LEGENDARY TALES (1997) LIMB/SPV/INSIDE OUT

Every now and then there appears a new band in the world of heavy metal, that takes our beloved music into new directions. Rhapsody was such a band, combining power, speed, melody and orchestration in a way no other band had done before. The use of a 60 man strong orchestra gives their sound a unique quality of majestic proportions. Other band would have used keyboards, but not Rhapsody. When I first bought this debut album, I wasn't too impressed. There was almost too much music to comprehend at once. But it didn't take long before I got used to it, and then I was just amazed. It's not hard to hear that the 2 main-composers in Rhapsody, Alex and Luca, are both trained in classical music. And the way they weave these influence into their music, and still maintain the power and speed that is metal, is simply breathtaking. Rhapsody quickly became one of heavy metal's new favorite bands, and already on their first album, they show us why. A MUST!

Killer tracks: Warrior Of Ice, Rage Of The Winter, Flames Of Revenge, Land Of Immortals

Rock trivia: Vocalist Fabio Lione sang for Labÿrinth, before he joined Rhapsody. There he went under the name Joe Terry.

EMERALD SWORD (1998) LIMP/SPV/INSIDE OUT (Single)

This is the single from the second Rhapsody album. It contains 1 track not on any of the albums, called "Where Dragons Fly". That is reason enough for me to own it!

SYMPHONY OF ENCHANTED LANDS (1998) LIMB/SPV/INSIDE OUT

The second album from Italy's new super group stands nothing back to the first one. It's the same orchestrated melodic speed metal, and the same Tolkien inspired lyrics. The story on Rhapsody's albums are in fact continued from album to album. So to re-tell it in a few words are impossible. There isn't much more to say about 'Symphony Of Enchanted Lands'. If you liked the first, you're bound to like this one as well. A MUST!

Killer tracks: Emerald Sword, Wisdom Of The Kings, Eternal Glory, Wings Of Destiny

HOLY THUNDERFORCE (2000) LIMB/SPV/INSIDE OUT (Single)

Another single, this time a teaser for the 'Dawn Of Victory' release. All the tracks appear on other albums, but 2 of the 3 tracks are in other version here. "Dargor, Shadowlord......' is almost twice as long as the version on 'Dawn Of Victory'. The title track is one of my favorite Rhapsody songs.

DAWN OF VICTORY (2000) LIMB (Box Set)

The third masterpiece in a row! The Italians prove once more who is the masters of this genre. From the title track to the epic closer, not a boring second in sight. I even like this a tad better than the previous album. It's a bit darker, and a little more in your face. But the orchestration is 50 % of their sound, and that hasn't changed a bit. I cannot stress enough how good this band is, and so far they have not let me down once! My version is the Limited Edition Box Set. Attractively designed and strictly limited edition double CD with 64 page color book in a stiff cardboard sleeve, is what the sticker says. Only 20,000 copies worldwide. It has a bonus-disc with different versions of songs that appear on their albums. But the gem here is the Helloween cover, "Guardians". It originally appeared on a Helloween tribute CD, but I think I read that that album sucked, so I never bought it. Thus I'm pleased to have this track here. The multimedia track is also very extensive.

Killer tracks: Dawn Of Victory, The Bloody Rage Of The Titans, Holy Thunderforce

RAIN OF A THOUSAND FLAMES (2001) LIMB/SPV (MINI-CD)

An EP clocking in at 42 minutes, and contain nothing but material exclusive to this release. What a deal! Rhapsody decided to give the fans something to tide the time in between releases a little short, by giving us something to chew on in the meantime. And the nice thing is that it is a bit different than their regular albums. It contains 2 instrumentals, and I also think the songs are written for the instruments, more than they are for the vocals. The song "Queen Of The Horizons" contains the soundtrack theme from horror maestro Dario Argento's movie 'Phenomena'. This music was originally conducted by a band called Goblin, and it is one of the most effective movie-soundtracks of all times. Rhapsody does the piece justice, and I'm just sitting with a huge grin on my face every time I hear it. It's AWESOME! This album also have a "guest-list", with background vocals done by Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia), Oliver Hartmann (At Vance) and Olaf Hayer (Treasure Seeker, Luca Turilli, Lord Byron) amongst others.

POWER OF THE DRAGONFLAME (2002) LIMB/SPV

One might have thought that these Italians were going to slow things down soon. They have released 3 full-length albums, one EP that contains so much music and with exclusive material only, it might just as well be reckoned as an album of it's own, in addition to solo-material and other band-projects, all within the time period from 1997 up until today. But still they release another quality album in 2002! At first I didn't think this was as great as their other CD's. It sounded like it had all been done before. But it didn't take long before I got into this one too. Sure this is nothing groundbreaking, but when it is done this well, and the songs really do make you want to listen to them over and over again, it all narrows down to another killer silver-platter from Rhapsody. In my opinion 'Power Of The Dragonflame' includes more of everything good with this band. It has even harder songs, softer songs, more progressive songs etc. This is definitely one of 2002's best releases, and it might even grow to become one of my favorite Rhapsody discs.

