There is an element to this band that is always imaginatively energizing no matter what title they fall under... Rhapsody or now the "new", expanded Rhapsody of Fire. After being around for about ten years you would think they would be allowed to keep their name, but some petty person somewhere decided to force them out of it. Ah well, the slight addition has not tampered with the music one bit, and the Dark Secret story flies on forward.
Everything is over the top and as it should be. Competing with the theatrics of Luca Turilli's fire breathing guitar playing and Fabio Lione's fantastic soaring vocals are the 50 piece BRNO Academy Choir and the 60 musicians plus strong Bohuslave Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra. Toss in Christopher Lee and his daughter for spoken appearances and you can imagine what kind of larger-than-life production this is. The entire album is tackled with all the bombast one would hope for in a project with such a flair for fantasy. It's a rip of Lord of the Rings, but done in a gigantic Hollywood production style, complete with spoken narration (which could have been left off in my opinion) and mindblowing epics that deserve the title. Not only due to length but in overall stylistic approach as well.
There are many bands out there doing the power metal thing these days, but Rhapsody's approach never fails to seem bigger, bolder and grander. The music is larger than life and takes on a sparkling shine of its own. The cliched double drum, pedal to the metal pacings are more or less absent here too. The music is instead treated with multi layers of sound and creativity, its easy to become lost wandering around in their fantastical world. Those seeking more power in their rock will be disappointed. This time around the focus is on atmosphere and creating a sense of overwhelming epic bombast. This slower paced, folksy approach has always popped up on Rhapsody albums, but never has it dominated a disc quite to this extent. What a contrast this is against "Dawn of Victory" just a few short years ago. It blew your head off with thundering metal but lacked any sort of identity to set itself apart from the million other power bands populating the scene. Two full albums inbetween and they have managed to really step away from the generic formula and into another world.
If you didn't get into "The Dark Secret", you missed a great cd and the starting point for
"Triumph or Agony". Which in itself was actually a continuation of "Symphony of Enchanted Lands". Confused yet? However, not being familiar with it is acceptable as well, since the story is not a brain twister and is easy to jump right in the middle of. The overdramatics will attract their usual fair share of naysayers and haters that take geeky pride in dumping on Rhapsody (of Fire), but once lovely masterpieces like
"The Myth of the Holy Sword" get fired off, these critics are easy to ignore. This disc was not made for them anyway, and grandiose compositions such as this are the perfect example why. It is perhaps too pompous, overly slow to unravel and much too long winded for its own good. Yet on the flipside, those same complaints will be the absolute delights to those waiting for this album to be released and wondering how it will unfold.
The answer to that question would be: Very folksy and a little on the soft side, like the underbelly of a dragon. Rhapsody is a little toned down. Fabio is allowed to flex his songwriting skill,
"Il Canto Del Vento" is his contribution and its an artistic piece that is a showcase for his voice.
"Old Age of Wonder" allows him to shine again as he plays off of a female voice and lots of fairy-like pan flute in a softer setting. For guitarist Luca Turilli, this is his third major appearance this year (see his solo album and the groundbreaking Dreamquest project for more Turilli-goodness). He doesn't show any wear and tear as the riffs come fast and frequent with solos flung about with wild abandon. Just check
"Heart of the Darklands" for a taste of his fiery edge and forceful, majestic intensity.
Don't forget to check your pulse rate for
"The Mystic Prophecy of the Demon Knight" that includes five or six sections spanning an incredible sixteen minutes. The dialogue keeps pulling the listener out of the musical trip though. Is it too much to ask that the talky sections be given their own track numbers so those of us that want to just listen to the music can without having to endure the babbling parts everytime too?
"Bloody Red Dungeons"... I was expecting a fearsome, grueling power metal piece, and while there is power interlaced here, the feeling pulled off is grandiose power rock. Fabio is setoff nicely by the choir which he leaps into a vocal duel with. This can send chills up the spine along with the mesmerizing guitar that rakes you in by casting a spell of electric mystery.
Rhapsody of Fire continue doing what they do best, creating pomp metal that is much like a Boris Vallejo painting brought to musical life. Except this time its more about the lighter, fluffy bardic moments than the bloody, scream littered battles. Turilli and Lione are both amazing talents and together they are clearly a force to be reckoned with. Time and experience make them click even on the studio recordings that have all the extra trappings to compete with.
"Triumph of Agony" is one of their better efforts and feels fresher than the past two discs. Alot of midtempo stuff here, maybe next time they could toss in a few more fist pumping anthems with piss and fire, but its a minor complaint.
Written by
Alanna Sunday, September 24, 2006
Show all reviews by AlannaRatingsAlanna: 7.5/10Members: 5.5/10 - Average of 1 ratings.
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 | Steen (Staff)
Rating: 5.5/10
Triumph or Agony lacks the aggression and FIRE that burned in the music on the earlier alb... · Read more · |
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