Rhapsody
Dawn Of Victory

Year 2000: after Legendary Tales and Symphony Of Enchanted Lands, Luca Turilli, supported by the faithful Alex Staropoli and Fabio Lione, Alessandro Lotta on bass, and the new drummer Alex Holzwarth, writes the third chapter of the "Emerald Sword Saga," titled "Dawn of Victory" (after all, the cover of LT depicted a sunset, and that of SOEL a nighttime scene). "Dawn Of Victory" distinctly diverges from the symphonic sounds of its predecessor (despite what anyone says that Rhapsody's albums all sound the same) by offering a more stripped-down and direct sound, yet always uniquely and unmistakably Rhapsody.

The intro "Lux Triumphans" is written in English rather than Latin for the first time and transports us with the usual majesty to the title track "Dawn Of Victory", a song not as fast-paced as "Emerald Sword," but very composed and solemn, with a wonderful chorus that seems to come straight from a national anthem, a better prologue could not have been there. "Triumph For My Magic Steel" is perhaps the song that best represents the mood of this album: apart from the choirs, the symphonic element is stripped to the bone, but the result is still as incisive as a sword and as powerful as a horde of warriors. A song that is like an eternal flame warming the heart. "The Village Of Dwarves" for its sweet, arpeggiated beginning may recall "The Forest Of Unicorns," but here we are not in an unspoiled valley of unicorns; we are in a village of dwarves, hospitable and noisy creatures, and the result could only be a wonderful song that evokes a dance around the hearth, singing ancient legends in chorus. I wonder how anyone can detest Rhapsody after hearing this song. Closing the festive digression comes "Dargor, Shadowlord Of The Black Mountain"'s brisk power metal, which speaks of Dargor, a strong and valiant warrior but in the service of the evil cause of Akron, the Black King. "The Bloody Rage Of Titans" is a wonderful gem of extraordinary charm: it begins as a sweet ballad like "Wings Of Destiny" (even the lyrics recall the beauty of nature) but then comes alive, especially in the epic chorus, without ever reaching a real explosion, giving the impression that this fury of the titans is still something distant and far away. Six splendid minutes in their unique oneiric quality. Far less dreamlike is the single "Holy Thunderforce", power metal pumped to the highest speed and power in the manner of Dragonforce, 4 minutes of pure headbanging that cause total addiction; the lyrics I dedicate to those who despise Rhapsody "Face, evil bastards, smell the hate of angels." Here comes the traditional instrumental "Trolls In The Dark" which this time is not a relaxing acoustic piece like the previous "Virgin Skies" and "Heroes Of The Lost Valley" but a nice solo by Luca Turilli, perhaps a bit self-serving but far better than those Joey DeMaio once foisted on us. "The Last Winged Unicorn", and here I really have no words to describe the absolute beauty of this song, which in the first verses evokes the princess Airin's rape, narrated on a power base at once dreamlike, touching, with a chorus that really cannot fail to move, unless you have a heart of stone. On its own, it's worth the entire price of the album. The only flaw of the album is the final track "The Mighty Ride Of The Firelord" which flaunts an almost brutal text (I'm not kidding!) in the first verse. The song is rich in tempo changes and very majestic parts, but it ends up being a tad dry compared to the rest of the album and to other Rhapsody closing tracks such as the subsequent, monstrous, "Gargoyles, Angels Of Darkness" an altogether minor flaw that does not compromise the 5 stars for the third album (read third "masterpiece") of this national pride called Rhapsody (Of Fire).

GLORIA, GLORIA PERPETUA, IN THIS DAWN OF VICTORY