Rhapsody
“Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II”
Limited Double Vinyl Gatefold Edition (SPV)

Nowdays otherwise known as Rhapsody Of Fire, when this was initially released in 2004 - and now re-released as a limited edition double gatefold vinyl version - it consolidated the work of this Italian band’s ambitions to combine classical, baroque and of course power metal to create their own genre of ‘filmscore metal’ given their obsession of fantasy and especially movies like Lord Of The Rings. Needless to say, that Christopher Lee guest narrates and is even pictured (in costume) as part of the band comes as no surprise even if it is a momentary shock! From his opening passage ‘A Dark Secret’, his commanding voice and aura resonate throughout the album at various points to bring a real touch of class and refinement to this concept album Produced by none other than Joey DeMaio, who used his prior experience of working with Orson Welles to give Lee’s narrations their best effect, where he plays the role of the wise and all knowing king leading the listener thru the storyline. Add this to Luca Turelli’s amazing guitarwork, who gives modernity to the classical work of Bach, Vivaldi and Paganini - as well as Alex Staropoli’s outstanding keyboards, and of course, the brilliance of Fabio Lione’s vocals and you are witnessing a musical dimension second to none! Rather than being a gimmick, the album actually sounds better on vinyl for some reason, allowing the majesty of epic tracks like ‘Erian’s Mystical Rhymes’ and ‘Sacred Power Of Raging Winds’ to shine forth their true glory and splendour. Elsewhere, the likes of ‘Shadow Of Death’ demonstrate Rhapsody’s (and especially Fabio’s) capability in this power metal to the max opus, whilst bonus track ‘Lo Specchio D’Argento’ is an Italian piece played with baroque instruments. Ultimately, it’s closer ‘Nightfall On The Gray Mountains’ that brings it all together in a Manowaresque ballard with church organs, fanfares and a Gregorian choir to boot. DeMille would’ve been starstruck!

-Shan Siva

Rhapsody Of Fire
“Visions From The Enchanted Lands”
2 DVD (SPV / Magic Circle)

Oh yes, my favourite power metal band have returned with the perfect gem - a live DVD from their recent tours of Canada, Germany and the Czech Republic! DVD 1 has 11 tracks of footage including ‘Dawn Of Victory’ (Canada), ‘The Village Of Dwarfs’ (Czech Republic) and Holy Thunderforce (Germany at With Full Force) along with bonus videos (‘Unholy Warcry’) and unreleased audio tracks (‘Power Of Thy Sword’). In between its panoramic landscapes, intros by Christopher Lee, behind the scenes concert footage and of course, the fans! DVD 2 covers the making of the Dark Secret and the Wizard’s Dream and is essentially a compendium covering interviews with Christopher Lee (who’s fuckin awesome as he describes his interests in mythology, legend and fantasy and best of all says that he’s now over career work and is now doing stuff for his personal interest) as well as the members of Rhapsody. Best of all is Luca Turelli, whose mind is nothing short of visionary and this DVD at last captures audiovisually what he describes as filmscore metal i.e. symphonic, epic and with a positive message. I know some people might consider Rhapsody’s approach to be pretentious or even anal (i.e. they had a whole block closed down in Germany while they were recording cos there was too much ambient noise from the traffic!). But to me they are perfectionists and are totally immersed in what they do and their passion and emotion resonates in their songs. Ok, I have my own gripes namely their over fixation with Lord Of The Rings (Luca - your potential is beyond Jackson!!) and the fact that the DVD features the same tracks when they have a wealth of material that they could’ve featured would’ve have made this even better but this band are doing what heavy metal is supposed to do: shaking the foundations of mundanity and challenging conformity. Rhapsody have the will, vision and passion to carry it out and they can inspire millions with their positive messages. Strength to them.

