One of the great things about Days of the Lost is how compact it is. The album is only just over 40 minutes long, and none of the songs here are longer than five minutes. This conscience format really allows the album to shine for me, and it is one that I have been listening to quite a bit recently as a result. No song here outstays its welcome, and the mix of melody and heaviness throughout is as compelling as ever. The album opens with Shadowminds, one of its singles and a great overall representation for The Halo Effect's sound. Given Stanne's presence, and distinct voice, there is more than a hint of Dark Tranquillity throughout - and Shadowminds recalls that band. There is more of a mournful sound throughout this album than was typical for In Flames, and Shadowminds epitomises that. It starts with a bit of an industrial beat with a guitar lead in the background - which gradually swells in volume before the rest of the band crash in, and the track morphs into a mid-paced rocker around the same lead. This lead proves to be the main hook throughout the song, and later forms the basis of the chorus, but The Halo Effect are not a band that constantly throw guitar leads into the mix. The verses here are groove-based, with strong mid-paced riffing and the pounding bass presence of Iwers, although there is more of a melodic focus during the pre-chorus which features a busy lead before the chorus kicks in. Stanne's vocal presence throughout is powerful, and he puts in an inspired shift during every song. The chorus here brings the best out of his anthemic style, and he plays off the guitar lead perfectly - the combination of which ensures that the song remains memorable. The album's title track follows, and it is likely my favourite song here. Despite the album sounding closer to Dark Tranquillity than In Flames, its title track is very much out of the In Flames songbook. The opening guitar lead is a Strömblad classic, and there are a few moments throughout the song that see him and Engelin come together to perform a dual lead. It is not just the leads here that are hooky, either, as the riffing throughout the song is catchy and full of pace. Svensson's fast footwork keeps things moving, whilst the bouncy riffing of the verses whips up plenty of energy. A low key pre-chorus goes for a slightly more atmospheric approach, with another melodic guitar hook, before the chorus hits in an explosion of melody. It is easily the album's most anthemic moment, and Stanne's vocal melodies create some fists-in-the-air passages - which is pushed to the fore during the final chorus due to a 1980s-style key change. A brief guitar solo injects some additional melodies, too, and helps to ensure that the song is one of the best melodic death metal cuts of the year. The Needless End slows the pace back down somewhat, and goes for a menacing mid-paced approach - in which the gloom is occasionally broken by an uplifting, somewhat folky guitar lead. The riffing throughout the track is very much death metal influenced, and it is the first song here that really showcases the band's atmospheric depth. There are quite a lot of keyboards and synths on this album, and they contribute to the gloom throughout. They never dominate, but the playing of Örjan Örnkloo (Misery Loves Co.), who has also contributed to many In Flames albums over the years as a session player, creates a lot of atmosphere - and The Needless End is full of his playing. The guitars still provide the main hooks, though, and Stanne's vocal approach this time is more about adding to the overall atmosphere than creating any anthemic choruses.
Conditional starts out slowly with Strömblad and Engelin playing a delicate twin guitar pattern, which is bathed in a gentle halo of synths, before the rest of the band crash in and the paced is upped immediately. A simple version of the melody toyed with in the beginning then forms the main hook, and the song moves back and forth between groove-based riffing and thrashy sections that see a lot of fast double bass drumming. The riffing throughout is quite varied, then, and the song is one that manages to pack quite a lot into a relatively short space of time. The chorus is another hooky moment, too. The pace slows for it, and Stanne's vocal hooks once again focus on strident melodies - and when the song ups the pace again following the chorus the excitement levels are really shifted up to the next level. In Broken Trust again opens with something of an industrial sound, with the synths of Örnkloo getting a bit of a workout, before a snaking riff kicks in and the song becomes a crushingly heavy mid-paced track - at least at first. It is another dynamic piece, though, as the verses are relatively light-touch. The guitars drop out here, to leave Stanne singing against a bass and synth backing - whilst Svensson keeps a basic beat. This is easily the least-heavy moment of the album so far, and the fact that it follows such a powerful opening riff makes it hit harder. The song revels in twists like that though, and the chorus then takes another path by having Stanne singing clean. He does not use his clean voice too often throughout this album, but the choruses here double down on the song's atmospheric sound - and focus on gothic melodrama instead. There