Radio Haze – Mountains

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RADIO HAZE, a ‘Haze’ Rock band, is from Germany and formed in 2007 as a studio project. This trio was formed by and still comprises of brothers Hubi Hofmann, Air Hofmann, and Phil Janoske. They released their first EP soon after forming in November of 2007. From there they have released three full length albums along with a few EPs and have had over 200 live shows. Eleven years after conception, RADIO HAZE has released their fourth full length album “Mountains” in May 2018.  The album name comes from the trials and tribulations in the later years of the bands existence, including personal and band obstacles. “Mountains” comes in with ten tracks and a listening time of almost 39 minutes.

‘Haze’ Rock, a self-proclaimed genre that includes a mix of 60’s and 70’s Rock mingling with Psychedelic Rock with a twist of the classics. Which, by the intro track “Have Mercy On Me”, they forgot to add Blues and an element of Southern Rock. There are a lot of elements at play. The music itself sounds a little muted, however, it gives in an authentic vibe. The vocals are up front and center. This sound is something that could easily transform into radio.

One of the best tracks on this album is “Consumed By The Fire”, track six. The vocals knock it out of the park and the music is easy listening while still being unique. The lyrics tell the story of everyone’s demise. Another honorable mention is “Chasing Gaslights”. This one is riddled with the Blues and the vocals match the overall sound perfectly. There are Psychedelic Rock elements mixing well within the Blues theme here. It’s one of those snappy finger songs with the pork pie hat.

“Into the Ether”, track nine, had me like ‘Oh, hello “Morning View”!’ The vocals really have that INCUBUS “Morning View” vibe to them. The music is softer and a little more ethereal in this one, with a sax and hand drums to complete this tracks sexiness. The final and title track “Mountains” brings the album to a close. This is another Bluesy track and a testament to the mountains RADIO HAZE had to climb to get to this point. It feels a little short but coming off of a nine-and-a-half-minute track, three minutes is short. Still, it’s a great ending to a pleasant album.

I enjoyed the hell out of “Mountains” and it is an interesting album in a few ways, but my biggest complaint is that the vocals feel too loud and the music is too low, creating a funky, not in a good way, mix. While the vocals are great for the type of music this is, the music is really cool, too. I was a little bummed with the production. The clarity is fine, the volume is off, but if you’re looking for something a little funky, a little psychedelic, and a lot of talented Rock RADIO HAZE’s “Mountains” is a good place to start.

Songwriting: 7
Originality: 7
Memorability: 7
Production: 5