Looking forward to this new work of this project. His first album was simply spectacular

Just spun it a few times, sounds a lot like Omnium Gatherum to me. It has a few little bits of late 90s MDM baked into it.

UPD 2: listen to it a many more times, can't hear much Clayman in here, tho overall calling it Omnium Gatherum meets In Flames would be quite fare

I would call it one of best album in the genre after Clayman 🔥

Superb album indeed. Way better than the debut in my books. More aggressive attitude and many different influences.

I can feel the mixture of Clayman and Fiction at times all over the album...nothing else to be said

I've been a bit annoyed by Mikael's voice lately since he's in at least 3 active bands and Spotify likes to switch to those bands randomly after listening something else. But now that I actually listened to this a couple of times voluntarily I found it really good!

There is a good amount of variety which I noticed after 2-3 spins. I think second half has more diversed songs. I've thought Halo Effect was pretty generic melodeath band but this has changed my mind.

Favorite songs: Detonate, March Of The Unheard, Forever Astray and Between Directions which have some clean vocals. Made me hope for second Cemetery Skyline album.

Also, noticed that many of the singles turned out to be bonus songs. Quite odd.

Good enough, but was expecting more for such a group... and the generic sound does no favor to the perception

Hmm seeing lots of praise for this. My mind wandered off during the first listen because the first 25-30 minutes all felt the same. Will give it another spin

The first half puts me straight to sleep, can't pinpoint why. Stuff from the title track onward feels much more interesting so far

Good album but I don't see how it deserves such a rating. I didn't listen to the band's first album so I wasn't particularly expecting this LP and, after listening to it, even if I recognize that it has qualities, I don't understand all the hype surrounding it.

Listened a few times now, definitely a great way to start the year.

Even though there's nothing new or inventive to be heard here I still much prefer this to the debut. Simply put, It's a very impressive melodeath record even if they've played it safe, it possesses the Gothenburg magic of old, like a combo of early In Flames and Dark Tranquillity and I'm certainly not complaining. Of all the projects Stenne has his foot in lately I'm drawn to this band most of all, I have to say they sound like one of the most promising melodeath band's around right now, I certainly prefer this to what DT have been putting out in recent years anyway.

Fantastic album!!! Stanne is a legend!!

First album from bands what are on my fav list of this year. "melodic " melodic deRh metal whit Mikael Stanne on vocals, good.

I must say 2025 got the door kicked In with this album! Amazing start of the year, maybe even better than the debut. Love it!


Top Releases of 2025

It’s true, it’s even better than their first album! Very good album through and through. Solid 8.5

Very disappointed after the first full playthrough, will revisit in a bit...

A huge, huge step up from their debut.

There is, unavoidably, a Dark Tranquillity presence here. But, for me, this is the first Gothenburg record to capture the magic of 1996-2000 era In Flames since those times.

I'm very happy for Jesper, in particular, given his well-documented troubles since that period. Losing a band, your band, when you are the songwriting genius behind it is bound to provoke deep, existential negativity. Though he did not always deal with it in the best of ways, I am pleased he appears to be finding himself again.

The true heir to Clayman? Perhaps too early to say. Nonetheless, an outstanding record that harks back to the best times of the Gothenburg genre. It is not original, of course, but these are the inventors of such music - they already have originality in the bank.

8.5.

Amazing album!🤘🤘🤘

Check this out, sounds like Skyfire's solo rip off on Cruel Perception track



vs

^ And yet you gave it a 10

For me the album's mediocre at best.

Huge downgrade from their debut. Seems their potential is all dried up now.

Written by Paz on 13.01.2025 at 08:54

^ And yet you gave it a 10

For me the album's mediocre at best.

Initially I rate it 7 😀, then it took a little time to realize this is actually 10. It turned the piece was too complex to fully absorb in a few listens

I can't really grasp how this gets 10s. Fanboyism? Nostalgia? Is it the "taped on a wall banana" of our days, just because someone who's famous plays it then it's a instant hit? The "Swifties" of metal?

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad album. It's (probably) beter than your average Melo-Death Gothernburg album, fuck it's actually made by people who invented the term. But a 10? Come on, it brings nothing new to the table, it's not very memorable, you're probably not gonna listen to it next year. Or Ever.

FFS, if this gets a 10 what is Damage Done worth? a 30?

Written by Nightmare^ on 13.01.2025 at 20:39

I can't really grasp how this gets 10s. Fanboyism? Nostalgia? Is it the "taped on a wall banana" of our days, just because someone who's famous plays it then it's a instant hit? The "Swifties" of metal?

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad album. It's (probably) beter than your average Melo-Death Gothernburg album, fuck it's actually made by people who invented the term. But a 10? Come on, it brings nothing new to the table, it's not very memorable, you're probably not gonna listen to it next year. Or Ever.

FFS, if this gets a 10 what is Damage Done worth? a 30?

While there are quite a few aspects to criticize about the album, I wasn't very impressed by it until I listened to it enough to grasp all the sounds. Now I even enjoy "A Death That Becomes Us" and "The Burning Point" 😀

tbf, Damage Done is the only DT album I’ve ever truly enjoyed listening to, and I believe this one stands on the same level.

I felt the debut was good, but not overly remarkable; I'm feeling much the same about this one - it's the kind of album that's nice enough to listen to, but I won't be rushing back to. Still, it's the second album (after the Cemetery Skyline one) released since the most recent DT record that I prefer to Endtime Signals. Like the last album, the title track is probably the most memorable cut (although I like Coda as a callback to/recreation of the Acoustic Medley on Black-Ash Inheritance)

I'm starting to think I'm not a big fan of this blend of melodeath

Written by Anghellic67 on 10.01.2025 at 10:07

I've been a bit annoyed by Mikael's voice lately since he's in at least 3 active bands and Spotify likes to switch to those bands randomly after listening something else.

I disabled that automatic radio feature on spotify many years ago. It’s damn ridiculous. Back then they were playing a song from the new Draconian or the new Mors Principium Est right after pretty much any metal album I would play, to the point they almost ruined those two albums for me, even though I love them. Spotify are curiously so terrible at implementing such easy features sometimes.

Written by Liafev on Today at 15:57

Written by Anghellic67 on 10.01.2025 at 10:07

I've been a bit annoyed by Mikael's voice lately since he's in at least 3 active bands and Spotify likes to switch to those bands randomly after listening something else.

I disabled that automatic radio feature on spotify many years ago. It’s damn ridiculous. Back then they were playing a song from the new Draconian or the new Mors Principium Est right after pretty much any metal album I would play, to the point they almost ruined those two albums for me, even though I love them. Spotify are curiously so terrible at implementing such easy features sometimes.

Oh god yeah, if I've listened to an album a couple of times on Spotify for a review, it loves to get into a habit of playing a song from that album automatically after I finish listening to another album in a vaguely similar style - I think the one time I've appreciated it was when it kept playing Ghosts Of The Past by Stortregn when I was all over that track anyway, but it's definitely soured feelings towards songs I was more middling about