Body of Light

Album Review

Body of Light, Halo's second album for Relapse, picks up where its predecessor, Guattari left off, ripping apart the industrial metal foundations laid by Godflesh and plunging the whole mess a full two layers deeper into hell. Actually, the term industrial metal often brings to mind the slick production and mechanized rhythms of bands like Rammstein and Nine Inch Nails, comparisons that couldn't be further from accurate in the case of Halo. This is raw, grotesque music that moves in slow motion, as if recorded while the band was plunging into a pit of quicksand. The bass tone is especially impressive as the result of four strings and a wall of amplifiers being pushed to the limit and recorded with pure documentary-style accuracy. The vocals are a harsh, painful bellow and are used sparingly, but they deliver some choice lyrics, at times almost Whitehouse-like levels of rage and negativity. There is no groove here and the riffs aren't catchy, but the music is delivered with uncompromising levels of intensity and purpose. This is an unflinching response to the current state of this sick planet of ours.