Rhapsody
Symphony Of Enchanted Lands

THE REVIEW

"Evil can be found everywhere, but it will never win as long as there are enough brave souls to fight it" (Luca Turilli)

As you may have guessed from the beginning, the band I am about to review is the greatest Italian metal band that ever existed. Linea 77, some poser might say, but those aren't Linea 77, it's Rhapsody (Of Fire).

Their second album, "Symphony Of Enchanted Lands," dated 1998, is an epochal masterpiece, one of the ten best albums of the '90s, one of those things that never stop making my heart race and make me proud to be Italian.

The cover depicts a warrior riding a red dragon, facing a black dragon ridden by a macabre figure: the allegory of the eternal struggle (understood as a battle, not as bassist Alessandro Lotta) between good and evil.

Are you ready to explore the fascinating universe of Rhapsody? Great, ready...go! It starts with the intro "Epicus Furor": violins and solemn male and female choirs, which introduce us to "Emerald Sword." A power metal song? Wrong, "Emerald Sword" is THE POWER METAL SONG, 4 beautiful minutes of swirling and whirling emotions that truly capture the soul, a timeless anthem that speaks directly to the listener's heart. "The Wisdom Of Kings" is introduced by a flute motif, giving an illusion of calm until the acceleration that kicks off another beautiful power anthem, with a chorus sung to perfection by the stunning voice of Fabio Lione (a cross between James LaBrie and Tony Martin, unique for the emotions he can convey). "Heroes Of The Lost Valley" is a short and relaxing symphonic interlude, to catch your breath from the emotional whirlwind of the previous 2 songs and prepare us for the seven epic minutes of "Eternal Glory." More complex and symphonic than ES and WOK but equally thrilling and evocative. A sinister howl of wolves introduces us to "Beyond The Gates Of Infinity," a song darker than the previous ones that describes infernal landscapes inhabited by malevolent demons with an almost filmic visual power. "Wings Of Destiny" is a wonderful piano ballad, a poignant and beautiful poem that describes the beauties of nature; too often Rhapsody's lyrics have been confused with those of Manowar, here there is no glorification of metal, just pure poetry.

Very bold, I would dare to say experimental "The Dark Tower Of Abyss" which offers us strange symphonic inserts that give the song less immediacy than the rest of the album but an undeniable charm. "Riding The Winds Of Eternity," introduced by the rustle of the wind, brings us back to more strictly power and accessible sounds, with a truly divine Daniele Carbonera, thus preparing us for the end of our journey in the land of Algalord, that is, the stunning 13-minute title track "Symphony Of Enchanted Lands" which begins with the heartfelt narration of the voice narrator, impersonating the warrior who has lost his faithful dragon in battle and pays tribute to it; and begins the song proper which alternates heavier and faster sections with more symphonic and sweet ones (one section is even sung by an opera singer), closing with the sweet and medieval sound of a flute, which puts an end to this divine, stunning, immortal album by this band that has stirred and knew how to dictate the rules (even emulated by Manowar) in the epic metal movement. I conclude my analysis by proposing "Emerald Sword" as the new national anthem.

"FOR THE KING, FOR THE LAND, FOR THE MOUNTAINS

FOR THE GREEN VALLEYS WHERE DRAGONS FLY

FOR THE GLORY, THE POWER TO WIN THE BLACK LORD

I WILL SEARCH FOR THE EMERALD SWORD"