Moonlight Haze's 'Beyond' - Album Review

I have noted on this blog quite recently that my coverage of power and symphonic metal seems to have increased somewhat again. Power metal was one of my favourite genres in my teens, but over the years I started to drift away from it somewhat. I kept up with my true favourites, but I think that the over-the-top nature of some power metal, alongside what can often be a bit too much cheese, started to wear me out - with some of the more bombastic acts I used to listen to falling by the wayside. I have started to appreciate this sort of music a bit more again, though, and a strong dose of fun can sometimes be an antidote to the heavier music I often find myself consuming - as well to an increasingly uncertain world in general. It is perhaps fitting, then, that one of my favourite albums so far this year is Avantasia's Here Be Dragons (which I reviewed here) - and the show I saw the band perform in London back in March was another overall highlight of the year to date. Following a couple of weaker albums, in my opinion, Here Be Dragons felt like Tobias Sammet finding his mojo again - and writing songs first, rather than focusing on bombast and spectacle. Write good enough songs and the spectacle will surely follow - and Avantasia's 'comeback' somewhat mirrors my own re-embracing of power metal. I mention Avantasia as the band I am covering today I started listening to because of them - as the frontwoman of the Italian symphonic metal act Moonlight Haze, Chiara Tricario, has been a touring vocalist with Avantasia for the past few years. I would be lying, though, if I said that Avantasia truly introduced me to Tricario, as I also knew that she was the original singer of Temperance - but I am generally familiar with Temperance's more recent work on which she does not feature. Moonlight Haze was the band that Tricario and drummer Giulio Capone formed in 2018 after they both left Temperance - and this year saw the release of their fourth album Beyond. Both Tricario and Capone were songwriters on those early Temperance albums, so it is unsurprising that Moonlight Haze is essentially their band. Whilst the line-up has remained stable since 2018, Tricario and Capone essentially drive the band in terms of songwriting - with Capone also acting as the band's keyboard player. Whilst Temperance have generally always felt like a power metal band with some symphonic flourishes, Moonlight Haze feel closer to symphonic metal. They are not as bombastic nor as grand as the big hitters in the genre, and their power metal influences are still very much present, but there is a smoothness and orchestral feel to Moonlight Haze which sets them apart from Temperance - at least on Beyond. I have not heard any of the band's previous three albums so I cannot compare Beyond to them - but my impression of the band is that they like to write accessible material. This is a pretty short album, as are all of the band's albums, which means it is an album for any occasion - and it sounds lush thanks to Sascha Paeth's production. This is Paeth's first time working with the band, again likely due to the Avantasia connection, and working with such a named producer seems like a step up for Moonlight Haze.

As mentioned, Moonlight Haze's line-up has remained the same since they formed - with guitarists Marco Falanga and Alberto Melinato and bassist Alessandro Jacobi joining Tricario and Capone. This is a much more guitar-focused album than is sometimes the case with symphonic metal, so there are plenty of riffs and solos here, but the opening title track is essentially a piano-led piece which nicely sets a more serene scene. Rolling, classically-influenced piano opens the album, then, over which Tricario starts to sing ethereal wordless vocals - showcasing her range early on with a mixture of delicate and more powerful vocalisations. She soon starts to sing proper, her breathy approach mixing nicely with the busy and rumbling piano melodies. As I will describe shortly, she is a bit different from most symphonic metal singers - but she has a pleasing tone and a powerful delivery, which is exemplified during these early stages of the album. Subtle vocal harmonies add depth, but essentially this opening piece is purely her voice and Capone's piano - and it works well as an intro despite the rest of the album being much heavier. This heaviness is apparent as soon as Tame the Storm kicks in, as the guitar-driven piece showcases the core Moonlight Haze sound proper - with chugging mid-paced guitar stabs early on, and a faster-paced verse which kicks in once Tricario starts to singing. Her voice is grittier than many symphonic metal singers. She can still deliver some pseudo-classical moments when needed, as it showcased during a bombastic pre-chorus, but generally she rocks out a lot more - and her gritty voice really brings the snappy and riffy verses to life. The chorus is similar gritty, too, but the guitars let the chords hang a bit more here, to allow the strings to shine through, whilst the vocal melodies feel a bit more anthemic overall. A latter shredded guitar solo, which ends with some excellent neo-classical runs, showcases the band's more guitar-heavy sound, too, and there are also plenty of riffs and little technical guitar moments throughout the song which differ from the gothic chugs which often fill symphonic metal albums. The first heavy track here is a snappy and memorable piece, then, and it showcases the best of the band in my opinion. Crystallized is similar, but the track is more of a mid-paced anthem overall - reining in some of the power metal bombast of the previous song and going for more of a typical symphonic metal sound. The opening guitar riff is hooky and memorable, though, with a synth hook doubling it for effect, whilst the verses are a bit more typical of symphonic metal with a strong bass presence, plenty of strings, and occasional guitar accents. Tricario retains her gritty approach for parts of the song, but generally she sings this one in a smoother manner - showcasing her impressive range. The chorus, which is filled with sweeter-sounding vocal melodies which really stick in the brain, is very hooky and it is one of the album's most memorable moments in my opinion - especially when later renditions of it re-use the song's opening riff to create a powerful mix of vocals and guitars.

