In the year of the corona-pandemic, when the world was forced into a standstill, five old friends finally put an old idea in motion. The result is a brand new band, The Halo Effect, who recently inked a contract with German label Nuclear Blast.

The members of The Halo Effect are not only masters of their domain, but also pioneers of the Gothenburg melodeath scene, who, at some point, have all been members of fellow Gothenburg icons In Flames: Lead guitarists Niclas Engelin (Engel) and Jesper Strömblad (Cyhra), lead singer and lyricist Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquility), bassist Peter Iwers, and drummer Daniel Svensson.

Today, the band are giving metal fans all over the world a taste of their sound with debut single Shadowminds, that comes together with a music video. Its brooding atmosphere, melodic riffs and harsh vocals provide a perfect example of what The Halo Effect is all about.

The band comments: “We are incredibly excited to unveil this new band with one of the first songs that we wrote together. We felt strongly that this was the right direction for the band. Finding identity, finding a drive and passion is what the song is about and also what this band is about. What drove us to do this in the first place, what obstacles have we overcome in order to fully commit to this lifestyle? It’s about how easy it is to get lost if you lose focus and passion for what you do.

With the video we wanted to convey the emptiness of the city in the early stages of the pandemic and what we saw outside of the studio as we were writing but we also love the cool dystopic imagery so we made the city look even more barren and destroyed. Enjoy!”

The initial thought behind The Halo Effect was to go back to the roots and explore the classic Gothenburg Sound, and the band manage just that. Their new take on the iconic sound is sure to appeal to fans of the classic melodeath sound.

THE HALO EFFECT is:
Niclas Engelin | guitar
Jesper Strömblad | guitar
Mikael Stanne | vocals
Peter Iwers | bass
Daniel Svensson | drums