Killer tracks: Power Of The Dragonflame, Agony Is My Name, Steelgods Of The Last Apocalypse

THE DARK SECRET (2004) SPV/STEAMHAMMER (EP)

The stakes are always high when one of your favorite bands releases new material. And the rumorof Christopher Lee being the narrator on this new adventure gave the band lots of talk prior to the release. But to put the old man's mug on the cover of the album might not have been the greatest selling point, though. But it didn't take me long to once again fall in love with this bands music. Sure, "Unholy Warcry" is filled with all the clichés. But in my opinion, it is still a good song. Then when the second track kicked in, my jaw dropped to the floor!! Holy cow, batman! Fabio is delivering his vocal-performance of a lifetime, varying from an almost death-like voice, to his more known operatic falsetto. The track would not have fit the mood of the album, but I'm really glad they released it on this EP, as it is one of the better songs in this bands career. 4 of the 5 tracks are exclusive to this EP, but that is only due to the different versions of "Unholy Warcry" (Edited version), and the English version of "Guardians Of Destiny". "Non Ho Sonno" is yet another tribute to the music created by Goblin, featured in the movie by the same name, directed by Italian horror-maestro, Dario Argento.

SYMPHONY OF ENCHANTED LANDS II - THE DARK SECRET (2004) SPV/STEAMHAMMER

Rhapsody have been one of my favorite bands for a long time now, releasing only stellar material since their beginning. So I was actually almost afraid to get this album, as I didn't think they could ever top any of their other releases, and that they finally had ran out of great ideas. I mean, how long is it possible to keep releasing such high quality material? It wasn't until I heard the 'The Dark Secret' EP that I was convinced that the Italians still had it in them. Still, it took me a while to get into 'Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II' (stupid name by the way, as this marks the beginning of a new concept, and not yet another follow up of the "old" story). I was greatly disappointed during the first listens. Sure, this was still bombastic, orchestrated Hollywood metal (now renamed film score metal, for whatever reason?!?). But I thought it lacked anything new and fresh. But as I gave it more and more spins, I realized that Luca and Alex had done it again. The orchestra is even better integrated with the band. And Fabio sings like never before! The album is a bit more mid-paced then we're used to, but even that is a plus in my book, as the ultra fast double bass-drumming in every tack could have gotten old by now. It is also the most consistent Rhapsody album to date, as it flows really good throughout the entire album. So my hat is once again tipped off to these musical geniuses. Rhapsody are still the rulers of their genre.

Killer tracks: Pretty much all of them, as usual

THE MAGIC OF THE WIZARD'S DREAM (2005) SPV/STEAMHAMMER (EP)

'Rhapsody featuring Christopher Lee', is what the spine of this EP says. On the front of the cover we get the title of the EP, and then the featuring part. And as you can see from the picture, the old man is also featured there too, just as he was on the previous EP. Now, how is it even possible to see this as a selling point to heavy metal enthusiasts? That is beyond me. Nevertheless, here he is, and he sings too, in 4 different languages, and 6 different versions of the same song. Overkill!! It is fun to listen to 1 time, but then all you need is the version already on the album. I had some hope for the orchestrated version, but to me it doesn't sound all that different. The 2 non-album tracks here are not that breathtaking either, but a tribute to horror-maestro, Dario Argento, is of course always welcome! For die-hard fans only.

TRIUMPH OR AGONY (2006) SPV/STEAMHAMMER (Limited Edition)

Killer tracks: Heart Of The Darklands, The Myth Of The Holy Sword, Il Canto Del Vento, Silent Dream, Bloody Red Dungeons

THE FROZEN TEARS OF ANGELS (2010) NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS (Limited Edition Digi Book)

As if the name change wasn't enough, Rhapsody Of Fire suffered another blow soon after the release of 'Triumph Or Agony'. The collaboration with Joey DeMaio (Manowar) and his Magic Circle Music went sour almost as soon as it started. So it took the band 4 years to finally get to release 'The Frozen Tears Of Angels'. The old saying goes: "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger". And it certainly applies to this effort!

Many fans found Rhapsody of Fire to be in a rut on the last 2 or 3 albums, concentrating too much on creating symphonic "Hollywood" soundscapes, almost forgetting to be metal in the process. The pomp and circumstance took over, and the music lacked thereafter. 'The Frozen Tears Of Angels' delivers more than its share of bombast and orchestrations also, but it is still a much more classic sounding Rhapsody album as a whole. These Italians are once again writing music with emphasis on the band instruments. The main focus is held on the lightning fast guitar riffs, the thunderous bass and steady drums. Tunes like "Sea Of Fate", "Reign Of Terror" and "Raging Starfire" all have distinct hooks, and that has been lacking on most Rhapsody albums since 'Dawn Of Victory'. Mr. Lione has also upped his ante, and delivers his most diverse work to date. Everything from operatic wails to black metal-ish aggression flies out of his mouth this time around, all with total conviction. There is also a lot of variety in the music that calls for the use of different vocal styles. Yes, 'The Frozen Tears Of Angels', while taking the band back to a more basic songwriting mode, is still one of the most varied albums from Rhapsody. The title track for instance, is a composition I think Symphony X would have killed to have written. Now, if you wanna be cynical, one might say that there isn't anything new here, and some of the choruses are even dangerously familiar sounding, but I say that as long as it works, it works! 'The Frozen Tears Of Angles' is unfortunately also a very uneven album. So we're not talking about the bands strongest effort. But it is at least for the most part what long time fans have been asking for.

The limited digi-book version of the album comes with 2 bonus tracks, lyrics, track-by-track commentaries from Luca and Alex and the 3rd chapter in 'The Dark Secret Saga'.

Killer tracks: Sea Of Fate, Reign Of Terror, Raging Starfire, On The Way To Ainor, The Frozen Teas Of Angels

Alex Holzwarth guest appearances:

Fabio Lione guest appearances: