Interview with Moonlight Haze

“Hi Chiara, welcome to Moonlight Haze's interview with Lyrical Spell Magazine! How are you doing?”

Chiara (vocals): “We’re doing great, thank you! Thanks for having us.”

“You’re very much welcome, glad you and the guys can make the time for it! So, Moonlight Haze came into the music scene not too long ago in 2018, what can you tell us about the band’s inception and how you all found each other?”

Giulio (drums and keys): “The idea of a new band came by chance in late 2018 and at it started from some phone calls between me and Chiara: I thought that it was a pity not to make music together anymore after so many years in the same band, so I asked her if she was in for a new power metal band. At first, she answered that she was quite busy at that time and was not completely sure that was a good idea… but then I’ve sent her some early demos I had been working on, and apparently she was so impressed that immediately started writing the lyrics for those songs and looking for band members. I was so excited about her feedback that wrote the rest of the album in about ten days!”

Alberto (guitars): “Chiara and I had been working on a project at the end of 2017/beginning of 2018 and I can clearly recall that of end of that day when she hit me up asking if I was in for having a drink and some chat and soon, we were talking about a new band and stuff, but at the time I was right in the middle of another band project so I felt honored for the offering but not totally sure about accepting one more gig. As soon as I got the preproduction of the album there was nothing left to think about, I was sold!”

Alessandro (bass): “I think I’ve been the last one joining the ranks. Chiara called me asking if I was interested, and in the beginning I was quite doubtful about starting a new band from scratch. Needless to say, I changed my mind as soon as I heard the demos...”

“Glad you guys decided to continue the musical partnership. Among the ranks, would you say Moonlight Haze is a supergroup?”

Alessandro: “I wouldn’t use the term because most ‘supergroups’ had a very short life... but I think we definitely have a little more experience than we did when we started with our former projects. Yes, that also means we are getting damn old!”

Alberto: “Someone once said it's a long way if you wanna rock and roll, and I'd say that way if way longer now a days. So, in short, no. But I guarantee you we're having super fun in doing what we're doing!”

“Speaking of experience, do any of the members have any formal musical training or are self-taught?”

Chiara: “I started playing the piano when I was 9, and then, at the age of 16, started studying operatic singing… and all the other members of the band have had formal musical training.”

Alessandro: “15 years of classical training. Then switched to bass and back from the start, studying like crazy many hours a day. I still have a lot to learn, of course!”

Giulio: “I play piano since I was 5 and I had classical training on piano, double bass and composition. At the age of 11 I’ve started taking drum lessons but focused on pop music. Later, I’ve discovered heavy metal drumming.”

“A very fine lineup the band has of trained musicians! Is there a way you can describe the music for those who are coming across this group?”

Alessandro: “Power metal with strong melodies and killer refrains. If you think it’s the same old poppish female-fronted boredom, we’re here to prove you wrong.”

Alberto: “It's always a tough question... let's put it this way: you like epic orchestration? We'll find them. You like opera singing but also some scream or growling kinda stuff? We'll find them both! Damn heavy breathtaking guitar riffs? They're in. Jazzy drumming and melodic bass lines? Yea, we know you.. Now, go and get the album!”

“And aside from the sound, what are the themes written for the music?”

Chiara: “Many of the lyrics are introspective and talk about personal experiences and what I’ve learnt (or didn’t learn) from them. Anyways, there is a great synergy between Giulio and me while writing our stuff, and sometimes I guess I can clearly visualize what sort of images he has in mind while composing and the feelings behind them. So, part of my work is to translate those feelings into words.”

“The band recently released the first single ‘The Butterfly Effect' which really has some catchy melodies and beautiful instrumentation. Is there any difference between Moonlight Haze and other bands in the symphonic metal genre?”

Chiara: “I would say that our music is exactly half way in between symphonic metal and power metal… so this is one big difference! Another thing is that each song on the album is very different from each other and has many different influences… yes, we felt completely free to add anything we liked in our tracks.”

“I'm interested to what Moonlight Haze has in stored in the debut album 'De Rerum Natura' which is arriving in month's time! How excited are all of you getting to present the music of the band?”

Chiara: “Super-excited! We really can’t wait for you all to listen to the result of our efforts!”

Giulio: “Of course we’re so excited to be so close to the release of this album. We’ve worked so hard on its production but at the same time we’ve written music as spontaneously as possible so we don’t know what the reaction will be.”

“And I must say, the album art looks really beautiful, who designed it?”

Giulio: “The entire ‘De Rerum Natura' artwork has been created by Beatrice Demori, one of the most talented artist I’ve ever met! She’s an endless source of ideas and she understood perfectly what was the album’s mood. Since she’s a talented singer as well, we asked her to join our choirs recording.”

