I first knew and saw HOLLOW HAZE about two years ago when they performed in Israel. I haven't heard of them till then But Steinmetal told me that we must attend, and I have to admit that I was blown away. The band sounded tight, and listening to Rock Ramon (Then the lead vocalist) was like listening to a young Halford or Ripper with a Tony Martin twist. After that show I reviewed their album "Poison In Black" and was overwhelmed again by the songs and the production. By now you can assume that I became a fan of the band, and I was very intrigued to listen to "Countdown To Revenge" to see what the band did with their new frontman, the great Fabio Lione (RHAPSODY OF FIRE) on vocals.

Straight from "Watching The Silence" you can notice that Lione is something else, so precise, powerful and full of energy. The songwriting of the record is amazing and the orchestral parts by the wintermoon Orchestra are out of this world. The album is a total Power Metal menace, especially with "We Must Believe", being the epic anthem of the record in my opinion. The most surprising thing is the diversity in Lione's voice, from roughness al'a Jorn Lande to an almost Dickinson Style of singing as demonstrated on "Il Tempo Del Fuoco", a very MAIDENish song. The chorus reminded me a lot of "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner".

Generally, another fine result by the Italians, a little too "over the top" as I felt like needing a break in the middle due to the reason that it gotten really intense. On the other hand, that's Italian Power Metal for you. Production wise, Savio did an amazing job yet again, the album sounds tight as it should, full and has an old school vibe, especially with the guitar sound.