Chase the Light opens with a short rendition of the song's chorus, which Tricario giving it her all against a synth backing, before the rest of the band kick in - laying down a chunky guitar riff which is again backed by some flashy synths. Much like the last song, this is another pretty mid-paced piece overall - but the song feels a bit tougher. The guitars are pretty crunchy here, which give the song a heavier feel overall - whilst Jacobi's bass also really stands out during the verses in particular. Tricario's gritty vocal delivery is also put to good use here - particularly during the soaring chorus. It is another chorus which really sticks in the brain, even if it has a very typical symphonic metal feel - and it contrasts nicely with the verses which are delivered in more of a smooth manner. A lengthy guitar solo section is impressive, too. It opens with some chaotic shredding, before a more controlled, bluesy section takes over. Would You Dare? returns to some of the faster-paced crunch of Tame the Storm, presenting a guitar-heavy sound from the off - with plenty of punchy drumming and more of Tricario's heavier vocal style. There is little of her smoother approach here, with the song necessitating the rougher side of her delivery - which really shines throughout, particularly during the snappy and fast-paced chorus. The combination of her voice and the crunchy guitars gives the song a heavier overall feel - but there are still plenty of hooks here, with the chorus in particular standing out. There are occasional harsh vocals here, too, but I am not sure who performs them - although some of the higher-pitched screams sound like Tricario really pushing herself vocally. The brief harsh vocal usage works well - particularly when it heralds the introduction of the song's big guitar solo which is another flurry of notes. L'eco Del Silenzio slows things down and acts as the album's ballad, with big acoustic guitar chords opening things up - over which Tricario soon starts to sing alongside the addition of some strings and subtle percussion. Parts of the song are sung in Italian, a language which always seems to work well for ballads, with the romantic language sounding strong against the background of acoustic guitars and dense strings - with Capone adding some piano melodies here and there, too. The piano takes over in a more significant way later on in the song, with a lengthy piano-led instrumental section letting Capone showcase his skills in a more obvious manner - before Tricario starts to sing again. D.N.A. (Do Not Apologize) returns to the band's core heavier sound, with probably the album's biggest riff kicking things off. It is nice to hear a symphonic metal album with more prominent riffs, as so often the guitar is relegated to the background, but that is not generally the case here - with D.N.A. (Do Not Apologize) sounding meaty throughout thanks to the driving riffing of Falanga and Melinato. The strings and orchestrations remain, adding depth, but they do not dominate - with the riffing and the tough vocals of Tricario really shining throughout. She sings in her heavier style throughout this song - with the fists-in-the-air chorus really showcasing the best of this side of her. It is a gritty song overall, then, and it is easy to latch onto thanks to these hooks and the vocal power on display - whilst a folky instrumental section later adds some further melody.

Untold opens with some programmed beats and some phased guitar riffing, and the track continues on this more modern vibe throughout. Sparkling synths and slightly gated drumming give the song a bit of a different sound overall - but the strings still remain to add a grandness. Despite the presence of the synths and the bigger beats, the guitar riffing still tends to dominate - giving the song a heavier overall feel. Tricario sings the song in a poppier manner which suits the slightly different approach taken throughout - although she does toughen up a bit for the chorus. For some reason, though, I find the song's chorus a bit jarring. I can see that the band have tried to go for an upbeat feel, with big hooks, but the overly-upbeat vibe somewhat clashes with the rest of the song for me. The song has a pop vibe, but the chorus feels a bit too Amaranthe-esque for Moonlight Haze - and the contrast in styles feels a bit off in my opinion. Time to Go returns to something more typical for the band, with a crunchy and fast-paced guitar riff opening things up - with the song on the whole going for a heavy, mid-paced feel. There are faster moments, with the chorus picking up the pace and employing some double bass drumming, which mirror that opening riff - but much of the song is more mid-paced and cinemati, with crunching guitar riffing throughout, occasional bursts of harsh vocals, and widescreen synths and strings. Tricario also gets to showcase her vocal range here - with some operatic moments during the song's pre-chorus, whilst other sections see her gritty delivery contributing to the overall heaviness nicely. A heavy instrumental section later on sees some of the toughest riffing and drumming on the album overall - but the symphonics remain to add some colour before a big guitar solo takes over. The album then comes to a close with Awakening - a mid-paced rocker with a more typical symphonic metal feel. The opening riff is more synth-backed than is often the case here, whilst the guitars generally drop away a bit more here during the verses - with the bass taking the lead a bit more and symphonics filling in all of the gaps. Tricario also sings in a more classically-inspired manner throughout. The sweeter side of her voice is very much on show here - and she adds an ethereal side to the song to suit the big strings elsewhere and the more restrained guitar crunch. There is little of the grit of the band's core sound here - with the track feeling like a true symphonic metal piece without any of the band's power metal side. There is still a big guitar solo, though, which does channel that side somewhat, but instead this is a smoother song overall - with strong hooks during a melodic chorus - which ends the album in fine fashion. Overall, then, Beyond is a strong album which I have been enjoying over the past month or so. It is nothing especially new, but the tougher overall approach is welcome and the band do not sound like a clone of any of the genre's big hitters - which can often be the case in symphonic metal. There is certainly a core sound here despite the album feeling familiar given the age of the genre at this point - and there is a lot to like here for those who prefer their symphonic metal a little heavier.

The album was released on 23rd May 2025 via Scarlet Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Tame the Storm.