Upstairs at the Worcester Palladium, a venue that most closely resembles a bougie studio apartment, was the host of one of the most anticipated tours of the early summer. Let’s take a journey through the March to Milwaukee Tour, featuring supergroup The Halo Effect, Unearth, and High Command. First up for the night on this world premiere tour was Worcester Massachusetts’ own High Command. Bringing old-school heavy metal, a chain-link microphone stand, a guitarist wearing an executioner’s mask, and an 8-foot-long, broadsword on the stage… these folks sure as hell know how to open up a show. Pummeling riffs, teeth-grinding vocals, and grooves are so infectious. you may want to call a doctor afterward. If you close your eyes you would think that UFO and Goatwhore made a band together. Brandishing a long sword out on stage, I straight up thought they were going to break a pipe in the ceiling… remember, we’re upstairs at the Palladium. You got 8.5-foot ceilings, MAX. Awesome band, I had no idea that they were a local band until after the show. But that only makes the next band of the show even more hype moment for the crowd.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, let me paint you a picture. A studio apartment that can hold 500 people, with a category 5 tornado going through it! That’s what took place when Massachusetts legends Unearth took the stage. Running through a quick and dirty setlist filled with classics and new songs, as they are touring in support of their latest record, The Wretched; the Ruinous (Century Media). Showing appreciation to the crowd and bringing waves of people up onto the stage to sing along, and also stage dive into the abundant chaos happening during the show.
Now onto the main event, the world premiere tour of the newest supergroup… The Halo Effect, composed of members of In Flames and Dark Tranquility, this is The Halo Effect’s first ever tour, and we are lucky enough to have them bless The Palladium on their way to performing at the newly revived Milwaukee Metal Fest thanks to Jamey Jasta. Walking out in a sea of smoke and green halo lights (go figure), vocalist Mikael Stanne roared into “Days of the Lost” off of their debut album of the same title (Nuclear Blast Records). After the commotion settled down for a moment, Mikael went off about how “everyone’s been asking us to make this band for the last 30 fucking years, well, here are!” with just a smile on his face that you can help but just enjoy his company like he’s an old life-long friend. Granted this entire band is made up of lifelong friends and you can tell, it feels like what happens when all of the friends get together to jam in the garage and then all of a sudden they’re assigned bands doing exactly what they set out to do. It’s not very often you can go see a band play through an entire album and it’s not an anniversary tour, but that’s exactly what we got at the show because The Halo Effect only has one record out. We got a 12-song setlist made of their entire self-titled debut album plus “The Defiant One”, and “Become Surrender”.
Closing out the night with their biggest song “Shadowminds” this band is an absolute must-see if you’re a fan of In Flames, Dark Tranquility, or anything in the space of melodic death metal.
Until next time, y’all.
Smallz, signing off…
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS SMALL