Formed in 2008, Halocene was long based in Phoenix, Arizona. From there, the 3-piece band established a presence on YouTube, mostly through their metal-influenced cover videos. By 2011, the band was opening for Blink 182 and taking part in the prestigious Vans Warped Tour. Since then, the band has combined touring with regular YouTube posts.
In the featured video, Halocene covers System of a Down’s Toxicity with Halocene vocalist Addie Amick joined by Lauren Babic and Violet Orlandi. Both Babic (a Canadian) and Orlandi (a Brazilian who completed a bachelor of music in the UK) are established artists on YouTube. They have also toured with Halocene. The 3-female vocals work a treat!
The decisive moment in the song is at 2:42 when Lauren Babick channels Serj Tankian’s mighty roar! Any doubts about the need for another cover of Toxicity, however good, vanish. Make no mistake the playing by Joe Polizzi (drums) and Bradley Amick (guitar) is top-drawer, and the interplay between the three vocalists gives the song dynamism and texture, but Babick’s throaty growl makes this a System of a Down cover to return to. As Larry comments: “I fell in love at 2:42. WOW WOW. She nailed it.”
The opening line of Toxicity “Conversion, software version 7.0” refers to when AOL was a major internet interface in the US. The line is a dig at AOL’s enforced updates. In the age of AI-powered software, the line seems more pertinent than ever -especially in light of the song’s references to the toxicity of both individuals and the infrastructure in which we live. At 7.5M YouTube views, Toxicity is Halocene’s 3rd most popular video (Chop Suey is 1st). Here is their most recent original song:
Posted on 3 February 2023, the video features footage of Halocene’s 2022 tour of the US, Europe and the UK. This was their biggest tour, and a sign that the band has renewed momentum and is reaching a wider audience. This has led the band to move from Phoenix, Arizona to the music hub that is Nashville, Tennessee.
As the band put it on their Facebook page on 5 March 2023: “To the state that we were born and raised in; where we started our band, our family, and our lives, thank you. When we moved into this house 8 years ago, we had 4 roommates and not a dollar to our names. We are leaving with a thriving business, a million fans, and a lifetime of potential ahead of us. Thank you, Arizona. ON TO THE NEXT ADVENTURE! See you soon Nashville.”
On 22 March 2023, Addie announced that they had moved into their Nashville house and that the band was itching to start recording in their new home-based studio. Halocene produce their own music and videos, and have a weekly live stream on Twitch, so the studio is bound to be impressive.
Incidentally, singer Addie (née Nicole) married Halocene guitarist, singer and producer Bradley Amick in April 2016.
As Halocene start their Nashville adventure, it seems appropriate to conclude this article with the last song they recorded and posted in Phoenix: a powerful cover of Linkin Park’s iconic song The Catalyst.
If you would like to see more from Halocene, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel or follow them on Facebook.