This is to my knowledge some semblance of a side-project from Mushroomhead vocalist Jason Popson. This is a pretty fucking faceless release. It's no wonder this band got passed up by anyone with good taste in 2011. The only crowd I can really see enjoying this are Mushroomhead fans wanting more from the lead vocalist from that band.

This release is littered with nu-metal revival antics and random groove metal riffs ripped straight out of the Machine Head (Supercharger/Burning Red-era) book. For example in opener "Everything We Hold" we are immediately treated to a flurry of tribal beats and rhythms that would have fit perfectly on the "Roots" album by Sepultura. Then the heavy duty stuff kicks in with some generic midtempo riffs and that type of horrible cupped mic atonal scream we all remember in painful memories from the early 2000's. The songwriting is really random. It sounds very cookie-cutter. It's like the band fucked around with whatever they loved about heavy music circa 2000 and haphazardly put it into these compositions. The only time when anything on this EP stands out is when the guitars decide to use some fast and rhythmic riffage and let go of the boring palm mute template which is dumbing down the music. "Token" kicks off with a thrashy riff for 10 seconds and even the vocals manage not to be annoying during this part. But then we get that boring stomping groove riff again which we already heard for 8 minutes straight. And it's just not exciting, there's no melody, no power, nothing memorable whatsoever about this song or EP.

The drumming is really fucking generic. We get the same groove/beat for the verses in every song. The snare and toms sound plastic and while the cymbals sound pretty neat and fleshed out they are used too sparingly. The guitar tone is very distorted and doesn't allow for a lot of texture. It has that buzzy groove/alt-metal meets garage rock sound to it. Which sounds neat on paper however the riffs are totally forgettable and generic. You have your obligatory gothenburg metal-style riffs at 0:32 in "Damn The Deceiver". There are even a few acoustic breaks reminiscent of Metallica but they never get a chance to lead to anything interesting, the band decides that they have to go back to the lame ass palm mute riffs before even 20 seconds of the acoustic bridge has passed. "Backdraft" sucks ass for a minute and a half with awful screams and palm muted chords a 5 year old could play. Then when you think the song can't get any worse we get that hideous whispered part at 1:40 "...The coming of a storm, the cries bounce off the walls in repetive form...". Indeed my cries of misery are bouncing off the wall of my room as I wait for this trainwreck of a song to end so I can kill myself and roll around in my grave remembering that this piece of shit song was ever made. There is a Slayer-ish guitar solo after that, but there's not a guitar solo on this planet that could salvage such a worthless excuse for a song.

Dammit, I regret ever listening to this poor excuse of an EP. I'd be surprised if you even found this in the bargain bin inside gas station stores. It's really that worthless. This is not music that should ever be listened to for enjoyment.

This album is a true gem. I'm a veteran listener when it comes to industrial metal but to this day I have yet to hear any band that sounds like A Dark Halo on their only album "Catalyst".

These guys came out of nowhere in 2006 and released this peculiar release. What we have here is a blend of industrial metal in the mid-era Fear Factory vein. But due to ADH's themes and approach to songwriting being strikingly different. Their music doesn't come off as a rip off or derived in any major way. This is a band that is all about tugging on the listeners heartstrings through serene synth backdrops and melodic guitar leads. These beautiful elements are present mostly in the choruses of the songs, but also make themselves known in the slow-building verses of the ballad "Silence".

There is some anger bubbling underneath of course. This is a metal album after all. For the gritty stuff ADH mostly use slamming groove riffs that occasionally tip over into mechanical gallopping tempos. The vocals vary between a hoarse, raspy scream and a harmonic but linear clean sung performance. The synth is almost always present, even in the verses where the guitars dominate. However, they take something of a supportive role in these sections of the songs. Overall, the balance between the guitars, synths and vocals is fantastic. For this type of uniform style of metal which builds it's very foundation on musical tightness and strict compositioning, ADH's balance is one of the best ever made.

The instrumental department does exactly what it sets out to do. Delivering adequate heaviness and power to keep the listener engaged and excited about what's next to come in the song. We as listeners are then rewarded in the refrains where ADH really show what they are made of. Dave Lowmiller has such a unique singing voice. When he sings melodically it's in a mellow tone that hits just the right notes and gives way to a lot of emotion in the listener. He does have a slight synthetic effect applied to his vocal tracks, but I don't consider it to be cheating at all.

This is music that is all about merging futuristic and artifical concepts with introversion of the mind and sadness in the heart. Man versus machine. A classic sci-fi concept. But ADH's approach to the theme in both the music and the lyrics is very low key in nature and more of an internal monologue than a high tech action adventure.

My favorite moments on here include the energetic intro and attention grabbing groove of "Burn It All", the majestic and downbeat refrains in both "Beyond Recall" and "Unbreakable", and last but not least the incredible piano and synth interplay in the instrumental song "Reformatting...".

I'm not afraid to admit that this is one of the (few) albums that have moved me to tears. Not only did I identify with the morose lyrical content. The music itself is all the way through from the first to the very last seconds cold, desolate and hopeless. The album is the very musical embodiment of depression, loss and heartbreak. This album is very special to me. Listening to it has become a way for me to self-medicate and repair whenever I'm feeling blue. If industrial metal with a melancholic tone to it sounds like something you might enjoy. Then this album might just pull at your heartstrings too.