Winter Haze – “The Storm Within” (2009)

Italy’s Winter Haze play straight up, no frills symphonic power metal and man are they ever good at what they do. The band have just issued their debut release, “The Storm Within” and it is 10-songs and 47-minutes worth of high class power metal that is really a joy to listen to. The band are fronted by Giorgia Marra on vocals and she proves to be a solid front person for this group of Italians. She is joined in Winter Haze by: Raffaele Albanese (Guitar & Vocals), Lorenzo Solazzi (Bass), Stefano Bottarelli (Keyboards) and Matteo Rossi (Drums). The ominous intro to opening track “Trail of the Wolf” kicks things into gear and right away to listener is drawn into the pure sonic energy that is on display here. A strong opener that is a good indication of what Winter Haze is about. Giorgia Marra‘s vocals are steady and they provide a good front person for fantastic musicianship that the band members display. Her style is more of mid-range, classic metal approach. “Eyes to the Dawn” kicks things up a notch and really races through your speakers. One thing you will notice about Winter Haze are the heavy keyboard influence played by Stefano Bottarelli. The keyboards are well done and they are played just perfectly and add a great dimension to the songs. “White Witch” begins with a nice piano intro before taking settling into a cool mid-tempo power metal groove. The band is also bolstered by the solid guitar work of Raffaele Albanese. “Deconstruction Of Mind” is one of the heavier tracks that are offered up here. “Unme” is just an aggressively powerful track that is probably my favorite and Giorgia Marra turns in probably her finest vocal performance. Male and female vocals are mixed together quite flawlessly here and it adds another dimension. Other highlights include: “Event Horizon” (cool instrumental), “Darker World”, “Innocent Dream” and “Neverland”. Musically the band brings to mind the likes of Rhapsody, Stratovarius and Kamelot.It is getting a bit redundant these days to talk about the many great bands coming out of Italy, but the fact remains that they continue to produce and give us many great metal bands and now you can add Winter Haze to the list. “The Storm Within” is just a fantastic power metal opus that is a must for any fan of the genre.

Rating – 80/100

Tracklist

1. Trail of the Wolf
2. Eyes to the Dawn
3. White Witch
4. Deconstruction of Mind
5. From Here to Eternity
6. Event Horizon
7. Unme
8. Darker World
9. Innocent Dream
10. Neverland

Line Up

• Giorgia Marra – Vocals
• Raffaele Albanese – Guitar and Vocals
• Stefano Bottarelli – Keyboards
• Lorenzo Solazzi – Bass
• Matteo Rossi – Drums

Links

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