Hollow Haze
Between Wild Landscapes And Deep Blue Seas

Somewhere between wild landscapes and deep blue sees we find this band called Hollow Haze, a band that has six previous albums so this is the seventh. One of the previous I really liked and the other ones were quite good but didn’t quite stand out. It was the last one I liked because it was different, they had no singer then so they used several guest singers and that added lots of dynamics and depth. Now they are back to one singer and a more typical quartet, they were good but a bit boring before but perhaps they could keep some of that excitement and they might have their finest artwork this time. So what to expect?

Musically it is power metal, kind of like what we have heard from them before. I would describe it as more like the earlier albums I have reviewed than the latest one. The latest album had more dynamics thanks to the different vocalists; I guess that also helps to create more variations in the music as that earlier album was more varied as well. This album is 51 minutes long and that isn’t necessarily too long but in the case of this album it feels a tad on the longer side. The new singer is very good, a top-notch vocalist for the genre and the production is really excellent as well – so the sound is rather great but there is a slight lack of depth, dynamics and variation. It is a strong production but it doesn’t have the same depth as the pervious album.

With good vocals and strong production you almost guarantee yourself a strong album, but you need some depth and some fresh thinking and such. This is not particularly original, it sounds like any garden variety Italian power metal – it is good but nothing that stands out. I think that they should have continued with several guest vocalists of varying types to create that strong dynamic music that I really liked. This album is more like any other, it is a solid power metal offering but it doesn’t really excite anyone – except for those fans who totally adore the Italian styled power metal.

A step back to more or less what they did before the previous album, typical power metal. You will really like this album if you like that kind of music, you will never dislike it but you will probably not be overly excited by this album if you are more of a general music fan. Hollow Haze puts together a fine album but I would say that Memories of an Ancient Time is a better choice than this one.

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