Hollow Haze is one of the numerous Italian bands that are into symphonic heavy/power metal music. The good thing with these guys is that they do evolve and present a better self with every new work. “Poison in Black” is their fourth full-length release and the second with the very good vocalist Ramon Sonato.
 
Going into more Kamelot-ish paths with this album they’re delivering a heavy & very dynamic outcome… even though it’s impossible to avoid the clichés of the genre. Yeap, sometimes you’ve got that “I’ve heard it a thousand times before” feeling… without implying that they are copying or stealing some big bands of the genre. It’s just difficult to distinguish yourself and in truth to be told I feel that heavy/power metal music has fallen into a never-ending circle… where everything like: guitars, drumming, melodies, classical themes, orchestrations, vocals, etc. are just recycled in every new release. There are a few good bands out there with nice songs and melodies just like Hollow Haze… but at the end of the day… that overdone heavy/power recipe is not letting you enjoy the music as you’d like to.
 
The album has a very strong and heavy production… as it was taken care of (recording & mixing) by the band’s guitarist Nick Savio and mastered by Erik Broheden at Masters of Audio, Sweden. There are tunes here to please the heavy/power metal junkies around the world and especially in Europe… that’s for sure… but I think something’s missing so as to make it to the major category…