Post by thesoundmonitor on Oct 21, 2003 21:42:34 GMT -5
HALO
Body Of Light
(Relapse)
By Warren Wheeler
As most would be aware detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have long been subjected to countless hours of Metallica at high volume in an attempt to aurally beat them into submission. And while I admit there are points in Metallica’s career that are painful, ultimately Bay Area Thrash or World Domination Rock is neither offensive nor torturous. Indeed, the detainees have now been languishing in legal limbo for nigh on two years and Metallica have done little to coerce intelligence of military use out of these poor souls - could it be that they are (shock, horror!) innocent?
Anyway, I have an idea. Instead of playing non-intrusive, non-confronting tripe like St. Anger why not play Disembowelment, Godflesh and Sun0))) simultaneously across the camp? Surely the bowel-moving rumbles of these three acts being played at the one moment would be enough to let loose of any hidden al-Qaeda secrets.
Or, an even simpler idea would be to play Halo’s latest slab as it comes invariably close to the aforementioned concept.
Now onto their third full length, Australian duo Halo has unleashed a prowling beast, which somehow manages to further their anti-music stance to new intensities. Lessening up on the noise and focusing more on the snail-paced drones, Halo’s Body of Light is not for the melody-seeking infantile.
Lengthy, thunderous non-riffs roll out defying production level standards, while feedback is used almost as an instrument in its own right. The structures are loose and the vocals moan in sheer agony.
The shortest and most immediate piece ‘Crawl’ clocks in at just over a minutes’ length, getting it’s anti-message out rather hastily. ‘A Soft Place’ on the other hand is an eight-minute-plus journey into industrial noise, drones and frightful insanity.
‘Man Whore’ is perhaps the moment you begin to understand Halo’s intent, though understanding doesn’t necessarily bring forth justification. What does justify Body of Light is the bands ability to link each non-musical anti-theme with the last.
This release will undoubtedly unsettle many in their comfort zones as far as what constitutes a song, and indeed you may even get the band to agree with you - for Halo is intentionally ugly, deliberately unnerving and downright intolerable. It’s marvelous!
Body Of Light
(Relapse)
By Warren Wheeler
As most would be aware detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have long been subjected to countless hours of Metallica at high volume in an attempt to aurally beat them into submission. And while I admit there are points in Metallica’s career that are painful, ultimately Bay Area Thrash or World Domination Rock is neither offensive nor torturous. Indeed, the detainees have now been languishing in legal limbo for nigh on two years and Metallica have done little to coerce intelligence of military use out of these poor souls - could it be that they are (shock, horror!) innocent?
Anyway, I have an idea. Instead of playing non-intrusive, non-confronting tripe like St. Anger why not play Disembowelment, Godflesh and Sun0))) simultaneously across the camp? Surely the bowel-moving rumbles of these three acts being played at the one moment would be enough to let loose of any hidden al-Qaeda secrets.
Or, an even simpler idea would be to play Halo’s latest slab as it comes invariably close to the aforementioned concept.
Now onto their third full length, Australian duo Halo has unleashed a prowling beast, which somehow manages to further their anti-music stance to new intensities. Lessening up on the noise and focusing more on the snail-paced drones, Halo’s Body of Light is not for the melody-seeking infantile.
Lengthy, thunderous non-riffs roll out defying production level standards, while feedback is used almost as an instrument in its own right. The structures are loose and the vocals moan in sheer agony.
The shortest and most immediate piece ‘Crawl’ clocks in at just over a minutes’ length, getting it’s anti-message out rather hastily. ‘A Soft Place’ on the other hand is an eight-minute-plus journey into industrial noise, drones and frightful insanity.
‘Man Whore’ is perhaps the moment you begin to understand Halo’s intent, though understanding doesn’t necessarily bring forth justification. What does justify Body of Light is the bands ability to link each non-musical anti-theme with the last.
This release will undoubtedly unsettle many in their comfort zones as far as what constitutes a song, and indeed you may even get the band to agree with you - for Halo is intentionally ugly, deliberately unnerving and downright intolerable. It’s marvelous!