For me this album is just perfect. I discovered this genra around '05-'06 when I was 16 y.o. with At The Gate and old In Flames album. I was hook instantly. The only problem is that for the next 15 years of my existence I was in a constant quest to get this original melodeath-gothengburg metal to bless my ear... The only ''new'' band that I found along the way was Be'Lakor, even tho it was not exactly what I wanted. But this year with the first of album of The Halo Effect I can finally say that my thirst is finally quench!

It's ok, unsurprisingly.

Just OK is the right word, not one track that really stands out. Sadly nothing more but background listen.
In Flames' State of Slow Decay on the other hand I can't get enough of.

It's ok, listenable, but nothing extraordinary. I listened to it 2-3 times but I don't think I'll hit "play" anytime soon.
Generic In Flames style riffs with DT vocals. Probably made an album from filler material from both.

It's a good album, enjoyable. But I doubt it'll remain on top of 2022 (as it is now). There's nothing super innovative about it. But it's still a good listen, especially in the morning.

A good compilation of everything I dislike in melodic death metal

Really boring.
Nothing new.

I am surprised by the high position of this album in the top, but its maybe the nostalgia and the joy seeing these guys back together, and playing some of the music we liked so much 20+ years ago. its good, but by far not top material, i expect a much better follow up album, if there should be one.

To much Göteborg today, seems guys tried to compose music as in a youth, somehow they achieved, somehow not, since it's like other last few albums involved band members

Yeah as if this album would get anyone's attention if they did not advertise using aggressively the name of In Flames. Golden Mediocracy at best!

The soft and safe production immediately makes this album sound like background noise to me. I don’t listen to much melodic death metal, perhaps production like this is common for the genre, but it does not change that I can’t get into it at all. The keyboards are terrible too. The synth-lines are especially atrocious In the chorus of Days Of The Lost. I am slightly amazed that this is currently the highest voted album of 2022. It is far worse than even the new Amorphis.

Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, The Halo Effect, Soilwork...jesus lol

Im even scared to listen to the new AA.

This one is good, but like most of Gothenburg nowadays, never better than ok/generic/good Gothenburg.

TBH the best Gothenburg song to come out this year is In Flames' State of Slow Decay

Written by X-FrEaK on 22.08.2022 at 11:18

TBH the best Gothenburg song to come out this year is In Flames' State of Slow Decay

I.. agree with this. That song alone is better than every song on The Halo Effect's album. Even if the album ends up not being good, State of Slow Decay is a banger track

I don't dislike this album, but it lacks a bit of a punch. Some great tracks (Needless End, Conditional, Last of our Kind) but the rest is mostly okay tracks.

I've found deja vu all over the place. I've been listening to death melodic metal for the last 25 years, and this album seems like a compilation of moments I've heard before. Sad to say, Jesper Stromblad, In Flames glory-days'-mastermind, seems to have reached his peak a long ago and is currently recycling old ideas.

Meh.

This one is for the fans!
And there is nothing wrong with it.

I've given this a few spins but honestly I cannot see a reason to come back to it. Nothing really sticks out. It's "good" on paper though.

If this album would have came out in 2010 I would have eaten it up.

Strong album - as many are saying, this much more strongly resembles DT than IF (which is a good thing, IMO). I even get shades of Insomnium in tracks like The Needless End and Gateways (which happen to also be my two favorite tracks here).

Kindof addicted to this album, a great throwback to 2000's Gothenburg Melodeath!

Imagine how much we miss old In Flames, that we rated this album so high. The quality cannot compare to millennium In-Flames, the riffs are not that great and the compositions are mediocre. But if they improve their quality they can definitely overshadow the current In Flames (not that they already didn't but at least it would be obvious to everyone).

I don't really understand why some people seem so angry or disappointed by this album. I fully agree that this will not be the album of the year, in spite of the current ranking here at MS but this albums also bears something special to some of them : the reunion of people who decided to leave In Flames because they had no more fun in that business. It's really cool to watch their videos and live, they love what they are doing and of course we ARE pleased to see that Jesper is back in spite of his booze troubles. Like it or not, this album as something special, maybe it just doesn't appeal to you. Period.

It was good for 2 or 3 spins. not disappointed but I expected more from legends of mdm.

Definitely and without doubt its a very good album of the genre but problem is that it sounds exactly like DT. So I dont find a fresh sound here, seems like another DT album with a new band name.

Really loving this album. Feel What I Believe & Days of the Lost are songs I've been craving for over a decade. A bunch of the other songs do sound like they're from newer Dark Tranquillity albums, such as A Truth Worth Lying For & Shadowminds, among others, but I'm okay with it.

Sounds a lot like a new DT album however I expected it to sound more like IF. So yeah a bit of disappointment here. Will see may be new IF album will sound a bit closer to what IF ust to be but have no much hope.

Me too, I would have liked more IF influence. And when it is noticeable, they seem to rehash old melodies (up to ripping off "Only for the Weak").

After several listens, I conclude it's what the next Dark Tranquillity album should have been, nothing more, nothing less.

Super catchy album. Exactly how melodeath should be

Probably the first melodeath album I’ve actually enjoyed in quite a long time.

Solid 7 imo. If you love InFlames or Dark Tranquility I completely understand a score higher than 7, or lower if you completely dislike them.

Unfortunately they haven't evolved as some of the songs off this album would fit right in with Whoreacle or Fiction respectfully.