Out of the burnt ashes of former members of the massively successful  and influential band IN FLAMES comes a new band called THE HALO EFFECT. As Swedish as ABBA, as melodic as IN FLAMES used to be and as slick as the latter band is today. They play Melodic Death Metal, like their former band does/did, and they do that to quite the remarkable level. But that is the least that is to be expected, with the level of experience that these guys are bringing to the table.

Plus, the fact that Nuclear Blast have picked them up, as well as their current European tour with massively successful labelmates AMON AMARTH and MACHINE HEAD will give you an inkling of the great expectations that THE HALO EFFECT has brought on. Is this justified? There is only one way to answer this question, I will try to do this to the best of my ability. The big question of course is if "Days Of The Lost", their debut album, is good enough to withstand any criticism on their behalf.

Let me start by saying that all songs are above reproach. They all have a touch of class, are all well written, perfectly executed and sound as good as you would expect. So, the quality issue has been resolved, as it is obviously very high. The one aspect of the music that I have my doubts about is that to me everything they do feels too much thought out, too calculated. The music on "Days Of The Lost" is all a bit too safe for my liking. It never feels as if THE HALO EFFECT have gone for the element of surprise, or even attempting to incorporate any new musical views into the mix.

Put all that together, and you have the (for me) big downfall for THE HALO EFFECT. Like their former band they could have reinvented the musical style they play by adding elements you wouldn't expect. Unless you feel that using some RAMMSTEIN influenced rhythms is new, but again I just can't shake the feeling that they have played it too safe on "Days Of The Lost". But don't despair, the quality of the music is such that you can still enjoy a good debut album. let's hope that in the future THE HALO EFFECT will include new findings into the mix. It would make it all just that bit more exciting.