Post by thesoundmonitor on Jan 6, 2004 22:59:54 GMT -5
HALO
Live, PA, USA, 04:2002
(Embryo Recordings) EMB022
Leaving nothing to the imagination by the title, Halo’s US jaunt and subsequent live output is rather paradoxical considering the handful of shows they’ve mustered. Playing the average 40-minute set, Halo are far from average. Opening with an unreleased track ‘A Cold Wet Hole’ is a spacious piece with Lull-like rumbles beneath occasional beats and simultaneous tortured vocals, before launching into another non-album track ‘Surrogate’. Maintaining the format of the previous anti-tune, the band pick up the pace ever so slightly with more monotonic drones and spiteful noise.
Perhaps even more ironic than the band touring the US and releasing a live album, is the fact that they only played one track off the album they were promoting, that being ’20,000 Tonnes of Machinery’. But with a crowd that could fill a Mini, I’m sure no-one cared, or even noticed. But that’s the beauty of Halo. There’s no pretension. They are accutely aware that they have an extraordinarily limited fanbase, and use that to their advantage, by experimenting wildly, and in doing so saluting the industry with middle-finger held high.
Closing with the 10-minute plus ‘Worm’, the band leave the few who bothered to attend in awe with subtle feedback, and an anti-climax like no other. To my surprise – and perhaps the bands – there is a round of applause and yells of “More!”, though such accolade fades into insignificance when played alongside Live After Death!
by Warren Wheeler
Artist website: halo.antisound.net/
Label website: embryo.antisound.net/
Download this album: embryo.antisound.net/
Live, PA, USA, 04:2002
(Embryo Recordings) EMB022
Leaving nothing to the imagination by the title, Halo’s US jaunt and subsequent live output is rather paradoxical considering the handful of shows they’ve mustered. Playing the average 40-minute set, Halo are far from average. Opening with an unreleased track ‘A Cold Wet Hole’ is a spacious piece with Lull-like rumbles beneath occasional beats and simultaneous tortured vocals, before launching into another non-album track ‘Surrogate’. Maintaining the format of the previous anti-tune, the band pick up the pace ever so slightly with more monotonic drones and spiteful noise.
Perhaps even more ironic than the band touring the US and releasing a live album, is the fact that they only played one track off the album they were promoting, that being ’20,000 Tonnes of Machinery’. But with a crowd that could fill a Mini, I’m sure no-one cared, or even noticed. But that’s the beauty of Halo. There’s no pretension. They are accutely aware that they have an extraordinarily limited fanbase, and use that to their advantage, by experimenting wildly, and in doing so saluting the industry with middle-finger held high.
Closing with the 10-minute plus ‘Worm’, the band leave the few who bothered to attend in awe with subtle feedback, and an anti-climax like no other. To my surprise – and perhaps the bands – there is a round of applause and yells of “More!”, though such accolade fades into insignificance when played alongside Live After Death!
by Warren Wheeler
Artist website: halo.antisound.net/
Label website: embryo.antisound.net/
Download this album: embryo.antisound.net/