The Halo Effect On ‘March Of The Unheard’

Gothenburg’s rising stars, THE HALO EFFECT, are back with a powerful new second album, March of the Unheard, which is out now via Nuclear Blast Records. Following the massive success of their critically acclaimed debut Days of the Lost, March of the Unheard delivers a triumphant continuation of the band’s signature sound. Packed with soaring melodies and electrifying energy, the new album promises to exceed fan expectations. Peter Iwers (bass) talks to Hi Fi Way about the album and whether their touring plans includes Australia.

Congratulations on the new album, you got to be pretty happy with how that turned out?
Thank you so much, I’m happy. It felt good, the whole process of writing and recording it, it was not until I got the vinyl in my hand where I could feel it, you know, see all the booklets and how it was put together as a finished album., then I could think the album is done.

Is it true what they say about the second album which is usually the hardest?
For me personally, I didn’t think like that. I was free styling or surfing on the waves of positive energy from the first album, Days of The Lost, and I didn’t stop. It was an ongoing process from the time that Days of The Lost was finished, I just kept going. I didn’t tend to overthink things too much.

Did you have a clear plan with how you wanted to go about this particular album?
I think we found our style and how we wanted to sound on the first album because when we started out and had the first meetings, we asked if we want do this in the first place, and then we agreed, yeah, let’s give it a try. We are very diverse, and we listen to all kinds of music and take in inspiration from all kinds of artists, but we tried out what was the first song Gateways and then Shadow Minds, and what I believe that paved the way which is what we do with The Halo Effect, is stick to the formula and just go with it. of. But I think on March of the Unheard we kind of spiced it up a little bit. We had this marching band on it, they are huge marching band from Gothenburg.

I thought of, why don’t we use them? We had our first gig at the Sweden Rock Festival on the main stage, and we had an hour, but the album is like forty two minutes. That was a challenge itself to play the whole album front to back on your first show ever. Then I made an intro and an outro. That was the seed of writing the second album. Everything felt natural to me to just keep on going with what we started with.

Did the creative process work any differently?
Yeah, it was a lot of easier but the whole process is the same. I tend to do all the skeletons of songs in the studio with Oscar Nilsson, and then he puts his magic on top of that. Then Daniel appeared, comes with their explosive sound, character and sound of playing. Everything comes quite natural. We don’t tend to overthink stuff too much because I think we got a sound and a blueprint in the flesh when we play and all that.

Do you think given how strong this album is that everyone has greater confidence in each other’s ability which translates to the songs?
I think so, we did ninety six shows for Days of the Lost. That’s a lot for us. We didn’t know what to think when we started out. It was like okay, we’ve got a show and a tour and a festival, and we have this and that. Then you have travelled the world once again and that’s just amazing. I’m really, really happy and humble for that, but it’s a little bit funny. It’s like a social experiment. We have played together and known each other for decades, but this is another brand and it’s The Halo Effect. Then you have something new, it’s the same formula, but new music and you have to create that dynamic to make it work. As I said, we have gained more confidence along the way under the banner of The Halo effect. I think it shows and shines through on the second album March of the Unheard.

Sonically, how would you compare both albums?
I think there’s a little bit more of everything on this album. More melodies, more tempo shifts, more solos, more of everything, but in a natural way because it has its flow throughout the whole album. We had a plan with the album from when I started with the intro for the first song, you could say. In the end, we do what we’ve always done when we started out, but I hate the word, but we have matured along the way, thank God for that! It feels like a stronger, more confident album.

Were there any tough periods making the album where things didn’t go to plan or the songs didn’t come as easily as you hoped?
Everything flowed effortlessly I have to say, because we’re having so much fun. When I’m making the album there’s coffee and some pastries, we talk about our influences from Maiden, Kreator, Judas Priest, Motorhead, and just go from there. The basic thing is not to overthink and always try to have fun. It is natural to bump into some roadblocks. There will always be roadblocks along the way where you have to think, hmm, how do we solve this? That’s the beauty of it when you are throwing ideas back and forth, how should we do this? The song Burning Point, I think we had three or four different arrangements for that song. It was a working title, in the beginning it was a bit Gary Moore, because it had that lick, but also felt a little bit Celtic, a little bit Thin Lizzy but we took it away. I think it’s a positive to have some bumps along the way.

Are there any plans to maybe return to Australia at some point this year?
Yes, your country is amazing along with New Zealand. It’s just wow for us, it’s just so exotic and so beautiful. There are some talks about it, it’s on the table. We’re talking about it with our management and booker of course. So, let’s hope we will love to come back to Australia.

Interview By Rob Lyon

March Of The Unheard is out now, purchase yours HERE…