First of all, I have to point out that in the insert of this CD, Rhapsody (excuse me,
RHAPSODY OF FIRE) has described themselves as being "Italian Epic Hollywood Metal". Therefore, it is imperative that Sputnik make a seperate genre section just for Rhapsody. It is also imperative for me not to take this band seriously.
Rhapsody, you see, does not only play instruments, they weild mighty battle swords! Their music, which I would assume was made for the soundtrack to
The Princess Bride, is nothing special or new, but still worth a listen if you're in the mood for some great pow...excuse me, Italian Epic Hollywood Metal. Musically, the band has all the right elements of a power metal band; insanely high pitched singer, over the top guitars, symphonic keyboards, upbeat drums, and WHERE THE HELL IS THE BASS?! Lyrically, the band, like most in the genre makes me giggle like a school girl. Come on, how can you not laugh at lines such as this:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by From "Rain of A Thousand Flames"
Silent cries of virgins touch the heart of night
Raped by the demons under painful sights
Sperm and blood and terror chaos in my head
Is the law of evil triumph for the dead
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Rain of a Thousand Flames takes us through a hearty journey of metal triumph. With narration by the lispy Sir Jay Lansford, and frequent choral and orchestral compositions layered throughout the EP, Rhapsody proves that they are not to be fu
cked with.
I am sorry, but I cannot get past the cheesiness of this band. Is this a good CD or a bad one? I am not too sure to be able to tell. It is certainly not something that bears repeated listening sessions, though I will throw in this CD during a thunderstorm, just for the sake of epicness. There is no ferocity to Rhapsody, nothing really enjoyable at all. I get the feeling that I have heard this band before, minus the over-the-top film score narratives.
A saga is created in this EP, with the last 4 tracks telling of a "GOTHIC SAGA".
Tears of A Dying Angel , in my opinion, relies too heavily on the narrative and on the "film score" than on the music. All the "film score magic" is alright, but for Thor's sake, at least give us seperate tracks that give preludes to the actual songs!
Elnor's Magic Valley is an instrumental that tells me nothing of a magic valley of Elnor. Damn you, misleading track titles.
Maybe I'm not "getting" the point of Rhapsody. Maybe I don't care. As we reach the third part of the saga,
The Poem's Evil Page, I start to notice a repetetiveness in the vocals. The same notes and patterns seem to be sung in every song. I cannot tell them apart. Don't get me wrong, I am somewhat enjoying the subtle music played by the "main" band, but the orchestra just seems to overshadow the actual band.
The epic
The Wizard's Last Rhymes totally rips off the theme to Jaws in the beginning somehow, and then the theme to Pirates of The Caribbean. I KNOW IT TO BE TRUE! In all seriousness, the music is still bland, repetetive, and overshadowed by the orchestral arrangements. I would like to hear more of the band. To be fair, the musicianship is great. The lead guitars and the bass leads in the middle of
The Wizard's Last Rhymes caught my ear for a moment. And whoever can pull an orchestral arrangement out of their a
ss for a metal album must be a genious, BUT I do not find anything very interesting at all about this album, nothing really stands out.
This album is actually my introduction to Rhapsody (of Fire). I have heard rave reviews, but as it stands, I am unimpressed by the band. Nothing really new, refreshing, or exciting. Maybe in time I shall grow to enjoy the Italian Epic Hollywood Metal Rhapsody creates, but for now I give this EP a big "meh".
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