The Intriguing Tapestries of Moonlight Haze

The Intriguing Tapestries of Moonlight Haze

Moonlight Haze is a gloriously inspired symphonic metal band in the grand tradition of Nightwish and Epica. Led by the former Temperance frontwoman Chiara Tricarico, Moonlight Haze has just unveiled Lunaris, their second masterwork of sonic intrigue via Scarlet Records.  Highwire Daze recently caught up with Chiara Tricarico discuss the magical world of Moonlight Haze and Lunaris, releasing new music in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, the Elvenking connection, and a whole lot more!  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Moonlight Haze, and how long the band has been together.
Hi! I’m Chiara, singer, songwriter (together with our drummer/keyboardist Giulio) and lyricist of Moonlight Haze. The band has been together since late 2018 and we play power/symphonic metal blended with folk, electro and pop elements.

Where is the band based out of and what is the local music scene like there?
We are based in Northern Italy. Regarding the music scene around here I guess it is like everywhere else: there are many bands and many venues, some of them are good and some of them are not.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the Lunaris title?
Yes. First of all, most of the music and lyrics have been written at night, so many of its stories are set under the moonlight. Then it is the sequel of the journey that has begun with the debut album: we started from the Earth and now we are heading to the Moon.

Select two songs from Lunaris and what inspired the lyrics.
I’ll talk about “The Rabbit of the Moon” and “Lunaris”. The first one is inspired by an ancient Japanese legend that talks about the God of the Moon who descended on Earth dressed up as a beggar and asked for help to the animals who dwelled the forest. They all were willing to help the old man: the monkey provided him some food and the fox lit the flames to keep him warm. The rabbit, who was only able to gather some grass, decided to sacrifice himself and jumped through the flames to feed him. But the beggar revealed himself as the divinity he was, saved the rabbit and carved the likeness of the generous animal on the surface of the Moon in order for everyone to remind about his kind gesture.

The title track talks about a journey through the inner self to discover the simplest yet important things in life.

Who did the cover art for Lunaris and how much input did you have on it?
The amazing artist who created the “Lunaris” artwork is Beatrice Demori (who also worked with us for the debut album). She also took care of all the photos and graphics. We spent hours talking about the concept of the cover and I really think that she was very good at translating to images the content of the album.

What has it been like to release a new album right in the middle of a pandemic and so much social injustice in the world? Have you had any shows or tours cancelled because of the pandemic?
As you can imagine, it is quite a strange time to release an album. Of course we had some gigs cancelled and we don’t know yet when we will be able to bring the new songs live. We honestly feel like can’t wait for it much longer, we miss the stage and can’t wait to play in front of a real audience on a real stage again. Until then, we will try to keep connected with those who follow us by the means of technology and social media but, you know, performing live is something we really miss.

What could one expect from a live Moonlight Haze show?
Our aim has always been to bring the audience to a journey through our music with us: so we want each and every show to be a complete experience and not just “let’s jump on stage and play the songs.”

If Moonlight Haze could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
There are so many bands we would like to tour with, and I am sure that each member of the band would give you a different answer. If I have to pick just a couple of them, I’d say Amorphis and Beast in Black.

What was it like opening for Elvenking? I think you have a member of Elvenking in your band now?
Elvenking are one of my all time favorite bands, so it’s always a pleasure to share the stage with them. And, yes, our bass player AJ is also the bass player of Elvenking. So I guess it’s even more fun for him to play a gig with both bands, ahah!

The music and vocals of Moonlight Haze is so dramatic. Have you ever done acting or appeared in musicals or is that something that might interest you?
I’ve never done acting and never appeared in any musicals, but they are both things I would really love to do at some point!

You are in another band called Ravenword. What is going on what that band? I know you released an album earlier this year.
Yes, Ravenword released the one time studio album “Transcendence” in January 2020. I used to play live gigs with them like six years ago, but now the band is only supposed to be a studio project, so there are no plans for gigs or new material. The album includes all the songs that Davide, the keyboard player and mastermind of the band wrote through the years for Ravenword.

And are you currently involved with any other bands or projects?
Yes, I also sing for the symphonic metal band Sound Storm. We went on tour as special guests for Haggard last year and we are currently working on the new album.

What’s up next for Moonlight Haze?
We are currently focusing on the promotion of the new album “Lunaris” and we will do it by any means we can, considering the current international situation. When all of this chaos will be over, we really hope to have the chance to bring our music live worldwide and to meet all the people that support us in person.

Any final words of wisdom?
Thanks you Ken for the interview! And thank you to all the people who have supported us from the very beginning! I’m pretty sure you will like the new album “Lunaris” and we are waiting for your feedback. Find us on Spotify, Youtube and all the main social media platforms (just look for Moonlight Haze band). Ciao!

Moonlight Haze is:
Chiara Tricarico: vocals
Giulio Capone: drums, keyboards
Marco Falanga: guitars
Alberto Melinato: guitars
Alessandro Jacobi: bass

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Moonlight Haze on Facebook