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Lunaris
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Lunaris |
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| Moonlight Haze are a symphonic power metal band from Italy formed in 2018 releasing their debut album 'De Rerum Natura' in 2019. The bands follow-up 'Lunaris' was released in 2020. | ||||||
| Recently I was floored by the astonishing female vocal performance by a melodic metal band from Switzerland. And today I have been floored for a second time in as many months, by the spectacular, soaring vocals of Chiara Tricarico, lead singer for Italian symphonic metal band Moonlight Haze. Her voice is nothing short of stunning. Chiara has not only been gifted with an exceptional singing voice, she is molto bello*. To say I have been mesmerised, hypnotised and taken aback, would be the biggest understatement ever! So bear with me, as I write my review from my lofty perch sat on cloud nine... From the moment the album powers into life with the "turning heads" gallop of classic sounding power metal 'Till The End', I knew immediately this was gonna be an album for me. And when Chiara begins singing, I knew this was gonna be an album I would fall in love with. The vocal range of Chiara goes from all out power metal rasp to soaring symphonic - and all in the blink of an eye. The energy and oomph that 'Till The End' oozes is phenomenal, and is a cracking start to the bands sophomore album. With a heavier feel and a massive injection of the melodic, 'The Rabbit Of The Moon' hits hard, very hard indeed. The punches thrown by 'The Rabbit Of The Moon' are more like haymakers, knocking you into next week, seeing stars and birds as you lie flat out on your back. Which is kinda of where I am right now... | ||||||
| The title song 'Lunaris' has a more mellow feel - for about eight fucking seconds! And then boom... Thunder strikes and 'Lunaris' becomes the hardest heavy hitter you can imagine. More traditional heavy metal sounding than the opening double salvo, 'Lunaris' is a savage romp of infectious and happy mood inducing metal come power metal come symphonic metal come fucking glorious metal. Just three songs in and "bowled over" is a very apt term right now, as Moonlight Haze deliver one of the biggest surprises of the year, and a definite contender for Album Of The Year. And what a perfect title to sum up the affect this album, this band, this singer has got over me - for I am "under your spell"... 'Under Your Spell' drops the album into power ballad territory, and proceeds to sensually massage the sweet spot. The more soulful vocal delivery by Chiara still manages to soar effortlessly, and the power she has is just incredible. As is the power, simply gushing from 'Under Your Spell' - reminding me so much of the Swedish pop rock band Roxette and their phenomenal 1987 power ballad 'It Must Have Been Love', sung by the amazing Marie Fredriksson (RIP). I really can't praise Moonlight Haze enough for such a wonderful aural delight, 'Lunaris' (the album) is a fantastic listening experience. | ||||||
| A listening experience that is far from over... There is eleven songs on offer, and I've only just listened to the first four! So let's carry on... And oh my fucking God, 'Enigma' is an intense thunderstorm of heavy hitting and bombastic riffs. The pace, urgency and purpose of 'Enigma' is overwhelming - a surge of galloping power metal to get the pulse racing and heart beating faster. And as a twist, Chiara sings in Italian, sounding just as sexy and sensual as she has done since the album began - semplicemente sensazionale**. And the power metal thunder doesn't end there - 'Wish Upon A Scar' thundering into life, incorporating traces of the folk style of music. Moonlight Haze constantly strive to broaden their musical horizons, and are not afraid to experiment with different styles of music. The combination of folk, and the savage riffery normally associated with heavy metal, works very well. Even Chiara's voice takes on a more throaty rasp than heard so far. What a song and what an album - I am in love, and not just with the album... Which powers on with the atmospheric and epic seven minutes long, 'The Dangerous Art Of Overthinking'. Mid tempo, mid paced and highly melodic, 'The Dangerous Art Of Overthinking' is a bombastic and ground shuddering stomp. Phenomenally heavy, and with a throaty growled vocal performance thrown in - is that you Chiara? Does your voice have no limits? Wow... And with a change of pace 'The Dangerous Art Of Overthinking' becomes a speed metal exponent - the pace changing a few times before coming to an end in an almighty crescendo. | ||||||
| Oh man, I'm fucking breathless. The intensity and wow factor is unbelievable, I haven't felt this exulted for many years. And the band don't even give me a chance to catch my breath either - the album scorching on with the blistering pace of 'Without You'. Having a title you'd normally associate with a ballad is a little deceptive, for 'Without You' comes flying at you straight out of the speed metal genre. And proceeds to carve a savage path across the land, with a vocal performance ranging from classic power metal rasp to soaring symphonic. A simply prestazioni straordinarie***. The folk music influence appears again with the mellow and simply stunning acoustic like swagger 'Of Birth And Death'. Chiara's voice is more angelic than anywhere else on the album, and if you haven't already been bowled over by her voice yet, you will be now. Absolutely faultless. And with just two songs left to go, we are treated to a an eight minute long epic - 'Nameless City'. The symphonic vocals soar to their highest level yet as 'Nameless City' wanders into life, showing a clean pair of heels and racing off at high speed. 'Nameless City' is a thundering power metal rampage, showcasing every facet of the Moonlight Haze sound, from the blistering guitars to the sweeping melodies, to the infectious rhythms and to the simply stunning voice of the bands lead singer, the beautiful Chiara Tricarico. The album reaches it climax with an English sung version of 'Enigma' - and to be honest, no matter what language Chiara sings in, her voice is incredibly intoxicating. | ||||||
| Overall, a simply sensational and breath taking album of symphonic power metal - The surprise release of the year and a very strong contender for Album Of The Year. | ||||||
| Review by Iron Mathew Collins | ||||||
| Reviewed for Metal Gods TV | ||||||
| * "molto bello" - very beautiful | ||||||
| ** "semplicemente sensazionale" - simply sensational | ||||||
| *** "prestazioni straordinarie" - extraordinary performance | ||||||
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| "an energetic and quite breath taking journey of superb symphonic power metal, highly addictive and overly infectious" Read Review | ||||||
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