals, technical guitar riffs and breakdowns, booming bass and blisteringly fast drums. The set is comprised of tracks from the two albums and it’s two from their debut album Days Of The Lost that stand out for me.
The title track itself and Gateways. It’s impossible to not compare The Halo Effect with In Flames but for us, this iteration is a much more accessible band. The songs are groovier, cleaner in a lot of respects and fresher. So some may say its In Flames Mark II but no, this is a different beast and one that will stand alone on it’s own merits.
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