Rhapsody Of Fire
Triumph Or Agony

I am always convinced that there is a wrong approach to the Rhapsody phenomenon, whether seen positively or negatively.

In the aftermath of the release of the first 'Legendary Tales' and its successor, 'Symphony of Enchanted Lands', many hailed it as a miracle and there was such a clamor for these two works that they seemed to revive the fortunes of tricolor metal, too often relegated to the background by poor productions and a certain snobbishness from the foreign press. I still remember titles and epithets from some scribblers of well-known genre magazines who talked about the inhuman abilities of the Turilli/Staropoli duo, even comparable to great classical composers.

As good as the proposal of the Triestine band might have been, certain exaggerations were certainly misplaced, both because nothing new was being invented and because Rhapsody did not have the genius attributable to bands like Blind Guardian, merely adopting their power-symphonic schemes stuffed with orchestrations. So, upon the publication of their third 'Dawn of Victory', when they repeated, neither more nor less, the usual clichés, the usual choirs, the usual sounds, there was much disappointment from those who discovered, as if it were a surprise, although it wasn't necessary, that Rhapsody were not the Pink Floyd of metal, but rather a band that had said what they had to say in the first two albums and that in the future would endlessly recycle the usual ideas, perhaps all done expertly, but greatly reducing that novelty factor that had been their fertile ground at the time of their debut.

There was harsh criticism also for their subsequent works 'Power of the Dragonflame', the mini 'Rain of a Thousand Flames', and the second part of 'Symphony' in which the band, as their only exceptions, allowed themselves some singing in Italian, the presence, in the role of narrator, of the legendary Christopher Lee, and a decrease in the metal component in favor of the orchestral one. Of course, the five guys also contributed their share, with videos at the limits of ridiculousness, senseless labels (Hollywood metal ??? Film score metal), yet the fact remains that, in the genre played, despite attempts at imitation, they remain still the best.

Changed their moniker, due to legal issues, to the not very original Rhapsody Of Fire, with this 'Triumph or Agony', they do not deviate one centimeter from what has been proposed in the past, including all those elements that have always been both a blessing and a curse for supporters and detractors: epic and sumptuous choirs, organs, harpsichords, flutes, whistles, violins, violas, trombones, brass, tambourines, in short, everything necessary to recreate their pompous and gaudy sounds. And the lyrics? Come on, we all know dragons fly high, that unicorns are pure, and that if you plant a bean, it will grow into a huge plant reaching the sky where giants live, so we will only focus on the musical aspect. Thus, the work of the guitars takes a back seat while the outstanding performance of Fabio Lione shines above all, now sweet and gentle, now engaged in real screaming, with the only flaw being an English pronunciation not quite up to standard. Do not expect, therefore, any revolutions, even though the album is enjoyable to listen to, characterized by many mid-tempos in which orchestral sounds almost drown out the classic metal ones, shifting, as mentioned above, the balance more towards the symphonic component than the metal one.

The intro Dar – Kunor is longer than usual and is filled with choirs and eerie sounds. The track is practically orchestral, with the band only joining the orchestra in rhythm at the end. The orchestrations continue to dominate in the title track, while the following Heart of the Darklands is an engaging track, the closest to their early days present in this work. Old Age of Wonders is a classic medieval-style track, very poignant, while the band pays tribute to Manowar in the subsequent The Might of Holy Sword and Bloody Red Dungeons, two powerful mid-tempos, where the excellent Lione somewhat mimics the incomparable Eric Adams. I am not convinced by the only track written by Lione, the Sanremo-style Il Canto del Vento: yes, for its sounds it could participate in the popular sound festival, too tied to Italian melodrama, if you know what I mean. Silent Dream is, instead, a pleasant new addition, characterized by a pomp sound, very reminiscent of the eighties. Son of Pain is epicness in its purest form, while in the long suite The Mystic Prophecy of the Demon Knight, the entire Rhapsody universe is revisited, with a long purely orchestral central section and the presence, at certain points, of the surprising screamer Fabio Lione and, again in the role of narrator, Christopher Lee, and, as a guest, his daughters.

What can I say, this record will certainly not change the minds of many detractors, however, those who have always followed the proposal of Trilli & Co. with affection can only be satisfied. Someone will say: it's the same old soup, but I add that the dish is the same, but certainly not to be discarded.