MOONLIGHT HAZE – Ad Astra (Official Video)

Reaching for the Stars with a Second Single

Moonlight Haze step confidently into their debut era with Ad Astra, the second single from the full-length De Rerum Natura. The track arrived ahead of the album’s international release on Scarlet Records on June 21, 2019, with a Japanese edition landing via Avalon on June 19, 2019. It is a clear statement of intent from a band rooted in a sleek, modern take on symphonic power metal, where velocity meets melody and cinematic atmosphere.

Sound and Style

Ad Astra plants its flag in the upper-tempo reaches of European power metal, driven by assertive drums and a bright, orchestrated palette. Spiraling guitar leads lock into tight harmonized phrases, while layered keyboards and synthetic orchestral colors amplify the chorus lift. The rhythm section aims for clarity and propulsion, with bass lines tracing the melodic center and adding a flexible counterpoint to the guitars’ chug and shimmer. The result is a full-bodied sound that retains air between the parts, balancing metallic impact with symphonic sweep.

At the front of the mix, vocals move with clarity and precision, favoring tuneful phrasing and an agile range that suits both surging choruses and more intimate verses. Backing harmonies and keyboard pads broaden the stereo field, creating a sense of scale without compromising articulation. The arrangement feels purpose-built for memorability: clean transitions, recurring motifs, and a chorus designed to lodge quickly in the ear.

Themes Written in the Title

Ad Astra, Latin for “to the stars,” is practically a mission statement. It suggests aspiration, resilience, and the human urge to push past limits. Even without leaning on specific lines, the song’s structure and sonic cues emphasize forward motion. Swift rhythms, ascending melodic lines, and luminous chord resolutions contribute to an atmosphere of upward momentum, as if the music itself were reaching beyond gravity. Thematically, it ties neatly to the intellectual and elemental framing of De Rerum Natura, invoking both the earthly and the celestial.

The Official Video

The official video places performance at the core, underscoring musicianship while amplifying the track’s air of discovery. Visual emphasis on tempo changes and lead passages complements the song’s architecture. A polish consistent with the band’s sound runs through the edit: brisk cuts during up-tempo bursts, more lingering shots during melodic reprieves, and a color temperature that leans luminous, evoking the title’s starward gaze. It reads as a clean, focused introduction to the band’s identity.

Musicianship in Focus

Ad Astra benefits from a lineup that divides responsibilities cleanly and plays to each member’s strengths:

Vocals: An expressive, bright timbre sits confidently over the mix, with crisp diction and a delivery that stays melodic even at speed. Sustained notes crest above the chorus, and dynamic control allows softer passages to breathe.
Guitars: Twin-guitar interplay supplies both rhythmic foundation and melodic firepower. Expect articulate downpicking, synchronized harmonies, and concise, singing solos that prioritize phrasing over flash.
Bass: The bass anchors the harmony, often shadowing guitar figures while slipping into runs that connect sectional pivots. It helps maintain the track’s drive without clouding the low end.
Drums and Keyboards: Double-kick patterns deliver the genre’s requisite urgency, but there is attention to cymbal detail and fills that accent key transitions. Keyboards provide symphonic layers, from string sheen to choral pads, widening the soundstage and reinforcing hooks.

Inside the Arrangement

The composition favors clarity and progression. Verses are tight and rhythm-forward, pre-choruses lift harmonic tension, and the chorus resolves with a strong, ascending hook. A mid-song instrumental passage provides contrast, setting up a lead break that reintroduces the chorus with more weight on return. Orchestral and choral textures are arranged to enhance, not overwhelm, giving the guitars air to bite and the vocals a defined place to soar. The mix keeps transients crisp, allowing the track’s speed to feel exciting rather than congested.

Context within De Rerum Natura

Titled after the classical work often translated as “On the Nature of Things,” Moonlight Haze’s debut album nods toward elemental inquiry and grand-scale imagery. Ad Astra operates as a thematic counterbalance within that world, casting the gaze upward while the album title suggests a fascination with the mechanics of existence. If De Rerum Natura promises exploration of the physical and philosophical, Ad Astra underscores the pull of ambition and the imaginative horizon, a fitting second single to showcase the album’s expansive scope.

Place in the Current Landscape

Ad Astra aligns with the contemporary European symphonic power metal lineage, favoring immediacy, melodic clarity, and a high-gloss finish. Where earlier waves leaned heavily on neo-classical excess, Moonlight Haze opts for economy and hook craft, retaining orchestral grandeur without sacrificing punch. It is a sound calibrated for both devoted genre listeners and newcomers drawn to accessible, high-energy songwriting with cinematic dimension.

Band Line-up

Chiara Tricarico – Vocals
Marco Falanga – Guitars
Alberto Melinato – Guitars
Alessandro Jacobi – Bass
Giulio Capone – Drums, Keyboards

Release Details

Single: Ad Astra
Album: De Rerum Natura
Label: Scarlet Records (international)
Japan: Avalon
Release Dates: June 21, 2019 (international), June 19, 2019 (Japan)

Final Thoughts

Ad Astra distills the band’s strengths into four essential pillars: speed, melody, atmosphere, and precision. It is the kind of single that clarifies identity early, presenting Moonlight Haze as a unit fluent in the language of symphonic power metal and attentive to modern production values. As a preview of De Rerum Natura, it signals an album that seeks scale without bloat, and emotion without artifice. The stars feel within reach.