Featuring former 20 Dead Flower Children frontman D-Hauz and the instrumental section of the band formerly known as E-Sex, Halo Grey are an impressive up and coming Los Angeles, CA area act who exude a maturity that far outweighs their relatively short time together as a band. Crushing guitar riffs, frighteningly intense vocals and a web of electronic wizardry grace the bands sound, which vaguely resembles that of a much less industrial based 20 Dead Flower Children, instead focusing on engrossing melodic passages, expansive soundscapes and explosive twists and turns.

Vocally D-Hauz has laid out perhaps his finest work yet, penning lyrics that hit close to home with clever metaphors and dark lyrical imagery, while also retaining a distinct personal feel. As a result, the intensity of his performance is undeniable, flush with screams that feel so invigorated, its as though his life depended on them escaping from his lungs. He's not only limited to the more aggressive side however and has also substantially broadened his melodic side, occasionally delivering his words through highly emphatic passages that effortlessly trap the listeners attention. The guitar riffs on the other hand are quite menacing, hitting hard with thick distortion and a tuning that sounds starkly resilient as it plows through deep grooves that come sprinkled with some delicately toned harmonies. The bass playing is a bit less prevalent however, instead leaving its mark through a series of winding progressions that siphon off into unified assaults with the strong armed guitar parts whenever the need arises. Meanwhile, the percussion is highly energetic and fairly crisp, utilizing a healthy amount of cymbal splashes and high hat work to compliment the consistent array of snare variations and hammering rolls. Finalized by an inclusion of vast electronic tweaks and whirs, the music manages to head in a highly atmospheric direction that is fairly tame in manner overall, preferring to instead widen the bands range and sonic palette rather than take on an instrumental styled role of its own.

Perhaps the defining quality of this release is the genuine intensity which it possesses. When combined with the intelligence and weathered feel of the material featured, its hard not to at least be motivated by the energy and conviction with which the band are able to convey their ideas. The electronic elements are definitely a key factor in this, steadily causing buildup, allowing the songs to materialize through a wide scope of sounds and generally draw from rather extreme levels of both sides of emotional spectrum, progressively zigzagging their way back and forth until completion. Admittedly though, there is a bit of a loose feel at times that tends to make the songs sound a tad too open ended and perhaps a stronger focus on a common goal from all members would clean this up and increase the strength of the tracks tenfold. However, despite this the outing is still a very strong release from what is technically a fairly young band. It's got the requisite intensity, emotion and aggression to allow them to appeal to a broad range of listeners and with an admirably unique style at play, they definitely have a great shot at taking the band to the big leagues if the cards fall in their favor .