Halo Effect, The - Days of the Lost (2022)^{Release ID: 39111}

I'll start by saying that I've always been a fan of melodic death metal. There appear to be a lot of more conventional death metal fans that simply can't get into the accessible and melodic version of the genre, but that's simply not the case for me. So when I saw that four ex-members of In Flames (guitarists Jesper Strömblad & Niclas Engelin, bass player Peter Iwers and drummer Daniel Svensson) had put together a new band with Dark Tranquillity vocalist Mikael Stanne, I was more than a little intrigued. The instant I pressed play on The Halo Effect's debut Days of of the Lost, I was taken way back to the late 90s, when In Flames produced a number a really good releases that played a major role in the creation of the Swedish melodic death metal movement. This album is almost a carbon copy of what the band were doing during their heyday, with the added benefit of Stanne's vocals, which I've always preferred to the more violent approach of Anders Fridén.

As comfortable and nostalgic as it is to listen to the 10 tracks on offer, I do have to admit that the overall experience falls a little short of the classics the performer's previous bands produced. For starters, it's quite top heavy, with the early quality of tracks like Shadowminds and Days of the Lost falling away to more lacklustre efforts in the second half, particularly A Truth Worth Lying For. In fact, as much as quite enjoy the tone of Stannes' clean vocals, the tracks where this becomes the focus fail to hit the mark. I would also have liked for the band to break out of the verse chorus verse chorus blueprint at least a couple of times on the album, but with no track that pushes the five minute mark, there is very little room for any real creativity or progression. I guess I'm mentioning these apparent flaws to explain my 3 and a half stars, despite Days of the Lost being a very well performed and produced album in a style that these bands originated. I'll definitely listen to this again, but it doesn't do enough to trouble any end of year lists.

2022 RANKING (67 releases so far)

43. The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow - 3.5 stars

44. The Halo Effect - Days of the Lost - 3.5 stars

45. Véhémence - Ordalies

2022 DEATH RANKING (17 releases so far)

13. The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow - 3.5 stars

14. The Halo Effect - Days of the Lost - 3.5 stars

15. Undeath - It's Time... to Rise From the Grave - 3.5 stars