“‘March of the Unheard’ is a voice for the voiceless” – Peter Iwers speaks to Chaoszine about The Halo Effect’s new album

The Halo Effect may have begun as five old friends just making music for fun, but they’re now one of the most beloved new bands in heavy metal. All five bandmembers are masters of their domain, pioneers of the Gothenburg melodeath scene: lead guitarists and melodic death-slingers Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad, lead singer and lyricist Mikael Stanne, supported by the solid backbone and foundation of bassist Peter Iwers, and his partner in crime for twenty plus years, hard-hitting drummer Daniel Svensson.

Before the Swedish quintet even formed, their members were key in establishing melodic death metal’s much-imitated “Gothenburg sound” during the ’90s. Then, when the longtime scenemates finally united and released their debut single “Shadowminds” in 2021, they quickly racked up millions of streams. Their subsequent debut album, “Days of the Lost”, was nominated for a Swedish Grammy and promoted on tours with Machine Head, Amon Amarth and Meshuggah. It then won the Rising Star trophy at the 2024 Metal Hammer Awards. This collective’s ascent has been as rapid as it has been well-deserved.

But how to do a follow-up to an album that was named album of the year in Sweden by their biggest magazine, vocalist Mikael Stanne questioned. The answer was for the band to both adhere to their roots and broaden their vision. “March of the Unheard”, The Halo Effect‘s upcoming album, out on January 10, 2025, is a triumphant successor brimming with everything that made “Days Of The Lost” an instant breakthrough.

Chaoszine had the opportunity to have a chat with bassist Peter Iwers as he drove through the streets of Gothenburg, in an interesting conversation full of revelations. He addressed the band’s beginnings, “a band built on friendship” in his words, and the choice of the band name, with its psychological meaning – besides its homage to Rush. He then revealed how the signing process took place, after the label executives at Nuclear Blast had heard only one song, “Shadowminds“. The creative freedom the bandmembers allow themselves is also very important, according to Iwers.

The new album “March of the Unheard” was also covered in this conversation, where Iwers revealed not only the more progressive nature of its sound, but also illustrated the importance of the album’s thematic, telling us a very personal story about bullying that he and other bandmembers suffered in their teenage years. He also spoke of the reasons why Gothenburg has such a scene, with its unique sound and all the great bands to have emerged from there – and it’s not just something in the water (or the beer) they drink!

You can check out the full interview with Peter Iwers below:

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You can check out the singles released from “March Of The Unheard” so far below: