HOLLOW HAZE – Memories Of An Ancient Time (2015)
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Seems Italian band HOLLOW HAZE always had trouble with their vocalists: that’s four different vocalists over five albums. For their brand new album to be released next week, “Memories Of An Ancient Time“, they have called upon not one, but five notable vocalists to guest.
You have Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Kiske-Sommerville), Claudia Layline (Serenade), Mats Leven (Yngwie Malmsteen), Ivan Giannini (Derdian) and Rick Altzi (Masterplan).
With this talented line-up “Memories Of An Ancient Time which apparently” sounds great but then it was mastered by Mika Jussila (Nightwish, Apocalyptica) and that cover artwork sure does look impressive.
“Memories Of An Ancient Time” is a mix of progressive meets symphonic meets melodic metal, fast guitar riffs, neat double bass, magical and orchestral arrangements and big and beautiful harmonies in the choruses.
You can easily sing along all the songs, especially due to that are relatively short compared with other prog-metal based albums / bands.
Although there’s 5 singers on the disc, the vocals are mostly handled by Mats Leven, and this is plus. Besides, guitarist and band founder Nick Savio and company are able to hold things together in a very nice cohesive sound.
With the help of the talented and professional work of the aforementioned vocalists and some really intense and beautiful songcrafting, the album turned into something quite rich and rewarding.
Many songs are dominated by the vocal melodies and orchestras, though there’s still plenty of great guitar leads on other tracks, as well as some excellent drumming throughout.
This is a very diverse album, with some songs having a classic Euro power metal feel to them like “Rain of Fire Lights”, “Angeli di Fuoco” and “Silvertown” in particular, one of my favorites, where Mats Leven shines on the mic.
Leven is featured on every full length song and his powerful, animated vocals fit the compositions very well, whether it’s a racing prog metal track or a more relaxed ballad. The other guests show up from time to time and they each add extra flavor to the songs.
Other tracks are much more grand and driven by the symphonic elements (“Night is Calling”), some are more calm and laid back (“An Ancient Story”,) and a couple tracks even have a metallic edge, most notably “Demon”.
Two things that stand out throughout though, would be the outstanding musicianship and the excellent vocal melodies.
Fans of classic melodic metal are sure to love the ultra catchy, super fast and melodic album opener “Rain of Fire Lights”. It opens up with some very impressive lead guitar work, before speeding up and giving way to some fantastic vocals from Mats, as well as some epic orchestral backing, which is present throughout the entire album.
The following track “Created to Live” starts out similarly, though it slows down for the chorus, which is another big moment for Mats, even if the lyrics are a little silly.
“Angeli di Fuoco” it’s another solid number with some great neoclassical guitar work, and it features strong supporting vocals, first from Ivan Giannini, then from Claudia Layline, who sings a softly during one of the verses, before providing some excellent operatic vocals later in the song.
”Silvertown” is perhaps the most straight-forward track on the album, but it’s also very catchy and fast paced with some hard rock grooves.
Lastly, “Lance of Destiny” and “Demon” both feature Rick Altzi, with the former being speedier and more of a traditional power metal track, while the latter has very aggressive verses, and a rather calm chorus, which makes for a nice contrast.
The first slower track on the album is “Ancient Story”, a power ballad enhanced by the drumming as well as the vocals. Partway through Amanda Somerville makes an appearance, and from that point on it turns into an epic duet with Leven.
Also great is “Night is Calling”, more of a mid-tempo symphonic metal track, where the orchestral elements really take over. “Eyes of the Sphinx” and “Gate to the Eternity” are both very good quasi-ballads, with the latter featuring an excellent guitar solo near the end, and the final time through the chorus is pretty awesome.
“Memories of An Ancient Time” is an excellent sympho, power, prog, melodic metal album blending all these styles with ease and never resulting too heavy but melodious.
The guys in Hollow Haze, apart of being skilled musicians, own the talent of write very solid songs keeping the length of a song-format without losing the necessary space to develop their very interesting arrangements.
All vocalists involved did a great job, and production / mix is crisp, clear, at times bombastic.
Highly Recommended.
01. Out In The Darkness (Intro)
02. Rain Of Fire Lights
03. Created To Live
04. An Ancient Story
05. A New Era
06. Night Is Calling
07. Angeli Di Fuoco
08. Silvertown
09. Eyes Of The Sphinx
10. Lance Of Destiny
11. Demon
12. Gate To The Eternity
Nick Savio – Guitars
Dave Cestaro – Bass
Camillo Colleluori – Drums
guests vocals:
Mats Leven (Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion, Candlemass)
Rick Altzi (Masterplan, At Vance)
Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Kamelot, Edguy)
Ivan Giannini (Derdian)
Claudia Layline (Serenade)
Pre-Order:
www.nuclearblast.de/en/products/tontraeger/cd/cd-digi/hollow-haze-memories-of-an-ancient-time.html
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