Hollow Haze
Countdown to Revenge

Apparently it wasn’t obvious enough that the band was italian so they had to change their singer to one of the thickest italian accents in the world. Fabio Lione known from many bands amongst others the very serious band Rhapsody, he is a good singer with a somewhat annoying accent. I think the latest singer they had for the previous album Poison in Black was quite good and no worse than Fabio, but who am I to argue with vocalist choices? This new album looks on the outside a bit like the previous, the artwork is of similar style and colour, the titles feels similar as well. Fortunately Fabio didn’t bring with him a pet dragon or a drum machine but he brought a Sascha Paeth so some Rhapsody similarities he brought.

I thought the album looked similar to the previous and it sounds similar as well, maybe somewhat less heavy than the predecessor but it is similarly styled power metal with some symphonic and progressive influences. Fabio does well, not really trumping the previous singer but his voice works well for this material. The production is nice and the sound is very modern and a bit on the cold side but very nicely polished. There are no surprises, some italian accent, catchy choruses, some power metal keyboard influences and all of that stuff. If you were expecting a revolutionary album, then you’ll be disappointed.

I think that the moderate variation makes this album beg for trouble towards the end of this album quite far beyond the fifty minute mark, it is a too long album as it just cannot keep me interested all the way to the end. Not that it is bad, it is quite good but there are no standout tracks, there isn’t anything to really grab my attention which is a bit of a shame. I doubt they will win many new fans with this, Fabio is not a saviour, neither is the band’s cautious approach to songwriting. I have never fell for a band who has their music approved by some committee before making it to the album, the track choices are all safe and of tried and tested type. They offer nothing whatsoever in terms of originality and their music just isn’t brilliant enough to make the album stand out on that merit. It is another good power metal album to throw into the ever growing pile of such albums.

Well, I would conclude that if you liked the previous album by Hollow Haze you will no doubt like this album, if you like me found that album quite bland and uninteresting then you will most likely think the same about this album. It is, like the previous album, a very well made album with the slight downfall that it isn’t really interesting to listen to due to all the safe choices and lack of a sense of adventure. This album is well made and safe but compared to all that it already out there it is neither good nor bad.

HHHHHHH