Artist: Rhapsody Of Fire
Label: Magic Circle Music
Release: 2006
Rating: 3/5
Rhapsody Of Fire, formerly Rhapsody, honestly come across as shocking with all their hyperactivity and unwavering devotion to their religion of Hollywood symphonic metal. Two years after “Symphony of Enchanted Lands pt. II – The Dark Secret” (2004), which was supposed to be one of the finest albums of their career and came close to convincingly repeating the heavy magic of their debut “Symphony of Enchanted Lands” (1997), it was the first one with a symphony orchestra, and the narration for its story came from none other than the living embodiment of Saruman, Christopher Lee. The orchestra, the choirs and Lee are all back on the new album “Triumph Or Agony”.
Rhapsody Of Fire are known for a clearly defined style within the heavy metal universe. Reviewing one of their albums is a tough craft, since their records are as alike as two peas in a pod. This time around it’s (mostly!) the same story, and Rhapsody Of Fire remain instantly recognizable by everything their catalog has embraced so far. The guys are sticking with the philharmonic orchestra collaboration, and the fruit of it is obvious. Especially in the production. Rhapsody Of Fire squeezed every last drop out of having an orchestra around. The band’s sound now has the real, natural tone of string and woodwind arrangements, and in the mix the orchestral arrangements sit in balance, on equal footing with the metal side. What’s more, they often dominate the sound! Even on the faster parts of the record. Here’s another interesting bit. This is an album that’s much calmer than its predecessor, less sharp, less obsessed with the frenzied stomping of double bass drum pedals, so it’s a departure from the Rhapsody Of Fire trademarks. Do they want to be fresh, dare I say more current? Yes. So they’ve opened up some of the riffs in places and simplified them. The mid-tempo title track right after the band’s standard intro is a surprise. Heart Of Darkness (not a Grave Digger cover!!!!) comes next, lifts the album’s dynamics a bit and surprises with some pure-blooded prog-style metal breaks. Funnily enough, after the third track the dynamics drop off completely and Rhapsody Of Fire show their softer side, a side that’s friendlier for radio play too. Especially through the acoustic Old Age Of Wonders and Il Cante Del Vento, where pastoral elements reign. The orchestra dominates the sound of the record! Silent Dream is the kind of song that carries one of the most original motifs (in the chorus) on “Triumph Or Agony”. The track has a melodic hard rock backbone and a touch of modern “groove”, and it wouldn’t be a shock at all if it came out as a single on an EP in the near future. The pompous, punchy energy it offers is reminiscent of a slowed-down version of Finland’s Nightwish (the chorus especially). With all its calm, the album doesn’t get shaken up by the aforementioned Silent Dream, nor by the mid-tempo, hymn-like Myth Of The Holy Sword or Bloody Red Dungeons. The mood finally picks up with the 16-minute The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demon Knight. Not because of some sudden explosion in a razor-sharp metal tempo (again, that’s nowhere to be found!), but because of its unpredictable attitude, driven by a seamless flow of moods strung through multicolored motifs and rhythm switches. Dark Reign Of Fire closes the album. The song ties in directly with the previous one in terms of motifs, so it’s a shame Rhapody Of Fire didn’t just leave it as part of The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demon Knight, which would then have clocked in at around 25 minutes.
“Triumph Or Agony” is a mellow album that sounds like their most mature one yet. For the first time in the band’s career, Rhapsody Of Fire have put out an album that’s hard to slap the “metal” label on. The orchestral arrangements dominate, and Fabio Leone’s ever-appealing operatic voice is pushed even further forward in the mix, on top of all that symphonic weight. Some of the riffs, in their simplified stance (for instance in the title track, the intro Du Kunor and Silent Dream), lean towards the “modern”, and by the band’s established standards that’s a surprise factor that might put off plenty of fans of the bombastic, symphonic “power metal” orientation Rhapsody Of Fire got famous for. Still, the band’s unmistakable spirit is preserved on the new record, placing the album loud and clear in a style of its own, one that belongs only to them. The lyrics are fairytales, the music is cinematic, you just close your eyes while listening and a unique, magical world of myths and legends opens up in front of you. Sometimes you wonder why Rhapsody Of Fire don’t just shoot a movie to go with it. Well, with records like this, your imagination paints the film for you all by itself. And it’s the same story this time. Rhapsody Of Fire also bring a pinch of difference and freshness along, which is absolutely welcome and successfully woven into the new record, proving that after a good decade of existence the band has gathered enough experience that, at the point of these experiments, they can’t really go wrong. It’s an album with a recognizable pinch of Italian childlike naivety, which results in overdoing it, but without Italians overdoing things there’d be no Italians, and the world would be a duller place without them (and above all without their cuisine) and “Triumph Or Agony” wouldn’t be another very pretty piece of work either. “Power metal” fans, though, might get caught “off guard” by the band’s new album.
Lineup
Fabio Lione – vocals
Luca Turilli – guitar
Alex Staropoli – keyboards, harpsichord, piano
Patrice Guers – bass
Alex Holzwarth – drums
Production
Luca Turilli & Alex Staropoli
Tracklist
01. Dar-Kunor
I. – Echoes From The Elvish Woods
II. – Fear Of The Dungeons
02. Triumph Or Agony
03. Heart Of The Darklands
04. Old Age Of Wonders
05. The Myth Of The Holy Sword
06. Il Canto Del Vento
07. Silent Dream
08. Bloody Red Dungeons
09. Son Of Pain
10. The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight
I. – A New Saga Begins
II. – Through The Portals Of Agony
III. – The Black Order
IV. – Nekron’s Bloody Rhymes
V – Escape From Horror
11. Dark Reign Of Fire
I. – Defenders Of Gaia
II. – New Saga Begins
Running time: 62.41