“Who's usually the main writer in the band, or are you all equally involved in the creative process?”

Chiara: “Giulio wrote all the music and many vocal melodies, while I focused on the writing of all the lyrics and some other vocal melodies. But of course all the other members of the band were crucial to define the ultimate sound of the album, and also Lethien from Elvenking helped us with the violin and some other melodies.”

Alberto: “Giulio is definitely the mastermind behind all this, and his unique meets perfectly Chiara's song and lyrics-writing.”

“Tell us about the guest you chosen, specifically Mark and Laura. What came to mind that they should be part of the album?”

Chiara: “Laura is a good friend of mine and she supported me from the very beginning of this project, so I really wanted her to be part of this album… and of course, she is an excellent singer, so I thought that some operatic vocals by her could really add something special to our song ‘Time’. The same goes for Mark Jansen: being myself a fan of both Epica and MaYaN and loving how Mark and Laura’s voices combine together, I wrote these three vocal lines, each one representing a different mood: my vocals represent a character who understands that many aspects of her own life could be improved by just seeing thing from a different point of view. At the same time she's experimenting doubt and uncertainty because she knows that much time has already been wasted because of her fears and because human mind is often imprisoned in futile thoughts. Mark’s vocals represent the dark side of her own mind and they keep on repeating that she will not succeed in anything and that she is just a fool. Laura’s sweet vocals represent the bright and positive side, the will of chance and they encourage the character to give her best and turn the tables.”

“Sounds like the track is going to be big and I look forward to that. So, can you tell us what has been your favorite songs from the album and which ones do you think fans will be fond of?”

Alessandro: “‘Dark Corners of Myself’ is definitely the song that represents us best. You can hear almost everything that has influenced our musical past until now.”

Alberto: “I totally agree with Alessandro, that song is a perfect balance between all the ingredients of the album. But if you're more an up-tempo kinda guy, just skip ahead and give a listen to ‘Goddess', my second favorite.”

“In your honest opinion, what do you think the unique selling point of the album would be?”

Alessandro: “We play what we like to play, and we wrote the music we would expect to hear from a band like us. To cut it short, the album is exactly how all of us wanted it to be.”

“So that's all the questions I have about the album, how about shows? Is there a tour in the works after the release?”

Giulio: “We’re focused on De Rerum Natura's release at the moment and in particular, the release party scheduled for 22nd of June. We’re trying to bring on stage a full show, not only a band with a bunch of good songs, but something more complete.”

“Did any of you always knew that you wanted to be a musician, or did you kind of fall into it?”

Alessandro: “I always dreamed of being a musician and I’m proud to say that I’m the only non-full time musician in the band. And having the trust of a group of professionals is something special.”

Giulio: “I’ve found myself studying music and later doing it as a regular job. Don’t get me wrong: I like music and I like to write and play it but sometimes I’d like to explore different jobs and try to think about my life in a different light.”

“Can you list what has been a musical influence on you?”

Alessandro: “I could fill a hundred pages, but let’s pick a couple of names from quite different backgrounds. W. A. Mozart, Steve Harris and Sting.”

Giulio: “I think it’s essential to listen to many different music’s styles. I’m sure there’s something good in every kind of music although I prefer power metal, videogames soundtracks and so on. I’m also a huge Toto fan!”

“What do you think about the way music affects people’s lives, even changing them?”

Chiara: “I really think that music is an essential element for those who are willing to understand it. I can’t remember how many times a song helped me going through a hard time or made me change my mind about something crucial.”

“And how did it affect you personally, outside of the business aspect?”

Alessandro: “I never spend a single day without doing something music related! So, it affects my daily life a lot!”

Chiara: “Same here!!”

“Any advice you can give that future artists should follow when they’re about jump into the music career since the music industry is always changing?

Giulio: “The best advice… probably someone would say something like ‘not to give up and surrender', ‘hold on to your dreams' and so on… I prefer to suggest to write music and lyrics without any plan, freely, following only your personal artistic taste. Do you like what you’ve done? Ok, it’s good for sure, at least for you. Trying to look for the most commercial refrain, or the most complex odd time just to impress something is the worst way to do music in my opinion.”

“I think that's good advice, anyone seeking career in the music industry should always ask themselves first before taking it seriously. Other than that, where do you hope to see Moonlight Haze go in future?”

Alessandro: “Still having the means to play what we like to play and write the music we love to hear.”

Giulio: “Our future is unknown and this is the best part of it. Maybe we will still produce music and albums in this way, just following our feelings or maybe we will grow… we’ll see.”