MOONLIGHT HAZE hailing from Northern Italy were formed in 2018. The symphonic and modern Metal band release their fourth full-length album. “Beyond” was produced by Sascha Paeth (ANGRA; AVANTASIA; EPICA). The album has a length of almost 38 minutes, and it was released via Italian Power, Thrash, and Heavy Metal specialists Scarlet Records. The album starts with the title song and it is a mixture between a pre-lude and a short ballad, driven by the piano and the vocals. Eventually, the two-minutes opening transitions into the fast “Tame The Storm”, led by powerful and heavy guitar riffs accompanied by the keyboards, and strong basslines. The vocals vary between the medium to higher end of the vocal range, with occasional highly pitched notes. The track includes a contributing lead guitar solo during the break. There are little tempo twists throughout, it is overall a fast and dynamic track. “Crystallized” starts with the piano and the vocals leading into a mid-tempo verse part with tight guitar riffing with catchy melodies. While the vocals on “Tame The Storm” were Rock-oriented with a few harsh features, they are softer and more leaning on modern Metal vocals in “Crystallized”. The song is easy-to-listen, especially the chorus parts. It is a relatively short track with the end slowly fading out.

“Chase The Light” starts powerful with thunderous guitar riffing at mid-tempo to begin with. The vocals follow the melodies during the verse part and the bridges. The guitar riffs during the verse parts are tight. The chorus parts are anthemic with catchy melodies. The break leads into an extended and very contributing lead guitar solo. “Chase The Light” is the perfect track to be released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below. “Would You Dare?” is a fast and dynamic track with a mixture of tight and thunderous guitar riffing. The vocals are again more Rock inspired. The melodies are catchy with the chorus parts being sing-along. While “Would You Dare?” is another easy-to-listen track, the break with the lead guitar solo introduces a bit more heaviness. “L’eko Del Silenzio” provides a distinct change in sound as it is the album ballad. Driven by the acoustic guitars, the violin, and the vocals during the verse part, more instruments join in during the choruses. The overarching element and driving force of the track are the vocals, and the voice of Chiara Tricarico is perfectly suited for the track. She has an excellent and emotional performance and grabs her chance to shine.

“L’eko Del Silenzio” is one of the album highlights. “D.N.A. (Do Not Apologize)” starts with a few synthesizer effects leading into the mid-tempo verse part with tight guitar riffing and a bit more darkness in the melodies. The vocals are slightly deeper compared to most other tracks and there are some harsh parts included. The chorus parts follow catchy melodies, and the chorus lines are once again anthemic. The break leads into a keyboard solo accompanied by the lead guitars. Altogether, “D.N.A. (Do Not Apologize)” is one of the heavier album tracks. “Untold” is a mid-tempo for most of the time. The guitar riffing is tight, and the melodies are catchy. The keyboard contributions are quite prominent at times unlike during many other tracks. However. “Untold” cannot quite keep up with most album tracks. “Time To Go” has a fast start with thunderous guitar riffs leading into a mid-tempo verse part. The vocals are higher pitched with a few operatic parts included during the bridge. During the chorus parts, the tempo is raised, and the vocals are more Rock inspired. During the whole track, there is backing vocal support. Highlight is the very contributing lead guitar solo during the break.

The final track “Awakening” starts with a short piano pre-lude, leading into the mid-tempo verse part with tight guitar riffing. The vocals follow the melodies, and the melodic framework is catchy with sing-along chorus lines. The track has a simple verse/chorus structure as most album tracks. The break leads into another contributing lead guitar solo. “Awakening” is a good way to finish the album. MOONLIGHT HAZE release a good modern Metal album. “Beyond” is a smart mixture of modern, symphonic, and Power Metal elements. The central element of the album is the delivery of easy-to-listen, anthemic songs embedded in a catchy melodic framework. On top of this sits a vocalist, who keeps the sound expertly together with her versatility. The album is well produced. Fans of symphonic and modern Metal will love what they hear and “Beyond” is certainly one of those albums of the genres that will be remembered at the end of year reviews.