Nuclear Blast
2012
1. Quantum X
2. Ascending To Infinity
3. Dante's Inferno
4. Excalibur
5. Tormento e Passione
6. Dark Fate Of Atlantis
7. Luna (Alessandro Safina Cover)
8. Clash Of The Titans
9. Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall
I'm just going to start off saying I had no idea what to make of this release going in or the idea of having two Rhapsodys out there. Not really sure we need two bands mining the same back catalogue and probably mostly the same sound. I'm also not sure who will come out the 'winner', if anyone, so all I can do is listen to this and judge it on it's own merits vs the old Rhapsody right now.
Well, listening to this it pretty much sounds like Rhapsody. I mean Luca Turilli was the brains of the operation/the leader of the band. I didn't expect huge changes and I don't really get them. New vocalist Alessandro sounds quite a bit like Fabio Lione in style and the music is over the top symphonic neoclassical. I have to express a bit of a preference for Lione over the new guy, but he's still a good and fitting replacement.
Overall, not a lot has changed here to write about. As I said, this is unmistakeably Rhapsody music. There are some tweaks to the sound though. On this release, it seems like they took a little step back towards their earlier sound. The biggest change to me is that the neoclassical guitar is more dominant in the music, taking the lead and letting the symphonics be the background. This is a positive in my book and it reminds me a bit more of their earlier stuff than their later more produced material. It did seem of late that Rhapsody of Fire had let the backing symphonics come a bit too much to the front and this album does not suffer from that. Don't worry though... it wouldn't be Rhapsody without some pomp and I'd say there is more than enough.
The only song on Ascending To Infinity that's a bit too overblown is the song Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall which just seems long for the sake of it. Not a bad track really, but not a huge epic highlight either. This could have been trimmed down a bit. And while we're talking about trimming I have to mention the cover Luna, which is too mellow for me and seems a little out of place. The smooth guest female vocals and subdued music just don't really gel with the rest of what's here despite the moments of male operatics. I'd have just cut this one or left it for bonus material.
In the end, this is a pretty damn good Rhapsody album with strong lead guitar that sets it up for success. Luca Turilli shows here that he's still got it and that he can do it without the other guys in the Rhapsody Of Fire camp. Despite a couple minor hiccups on the album, this is overall very strong and has a great sound to it. The old Rhapsody story may have been retired, but the lyrics are still of epic story themes, the music over the top neoclassical, and everything you'd expect from Rhapsody. I certainly would recommend this to fans of symphonic power metal and Rhapsody (of Fire or whatever). It's up to the other guys to measure up to this bar now and show what they can do.
Highlights: Ascending To Infinity, Dante's Inferno, Excalibur, Dark Fate Of Atlantis
Rating - 4.0/5
2. Ascending To Infinity
3. Dante's Inferno
4. Excalibur
5. Tormento e Passione
6. Dark Fate Of Atlantis
7. Luna (Alessandro Safina Cover)
8. Clash Of The Titans
9. Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall
I'm just going to start off saying I had no idea what to make of this release going in or the idea of having two Rhapsodys out there. Not really sure we need two bands mining the same back catalogue and probably mostly the same sound. I'm also not sure who will come out the 'winner', if anyone, so all I can do is listen to this and judge it on it's own merits vs the old Rhapsody right now.
Well, listening to this it pretty much sounds like Rhapsody. I mean Luca Turilli was the brains of the operation/the leader of the band. I didn't expect huge changes and I don't really get them. New vocalist Alessandro sounds quite a bit like Fabio Lione in style and the music is over the top symphonic neoclassical. I have to express a bit of a preference for Lione over the new guy, but he's still a good and fitting replacement.
Overall, not a lot has changed here to write about. As I said, this is unmistakeably Rhapsody music. There are some tweaks to the sound though. On this release, it seems like they took a little step back towards their earlier sound. The biggest change to me is that the neoclassical guitar is more dominant in the music, taking the lead and letting the symphonics be the background. This is a positive in my book and it reminds me a bit more of their earlier stuff than their later more produced material. It did seem of late that Rhapsody of Fire had let the backing symphonics come a bit too much to the front and this album does not suffer from that. Don't worry though... it wouldn't be Rhapsody without some pomp and I'd say there is more than enough.
The only song on Ascending To Infinity that's a bit too overblown is the song Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall which just seems long for the sake of it. Not a bad track really, but not a huge epic highlight either. This could have been trimmed down a bit. And while we're talking about trimming I have to mention the cover Luna, which is too mellow for me and seems a little out of place. The smooth guest female vocals and subdued music just don't really gel with the rest of what's here despite the moments of male operatics. I'd have just cut this one or left it for bonus material.
In the end, this is a pretty damn good Rhapsody album with strong lead guitar that sets it up for success. Luca Turilli shows here that he's still got it and that he can do it without the other guys in the Rhapsody Of Fire camp. Despite a couple minor hiccups on the album, this is overall very strong and has a great sound to it. The old Rhapsody story may have been retired, but the lyrics are still of epic story themes, the music over the top neoclassical, and everything you'd expect from Rhapsody. I certainly would recommend this to fans of symphonic power metal and Rhapsody (of Fire or whatever). It's up to the other guys to measure up to this bar now and show what they can do.
Highlights: Ascending To Infinity, Dante's Inferno, Excalibur, Dark Fate Of Atlantis
Rating - 4.0/5
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