is also quite a lengthy guitar solo section here, too, and the song is one that does things somewhat different - whilst still sounding at home on the album. Gateways takes a similar path, but goes for a gradual build-up rather than hitting the listener with a big riff from the off. This time it is the chorus which is heavier - and the whole song builds up towards it. The synths once again play a big part, whilst the staccato drumming of Svensson throughout the verses perfectly compliments the pulsing bass and gentle guitar textures. A pre-chorus section sees some delicate twin guitar leads add some melody - but this moment is short-lived as the heaviness is soon upped with some big riffing and Stanne's powerful chorus vocal hooks. I like how The Halo Effect have gone for quite an atmospheric sound throughout this album. It would have been easy to rely too heavily on certain tropes, but upping the synth presence helps to set the album apart from In Flames' classic sound - and Gateways is a good example of that difference. A Truth Worth Lying For returns to something more typical in approach, though. It ups the pace, and opens with a melodic guitar lead that soon gives way to a strident verse which is packed with stop-start riffing and hypnotic leads. The verses here are built in two parts, though, with the first half being as described whilst the second part is built around an ascending power chord melody - which then gives way to another clean-sung chorus. There is atmosphere in the chorus, but it is also very catchy - and a great guitar-led mid-section allows for more melody.
The album does not let up at all for the home straight, and Feel What I Believe could well be one of its heaviest tracks. It is a great mix of both classic In Flames and classic Dark Tranquillity - with a guitar hook from the former and a gloomy atmosphere similar to the latter. The song is fast-paced, and it never really pauses for breath at all throughout. Many of the songs here are a bit more dynamic in approach, so it welcome that this song just goes for it throughout. The riffing is catchy and powerful, whilst a big guitar lead is never too far away. The chorus has a subtle lead backing, which enhances it, whilst there is a guitar refrain that repeats throughout which focuses on big melodies. The chorus is another anthemic moment on the album, too, and Stanne delivers another great performance. Last of Our Kind slows things down a little, at least initially, as it opens with some strings that act as a bit of a breather following the thrashy previous song. This moment of calm does not last, although Last of Our Kind is not quite as in-your-face as Feel What I Believe. It is more mid-paced at first, although the riffing is still pretty instance despite the relative lack of speed. The song reminds me a bit of Shadowminds somewhat, but without the focus on big guitar leads. There are not too many melodic guitar moments here, with the riffing instead taking centre stage. The strings from the intro are used throughout, too, and they provide brief moments of melody in place of the guitars occasionally - which helps the song to stand out. There are moments that feature industrial-esque synths, too, such as during a bit of a breakdown following the second chorus - which is then followed by some vocals from Matt Heafy (Trivium; Ibaraki). His harsh vocals sound very different Stanne's, so he gives the breakdown a different vibe - before he adds his clean vocals to the final chorus, almost harmonising with Stanne's growls. The vocal combination works well, and Heafy's contributions are welcome despite being brief. The album then comes to a close with The Most Alone, another more dynamic piece that moves back and forth between heavier sections that those which are more atmospheric. The verses here see the guitars drop out for part of them, leaving the bass and synths to dominate, but they join in for the second half - before a mournful chorus kicks in. The chorus is very Dark Tranquillity in tone, with lots of synths and gothic overtones. Again, there is less of a focus on guitar leads, although they are still here. There is one throughout the chorus, but it is less prominent in the mix, and there is another brief guitar showcase section which features some knotty playing. The focus on keyboards gives the song a somewhat epic feel, though, which helps it to work well as a closer - and the album ends on a mournful, yet soaring, high despite there being more melodic tracks here. For me, though, what makes Days of the Lost strong is its surprising variety. This album could have easily sounded recycled, but there is a good mix of styles here. It does not really do anything new, but for me there is a freshness here - and the five guys have all pulled together to make something fun and memorable. Whether this band will continue in the future remains to be seen, but they are currently on tour with Machine Head and Amon Amarth - meaning they have already escaped studio project purgatory. I would certainly like to hear more from the band, though, so I hope that they write some more songs in the future.
The album was released on 12th August 2022 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Shadowminds.
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