Her Halo

Review

It's Inadmissible that Teramaze didn't come up on my radar earlier but it's one of those mysteries of life that have no explanation. The year was 2025, early fall some time in August I was on my way home from work when Spotify's Smart Shuffle decided to gift me something that would possibly change my life.

The song in question was Out Of Subconscious and at first I was like "this guy can really sing" but we live today in a world of abundance. Even though there is a lot of AI created music and a lot of unlistenable junk, you don't have to look hard to find quality music. I just kept listening to whatever Spotify suggested and didn't think much about that voice. To be honest I hadn't really understood the magnificence of what I had just listened to.

You might wonder how I know it was that specific song then. Well... A few days later Spotify decided it was time to refresh my memory with exactly the same song once again. This time I was on my way to work. I believe the awareness or consciousness (you see what I did there? ;)) is much higher in the morning. Anyway the song started playing and I recognized the voice. Immediately I took up the phone to acquire more info about the band playing. Suddenly I could hear the marvelous work the whole band was doing there. If you're familiar with Spotify you know you can click on what's playing and open the artist's "page" or even the album in which the song features in and that's what I did.

The Album

If you've been here before you probably know that I have my references and it's impossible to review an album without making comparisons. I wouldn’t call Her Halo a direct descendant of Dream Theater, but the influence becomes hard to ignore—especially when you consider the trilogy (yes, Her Halo is a trilogy) concept and its narrative ambition. To me it becomes obvious that Metropolis (the story that started as a song and later on became a full story with the release of Scenes From A Memory) played a role in the creation of Teramaze's album and later on the follow-ups.

Track Highlights

An Ordinary Dream (Enla Momento) is the opening track with its 12:49 minutes. I'd say it's intricate just in the right way which makes the song accessible to audiences that aren't really used to the complexity of odd time signatures. I recall looking at the screen to check if it was one track or if we were in the second or third. To Love, A Tyrant is once again longer than the average (7:54) and has a cinematic intro which evolves into a very well thought guitar riff. I'm gonna blame it on my background but I think Nathan's voice here sounds a lot like LaBrie's on his peak. That was also where I started to understand how gifted Dean Wells was.

Next track is the album's title. Her Halo has in my opinion a different structure that immediately catches the eye (or ears in this case). Also, the solo could/would/should feature in any top tier guitar solos of all times. Following song is the one that placed Teramaze on the map for me: Out Of Subconscious. When I listen to music, I tend to focus on structure—how ideas are built and evolve. This track stands out because nothing feels predictable. It moves in ways I wasn’t expecting, and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. Meaning that it's so different from everything I've heard before that I lack adjectives to describe. Also 4:56 to 5:04... Jesus! And Nathan's able to do it LIVE!!!

For The Innocent starts with a powerful riff which develops into a clean guitar following (or backing up Peachey's voice) to later get back to the same theme. I haven't mentioned any lyrics yet cause in my humble opinion the interpretation is very personal but here we are presented a chorus with beautiful melodies and a positive message. Trapeze is the only instrumental track of the album and has a very Liquid Tension Experiment feeling to it. I believe it's because it sounds like a jam/more "experimental" than the rest of the album. You know what?!?! This song could actually replace Erotomania in Dream Theater's Awake album.

When Broken started for the first time I was like "what the **** is that?!?!" It sounded like someone started playing a Dido record (I actually like some of her songs but didn't expect any of them in a metal album) but then the song started for real and it was a jaw dropping moment. Lovely chorus where Nathan shows the quality of his voice. Throughout the whole record we can ascertain that Mr. Wells was very inspired but once again he excels in the solo. Did I mention the chorus previously? ;) What a better way to finish a splendid album with a track called "Delusions Of Grandeur"?!?! Composition wise I'd say that this track is the peak of the album. Full of changes, interludes and "grandeur" (which in my opinion is a positive thing despite of the pejorative meaning associated with the expression.

Previously I mentioned Dream Theater, James LaBrie and LTE but I can also find hints of Periphery and some Spencer Sotelo's flavor on Nathan's voice. Also I'd like to point out that even though Dean and Nathan are the stars here, the lineup consists of Dean Kennedy on the drums and Luis Enrique Eguren on the bass. Very good musicians doing a great job with their respective instruments. It seems though that they were in the band for only a few years which has been a constant thing throughout Teramaze's existence. Her Halo was released in October 2015.

Songwriting

The album moves with confidence and knows exactly when to hit hard and when to open into atmosphere.

Production

Cinematic production that makes you immerge in the concept created by Dean Wells.

Final Verdict

Her Halo doesn’t just hold up—it feels timeless. A rare record that balances complexity and emotion without ever losing its identity. If you care about modern progressive metal, this is not optional listening.