Review: Moonlight Haze – Beyond
Scarlet Records (May 23rd, 2025)
Reviewer – Jason Hopper
Italian symphonic metal band Moonlight Haze are back with their fourth album ‘Beyond‘. Having been around for only a few years (with touring and exposure hampered by the pandemic), this is a new band for me. Symphonic metal to my ears can run hot or cold. I do appreciate the epicness of the sound, but the genre has a tendency to overindulge and utilize progressive elements that hamper melody and reduce it’s impact. However, when it hits…it hits HARD! This is exactly what Moonlight Haze does.
All the requisites are here. While mostly sung straight, the band throws in operatic and growl vocals, but uses them sparingly, which is appreciated. What is interesting is all of the vocals are done by singer Chaira Tricarico, an outstanding performance on her part. Sticking mostly to her natural range is perfect, as throwing vocal gymnastics all over the place (like the band Amaranthe) would be overindulgent.
People not familiar with the band would be thrown by the opening title track. I would say it is more of an intro song, but it goes on for over two minutes and features vocals sung over a piano, which may send the wrong impression about the band. It’s a bold opening for sure, but the “sound” of the band begins with Track 2. ‘Tame The Storm’ starts with a procussive slow burn but kicks into overdrive with the lyrics. The band goes back and forth between these two melodies, with a fast paced verse, a bridge that slows things down a bit, and a chorus that picks things up. It’s exactly the type of symphonic metal stylings that make me appreciate the genre.
Things go off the rails a bit with the very next track. ‘Crystallized’ has a great overall melody and has one of the catchiest choruses found on the album. The problem is the beginning and end of the song, when either guitarist Marco Falanga or Alberto Melinato use the wah-wah pedal to create an effect that is three different levels of grating. It’s like nails on a chalkboard and ruins the song for me. Fortunately, that’s the album’s worst moment.
The band gets its footing back with recently released single ‘Chase The Light’. A heavy yet catchy melody with pop sensibilities and a blistering solo, the most commercial track on the album.
Other favorites include ‘D.N.A. (Do Not Apologize)’, a hard driving beat with terrific lyrics regarding non-conformity. Chaira Tricarico shows off her vocal prowess once again on ‘Time To Go’. Chaira unloads her arsenal of ranges from softer to stronger to operatic and growling. Pretty impressive in a song that’s a little over four minutes long.
‘L’echo Del Silenzio (which translates to The Echo of Silence), is an interesting ballad with a minimalist approach to its instrumentation. A bit more than half of it is sung in Italian. What this does for a listener not proficient in Italian is focus attention on Chaira. I have no idea what she is saying, but I could see myself listening to a vocal like this live and being entranced by the experience. The song is elegant and impactful.
If bands like Delain, Ad Infinitum, and Xandria are to your liking, then this band is right up your alley. They have that euro rock/metal sound combined with elegant yet powerful female vocals that make this a symphonic metal juggernaut. No song overstays its welcome and nearly all stick with you long after you have stopped listening. If you are not familiar with the band, prepare to make room in your collection for this release.
Track list:
- Beyond
- Tame The Storm
- Crystallized
- Chase The Light
- Would You Dare?
- L’eco Del Silenzio (The Echo of Silence)
- D.N.A. (Do Not Apologize)
- Untold
- Time To Go
- Awakening
Line-up:
Chiara Tricarico – vocals
Marco Falanga – guitar
Alberto Melinato – guitar
Alessandro Jacobi – bass
Giulio Capone – drums and keyboards
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