Edge of Haze - Mirage [Full length] (2012, Self-released)

Finland has long been the country of esoteric death, gloomy doom, upbeat folk and symphonic and/or gothic power. Along comes a band such as Edge of Haze that follows none of the current trends of their nation; Edge of Haze presents itself on their 2012 album "Mirage" as a powerful quintet with influences beyond count. They've been described as progressive metal, symphonic doom metal aswel as going under numerous other terms, but in reality the Finnish band is one of those bands that is hard to categorize.

Where do I even begin with such a release? Mirage holds 7 tracks to a total playtime of 37 minutes, which in itself may not sound like much for a band with doom metal influences, but I found that 35-40 minutes is actually very fitting for an album with this amount of different inputs. I think most people will think Mirage is too pop-ish for their metal tastes, and in all honesty Edge of Haze's first album is an acquired taste. For me it was hard to get properly into their strange mix of progressive song structures and solos, power metal influenced riffs, gloomy atmosphere, gothic focus and particularly their mainstream predisposition.

Somehow the Finnish quintet has carved their own niche from these materials, and they play their rather unique style pretty well. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy some of it. However, it does have that feeling of mainstream rock music, and a song such as the annoyingly catchy "In the Place Where I Belong" especially sounds alot like something you'd hear on the radio or something similar.

Edge of Haze is no doubt a band with ambitions. Their album is well produced and well thought through, and their myriad of influences provides the album with enough variation to not become boring. It's not entirely uninteresting, and the final product is actually pretty memorable, if not of the most heavy material. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Mirage
2. Certainty
3. Attitude
4. Inside
5. In the Place Where I Belong
6. Auguries
7. Black Lakes

EDGE OF HAZE official Facebook site