Moonlight Haze – Animus

Moonlight Haze
Animus
Scarlet Records
Out: March 18th, 2022
Playing time: 43:40

It seems as if singer Chiara Tricarico has found her new musical home with Moonlight Haze. With “Animus “, the band is already releasing its third album in four years. And the label is full of praise.

All-killer-no-filler melodic & symphonic & bombastic power metal at its best: every song of the new Moonlight Haze album is a potential hit single, displaying at the same time a rich sonic texture, some incredibly uplifting/addicting hooks and a meaningful and heartful message.

OK, I liked the first two albums “De Rerum Natura” and “Lunaris” very much. Let’s see if they can continue that with album number three. The conditions are actually very good. The line-up has been stable since the band was founded. The album was mixed and mastered by Simone Mulanori at Domination Studio in San Marino. The artwork was done by the artist Beatrice Demori.

Moonlight Haze continue exactly where they left off with “Lunaris”. With Melodic Metal, a good shot of bombast and a convincing vocal performance. These are exactly the trademarks of the band since their first album. Thus, “Animus” also starts directly with the opener “The Nothing” without a long introduction. Aptly placed riffs, beautiful melodies and a singer who is not afraid to shine in the highest notes. And then it continues in the midtempo range. In “It’s Insane”, the synth strings move a bit more into the foreground.  A guitar solo rounds the whole thing off. The title song “Animus” sounds a bit heavier. Also because singer shows her dark soul in the form of evil growls. However, they remain the only ones on the album. Unfortunately, one would like to say, because they bring a certain roughness into the sound. Otherwise, the melodies dominate here too, filled with epic choruses. “The Thief And The Moon” reminds a little of Chiara’s former band Temperance. As does “Tonight”. “Never Say Never” sounds a bit hectic in places. The tempo also picks up a little here. All in all, it can be said that the tempo in the second part of the album is a bit higher than at the beginning. At the end, “Horror & Thunder” is anthemic.

The advance praises from the press release are unfortunately only partially justified. “Animus” is a good album, recorded by musicians who confess their craft. The song writing is successful. In the future, however, I think the Italians should improve the arrangements and the mixing of the sound. Chiara Tricarico’s singing dominates too much. Besides that, only the drums and partly the synth sounds can keep up. This is a phenomenon that can be heard in many bands with outstanding vocal performances. The guitars, except for the solos, come a bit too short. And Moonlight Haze have completely dispensed with a ballad this time. Sure, every single song could be a hit single. But on an album, I would like to see a bit more variety.

Moonlight Haze – Animus (Official Video): https://youtu.be/2WSb6grivcE

Lineup:

Chiara Tricarico – Vocals
Marco Falanga – Guitar
Alberto Melinato – Guitar
Alessandro Jacobi – Bass
Giulio Capone – Drums

Track list:

• The Nothing
• It’s Insane
• Kintsugi
• Animus
• The Thief And The Moon
• Midnight Haze
• Tonight
• Never Say Never
• We’ll Be Free
• A Ritual Of Fire
• Horror & Thunder