[Luca Turilli’s] Rhapsody [of Fire]

Derdian – DNA Review

By Eldritch Elitist on July 26, 2018 in 2018, Italian Metal, King Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 34 comments

“As my musical tastes expand ever outwards, it becomes increasingly fascinating to revisit bands I once held in high esteem. This includes a countless number of power metal bands that have aged approximately as well as room temperature milk, as I was once immune to the effects of achingly derivative performances, awkward theatrical singing, and directionless guitar wankery. I hadn’t listened to Derdian in years before spying this familiar, silly name in the depths of the AMG promo quagmire.” Cheese in the muck.

Crimfall – Amain Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 13, 2017 in 2017, Finnish Metal, Folk Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Folk Metal, 78 comments

Six years have passed since I wrote, “my guess is that […] the follow up [to Writ of Sword] in a couple years will be even better.” Was I right?

In Tormentata Quiete – Finestatico Review

By GardensTale on June 20, 2017 in 2017, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Italian Metal, My Kingdom Music, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal, 24 comments

“I don’t know any bands that sound quite like In Tormentata Quiete. The vocals are the heart and soul of the band, but where this often indicates an accessible band with a single, capable vocalist, ITQ uses everything but the kitchen sink in its range of styles. Two equally capable ladies bring harmonic symphonies that without context might have befitted a progressive Nightwishcore band, but here they balance out Marco Vitals. The only male listed in the vocal department, I am forced to conclude this one man is responsible for the grandiose, operatic clean vocals, the hushed whisper of the spoken sections, the occasional guttural growl, and the absolutely caustic black metal screech.” Many tongues, few spit-ups.

Sonata Arctica’s Top 5 Awkward and Unintentional Successes

By Angry Metal Guy on August 15, 2016 in 2016, Blog Posts, 62 comments

“I am stoked for Sonata Arctica’s forthcoming Ninth Hour which will be here on the 14th of October from Nuclear Blast. Now I know you’re probably thinking to yourself: “self, why would AMG write an article about a band’s ‘Awkward and Unintentional Successes’ if he likes that band?” Indulge me a second. See, Sonata Arctica started out as a better version of Stratovarius that was founded with a songwriter at the helm—Tony Kakko—who’s like a weird, Finnish version of Jim Steinman. This means that the band’s sound is epic, quirky, but ultimately it can get a little… awkward.”

Fleshgod Apocalypse – King Review

By Angry Metal Guy on February 2, 2016 in 2016, Death Metal, Italian Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 100 comments

Fleshgod Apocalypse is well known in these parts for having produced a debut album that I worship and two albums since then that I don’t. Back in aught nine, the band released Oracles, which was a neoclassical death metal record unlike anything I had heard. The songs were intense, with intricate, artful, and beastly guitar work. Unfortunately, while songwriting was excellent, the drum sound on the record was a bit like reading a great Russian novel IN ALL CAPS; high art, ruined by someone’s inability to capitalize properly. 2011’s Agony was a better produced record than its predecessor in some ways, but the band undermined its own sound by moving all the interesting melodies and ‘riffing’ to the orchestras. When they returned to correct this problem on 2013’s Labyrinth, the master was so bad that all attempts to rectify earlier missteps were voided by the static of clipping master.

Rhapsody of Fire – Into the Legend Review

By Angry Metal Guy on January 13, 2016 in 2016, AFM Records, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 42 comments

“It’s sometimes hard to keep up with the entity we call [Luca Turilli’s] Rhapsody [of Fire]. Starting in the late ’90s, these Italian cheese-mongers took the power metal world by storm with their bombastic, orchestral power metal. The young, bright-eyed Italian maestros reeled off four albums that added an epic, operatic flair to the neoclassical metal of the 1980s they’d grown up on. While the band’s near-demise is one of the greatest scares of my adult fandom, Rhapsody of Fire’s return from the near annihilation was celebrated with two excellent records and an EP in short succession. Then tragedy struck. Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli would each get their own version of the band—with Turilli’s staying on Nuclear Blast, and Staropoli’s moving on to AFM.” What became of these poor, Italian maestros in the big, cold, dark world? Click to find out!

Gloryhammer – Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards Review

By Angry Metal Guy on September 28, 2015 in 2015, English Metal, Napalm Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 134 comments

“I have been accused of being boring and touchy because I dislike parody heavy metal bands. Whenever a band like Steel Panther or The Darkness shows up, I get defensive. “Metal is alive and well,” I argue, and honestly, there are bands that are putting out great power metal and hard rock that gets ignored by mainstream press outlets that rave over parody bands and they sell lots of records. I also tend to get annoyed by comedy lyrics; for the most part those songs are funny once or twice, but after a while they just stop being funny and they become uninteresting because, well, that’s the point. Put this together, and a parody band seems like it should have a lot of strikes against it here at Angry Metal Guy. Not only are Steel Druhm and I firmly anti-fun, but I’m defensive about metal because I don’t want real, talented metal bands getting short shrift next to bands who are just making fun of the sound.” Fun will be had.

DarkTribe – The Modern Age Review

By Roquentin on July 22, 2015 in 2015, French Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Scarlet Records, Melodic Metal, Power Metal, 16 comments

“It’s difficult to shake the feeling that among all of metal’s subgenres, power metal remains the one that refuses to grow up, stuck forever in an adolescent state. Barring a few bands, the power metal scene might as well still be living in the middle of the nineties, when Stratovarius’ Visions had just been released, Nightwish were kind of relevant, and Symphony of Enchanted Lands, by that Italian band that used to be known simply as Rhapsody, lurked around the corner.” Ah, the 90s were the good old days for 80s style power metal.

Sigh – Graveward Review

By Kronos on April 27, 2015 in 2015, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Candlelight, Japanese Metal, Reviews, Symphonic Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal, 39 comments

“Sigh are on their tenth trip around the turntable and still spin at 45, since there isn’t a faster option. Graveward is their attempt to penetrate the monolithic shadow cast by In Somniphobia, an album so fantastically strange that it was a sidestep even by the standards of a band that defines the term “avant-garde”.” Sigh is a breath of fresh air.

Putrid Offal – Mature Necropsy Review

By Al Kikuras on February 6, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, French Metal, Grind, Kaotoxin Records, Reviews, Death Metal, Grind, 8 comments

“I jumped on reviewing Putrid Offal’s debut album, Mature Necropsy, like a retiree on an early bird special when I saw a lineup of three guys that may actually have a few years on me. These French gore hounds formed 25 years ago, split up five later, and dug the carcass up again in 2013.” Getting tired of juvenile necropsies? Well these geriatric gore rockers are here to make you watch Murder She Wrote and eat ribbon candy.