-Shan Siva

Rhapsody of Fire
“Triumph or Agony”
(SPV)

For those of you who don’t know......Rhapsody is now known (owing to some copyright issue) as Rhapsody of Fire. Ok, now that the admin blurb is over, what is the significance of that I hear you ask? Well, nothing in itself (all the guys are still there), except that “Triumph or Agony” is probably the band’s most adventurous and greatest masterpiece to date, the pinnacle of their discography to date, bringing together various styles from “Dawn Of Victory” to “Power Of The Dragonflame” to “Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II”. “Triumph or Agony” (along with guitarist Luca Turilli’s solo work) has firmly stamped Rhapsody of Fire as the masters of their patented ‘film score metal’! Whilst the power metal has been squeezed out a little in favour of the medieval folk lore and mid tempo ballads (which kinda sees them heading in Manowar’s direction), the 11 tracks therein attest to a band that just keeps pushing out the boundaries and stretching their talents. But even that is not enough for this band - we now have vocalist Fabio Lione’s songwriting debut (sung in Italian) ‘Il Canto Del Vento’ - although nothing can prepare you for the 16 minute mini film metal score ‘The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight’ (a quest thru a labyrinth of horrors to find a black book containing the worst prophecies threatening the world) - complete with narrations from Christopher Lee, his debuting daughter Christina and Susanna York - totally over the top! How Turilli et al can pull these people speaks well for this band’s ambition and talents, cos they have it in them to inherit the mantle left behind by Queen (thinking of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’) and not only become Italy’s gods of metal, but bringing their heroic musical valor as ambassadors to the world. A triumph indeed.

-Shan Siva

Rhapsody
“Live in Canada - The Dark Secret”
(Magic Circle Music)

For those of you that didn’t know, Magic Circle is the label run by none other than Joey DeMaio (yes, the brooding bassist of Manowar) so it with a high degree of anticipation that one of my fave power metal acts Rhapsody have been brought together with him and to do a live album no less! Well, doesn’t disappoint from the opener of ‘The Dark Secret’ to the 11 track ‘Gran Finale’ this double CD rocks so much that you actually feel you’re in the damn audience! A few Canadian folks had told me Montreal could party and rock and I guess that they were right. Throughout the album vocalist Fabio Lione raps with the audience (en francais naturellement) but he needn’t have worried - these fuckers are nuts! This live album is a crowning achievement to date, making one wonder where these guys go from here.....only heaven awaits their majesty.

-Shan Siva

Rhapsody
“Symphony of Enchanted Lands 2 - The Dark Secret”
(SPV)

A double helping of Rhapsody - how can one complain! As if Part 1 didn’t prepare me enough for what to expect, Part 2 catapulted me completely into the world of mystical lore, thanks again in no small part to Christopher Lee’s narrations that bring life and magic to this opus. Rhapsody call themselves ‘Film Score Metal’ (which is certainly better than Hollywood Metal - aarggh!) and its a fitting description. They’re fast becoming unique in probably being the most successful metal band to date to compose, orchestrate, mix and play classical music with power metal - no mean feat! Curiously, my 2 favourite songs (‘Erian’s Mystical Rhymes’ and ‘Sacred Power of Raging Winds’) are also the 2 lengthiest ones - clocking in around 10 minutes apiece - but then I’m fast becoming a sucker for Rhapsody’s concertos so who knows where the talent of Luca Turiili and Alex Staropoli will take us next - avanti Rhapsody!

-Shan Siva

Rhapsody
“The Dark Secret”
(SPV)

Yes! The glory of Rhapsody has returned! This time in the form of “The Dark Secret - Part 1”, an epic that combines Rhapsody’s power metal symphonies with the conceptual splendor of Lord of The Rings, courtesy of the narrative involvement of none other than Christopher Lee as the ‘The Wizard King’ (incidentally his daughter is the ‘The Warrior Princess’), the entire Czech Bohuslav Philharmonic Orchestra, a 50 piece choir and the appearance of over a dozen internationally acclaimed classical soloists!! Completely OTT, “The Dark Secret” contains five power metal anthems, resplendent in all the glory that only Rhapsody can produce i.e. choir choruses, Lione’s crescendo vocals and Turilli’s spiralling guitar solos that simply put these guys in a league of their own. I can’t wait for Part 2 ‘Symphony of Enchanted Lands’ which due for release in September. All hail the majesty that is Rhapsody!!

-Shan Siva