Album Review: Full Circle
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Last week, trio HÆLOS released their debut album Full Circle – an album filled with industrial beats, sensual harmonies, and a range of different influences.
The first five tracks of Full Circle are of remarkable quality. ‘Intro/Spectrum’ introduces us to the HÆLOS ‘experience’ via excerpts from an Alan Watts’s Spectrum of Love Lecture before it beautifully melds into ‘Pray’. Parallels, both in style and quality, can be drawn to The xx, and even Massive Attack once ‘Pray’s breakbeat rhythm kicks in. The third track ‘Dust’ is a slower affair, featuring introspective vocals and, as all three members of HÆLOS sing, ethereal harmonies.
‘Full Circle’ and ‘Earth Not Above’ follow in this fashion; however, by ‘Oracle’, HÆLOS’s sound is a bit jaded – their sound seems to stagnate rather than improve. Saying that, ‘Alone’ is one of the best tracks on the album; it’s filled with reverberating synths, the sort of music you’d listen to at three in the morning. Unfortunately the final four tracks are nothing special.
Full Circle is a solid first album, however, unfortunately HÆLOS cannot maintain the standards set by the first few incredible tracks. HÆLOS have showcased their talents, and if they can maintain the standard set by the first half of the album they could follow in the footsteps of, and be equal to, the influences that they so keenly draw from.
Top tracks: ‘Intro/Spectrum’ into ‘Pray’, ‘Earth Not Above’, ‘Alone’.