Rhapsody Of Fire – Power Of Metal.dk

Rhapsody Of Fire – The Eighth Mountain

Chris Galea — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 13:00:11 +0000

Although for me Rhapsody Of Fire have always embodied the appeal of the Symphonic Metal genre, I felt that the band’s last few albums struggled to recapture the magic of “Symphony Of Enchanted Lands” (1998) or “Dawn Of Victory” (2000). So, amidst all that, where does new album “The Eighth Mountain” stand?

It’s worth noting that this marks the full-length recording debut of drummer Manuel Lotter and singer Giacomo Voli (not considering the retrospective “Legendary Years”). In my mind I will always have Fabio Lione as the de facto voice of Rhapsody but Voli is really very good, perhaps slightly less operatic than Lione but there’s a lot of emotion in his singing. Keyboardist Alex Staropoli is the only remaining member of the original line-up and he is now also more active in writing the band’s lyrics.

The songs in “The Eighth Mountain” are mostly very well written – compared with Rhapsody’s back catalogue I get the impression that there seems to be a slightly greater emphasis on heaviness rather than the symphonic paradigm. This is particularly evident in ‘Seven Heroic Deeds’ where, incidentally, we find Lotter in top form. Even Staropoli’s keyboards augment the music’s impact rather than ‘merely’ add pomp and drama to the music.

Other than that, “The Eighth Mountain” contains several hallmarks of Rhapsody’s sound…intricate orchestrations, lavish choirs, flute sounds and of course conceptual fantasy lyrics. With regards to that, this album marks the beginning of a new story which the band is calling ‘Nephilim’s Empire Saga’. In a recent press-release Staropoli said “It’s about which path in life you choose. The story may be fictitious but quite obviously relates to reality the way we experience it every day.”

But what of the songs themselves? ‘March Against The Tyrant’ and ‘Tales Of A Hero’s Fate’ showcase Voli’s impressive talents. ‘Clash Of Times’ sounds as if it was taken from an Yngwie Malmsteen album. ‘The Courage To Forgive’ contains some excellent guitar shredding.

‘Tales Of A Hero’s Fate’ provides an epic conclusion to the album and, curiously enough, features some Black Metal vocals. It would be interesting to hear more of these vocals in future as I feel it enriches the album’s dynamics further. The same ‘Tales Of A Hero’s Fate’ also features a narration by Christopher Lee. Considering Mr Lee passed away more than 3 years ago suggests Staropoli had been planning this album for quite a while.

For me, one of the greatest things about “The Eighth Mountain” is that Rhapsody aren’t just rehashing the same music…they do sound like a band that is evolving. My rating falls short of a perfect score mainly due to ‘Warrior Heart’ which I felt is the album’s weakest link.

But there’s no doubt about it…I haven’t felt this excited about a Rhapsody Of Fire album for quite a while.

THORNBRIDGE to support Rhapsody Of Fire on tour, new digital single available

Thomas Nielsen — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 20:55:44 +0000

THORNBRIDGE have great news for you: Not only have they released their digital single “Set The Sails” today, they are also going to support Rhapsody Of Fire on their The Eighth Mountain Tour 2019!

“Set The Sails” is only available on various streaming platforms, but can also be purchased digitally. Selected links are available below as well as all confirmed dates with Rhapsody Of Fire. THORNBRIDGE’s new album “Theatrical Masterpiece” is going to be released on February 8th and will be available as CD, limited vinyl LP, stream as well as download. It is available for pre-order here » https://lnk.to/theatricalmasterpiece

“Set The Sails” • Digital Single Streaming

Spotify – https://spoti.fi/2B00EHj

Deezer – https://bit.ly/2RLrH3a

Apple Music – https://apple.co/2S5I6PA

Tidal – https://bit.ly/2DuzucU

Napster (DE) – https://bit.ly/2RdkCUg

Download iTunes – https://apple.co/2T9db25

Amazon MP3 – https://amzn.to/2RLL2l4

Google Play Music – http://bit.ly/2sFu88L

THORNBRIDGE Videos

Theatrical Masterpiece (Official Video) – https://youtu.be/QR_EeIM4bFY

THORNBRIDGE – Theatrical Masterpiece out on February 8, 2019 via Massacre Records

1. Take To The Oars

2. Theatrical Masterpiece

3. Keeper Of The Royal Treasure

4. Revelation

5. Demon In Your Heart

6. Journey To The Other Side

7. Ember In The Winter Grove

8. Trace Of Destruction

9. The Helmsman

10. Set The Sails

11. The Dragon’s Sleeping Pre-order » https://lnk.to/theatricalmasterpiece

THORNBRIDGE Live

21.02.2019 ES Barcelona – Sala Bóveda*

22.02.2019 ES Madrid – Sala Caracol*

23.02.2019 ES Donostia – Larratxo Kultur Etxea (Heavy Jaia Festival)*

25.02.2019 FR Paris – The Flow* 26.02.2019 NL Enschede – Metropool*

27.02.2019 NL Leiden – Poppodium Gebr. De Noel*

01.03.2019 DE Essen – turock*

02.03.2019 CH Pratteln – Z7*

03.03.2019 DE Osnabrück – Bastard Club*

04.03.2019 BE Kortrijk – De Kreun*

06.03.2019 DE München – Backstage*

07.03.2019 DE Mannheim – MS Connexion Complex*

08.03.2019 DE Leipzig – Hellraiser*

09.03.2019 CZ Praha – Nová Chmelnice*

10.03.2019 AT Wien – Viper Room*

12.03.2019 IT Milano – Legend Club*

13.03.2019 IT Bologna – Zona Roveri*

24.-28.08.2019 08.12.2018 DE Braunschweig – B58

Live Club 09.02.2019 DE Aschaffenburg – Colos-Saal

*Tour w/ Rhapsody Of Fire

http://www.thornbridge.de

https://www.facebook.com/thornbridgeband

https://www.youtube.com/ThornbridgeDe

https://spoti.fi/2Ksx8x9

Photo by Dolores Thunder

Edward De Rosa (incl. G. Voli (Rhapsody Of Fire)) has revelead the tracklist and preview of the upcoming album Zeitgeist

Power of Metal — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 05:29:46 +0000

The Power Prog metal band Edward De Rosa has revelead the tracklist and preview of the upcoming album Zeitgeist: https://player.believe.fr/v2/3615934133655

10 guitar driven songs by Edward with impressive voice of Giacomo Voli (Rhapsody Of Fire),epic refrains and fast and heavy drums, Power Metal at its best. The album has been produced at the Reverse Music Studio in Taranto and in post production at the Rogue Studios in London and will be available the 26th October 2018 via Revalve Records.

https://www.facebook.com/EdwardDeRosaOfficial/

https://www.revalverecords.com/edwardderosa.html

https://www.facebook.com/revalverecords/