The Halo Effect is now streaming their new single "The Needless End," whose runtime feels a little more folky given its swung rhythms and almost sing-song guitar melodies. Needless to say, it's awesome. The Halo Effect will release Days Of The Lost on August 12, and pre-orders are available here. Based on what we've heard so far including this new song, Days Of The Lost might very well be one of the best melodic death metal albums we've heard in while.
"'The Needless End' deals with the crippling inability to deal with abstract problems," said The Halo Effect in a statement about the song. "Issues that just seem too huge or incomprehensible falls by the wayside in order to deal with more immediate but less important issues. We end up somewhere not because we want to but because we were unable to understand what we needed to do. There is an intensity to this song and a uplifting melody that I think suits this idea. Among all the anger and resentment it's also hopeful and has an infectious groove and drive."
For those unaware, The Halo Effect is entirely ex-In Flames members. They are guitarists Jesper Strömblad and Niclas Engelin, bassist Peter Iwers, drummer Daniel Svensson, and vocalist Mikael Stanne, who was In Flames' live vocalist in 1994 and performed on both Lunar Strain and Subterranean.
