Halo Effect is an Italian combo that mainly released EP’s and their 2nd full length on Ionium Records. “Recoding” is their 3rd album for which they’ve released on the Italian electro label EK Product.I have to admit that I’m not familiar with Halo Effect, which sounds clearly inspired by the body-pop style of And One. A lot of sequences and leads are clearly reminding me of And One. It’s fully enjoyable although I’m missing some sense of their own sound identity. Don’t get me wrong, Halo Effect composes cool songs based upon a solid and rather mature production. The debut songs are remarkable and efficient. The typically EBM bass lines mixed with rather pop vocals, danceable rhythms and carrying leads are well-crafted. This is a very powerful body-pop release that will catch your attention on songs like “Cold Front”, “Burning Chrome” and “Pulsar”.
But the best is yet to come! “New Body Machine” is the kind of potential hit song. This track is much more EBM-minded and sounds like the offspring between And One and Restricted Area. I think it’s not a coincidence if it’s featuring Autodafeh frontman Mika Rossi. The upcoming track “Dying Star” is a pure synth-pop piece with a wink to Depeche Mode. It’s not that powerful, but composed with great sound treatments and melancholic moods. It proves that Halo Effect is able to deal with different electro-pop styles.
Conclusion: If this band could evolve towards a more personal sound I’m sure they would become absolutely essential. Recoding is an enjoyable experience featuring some real great songs!