Conor Fynes
'From Chaos To Eternity' - Rhapsody (Of Fire) (7/10)
If there's anything that still surprises me about Rhapsody of Fire, it's that they manage to keep going steady without ever changing their style in any significant way. Since they started out with the debut 'Legendary Tales', Rhapsody's cinematic brand of 'swords and sorcery' power metal has been going strong, occasionally focusing one one aspect more than others on a given record, but essentially making the same music they were making when they first started out. Luckily for the band, Rhapsody executes this style incredibly well, and to date, there hasn't been the overbearing need for them to change who they are in order to stay fresh. 'From Chaos To Eternity' is Rhapsody's third album in two years, and while I would normally tend to expect a band's quality to plummet once they start becoming more prolific, Rhapsody's eighth album 'From Chaos To Eternity' has really impressed me. While there are not necessarily any standout tracks that tower above the others, I would be hard pressed to deny that the band has not released as consistent an album for quite some time.
Apparently wrapping up a massive conceptual saga of the band's that started with their debut, 'From Chaos To Eternity' is a big album for the band. Apart from their speed and epic film score-worthy sound, one of the tenants of Rhapsody Of Fire is their focus on Tolkien- offshoot high fantasy, with which they use to fuel their often narrative lyrics. Although Rhapsody is as sharp as they come when it comes to neoclassical or symphonic power metal, the lyrics have always been cheesy as all hell, and- true to their doctrine of never changing- 'From Chaos To Eternity' is wrapped up in lyrics about rather tired fantasy topics; some conclusion to a multiple-album concept piece that I find difficult to become even slightly interested in. Luckily, the lyrics are the weakest element for this talented Italian band. Musically, the band may never have sounded tighter. Fabio Leone's voice shows no signs of aging, sounding as powerful and soaring as it ever has. There is a focus on this album on the band's neoclassical metal elements, which barrels down to alot of sweeps and arpeggios, courtesy of guitarist virtuoso Luca Turelli. While there is shredding aplenty in the album, the rest of the band keeps up the speed, and the instrumental indulgences never go on too long before getting boring.
A very strong element to Rhapsody's sound here is that of the symphonic arrangements, which are often complex and mesh beautifully into the metal core of the sound. Were it not for the admittedly silly lyrical content, Rhapsody Of Fire could very well stir up some very intense dramatic feelings with their music. Maybe the only sound I hear here that is 'new' is the moderate use of harsh vocals, especially in the song 'Aeons Of Raging Darkness'. The music remains fairly upbeat throughout these parts however; instead of taking any dark route with the screams, Rhapsody ultimately ends of sounding like a counterpart to Wintersun.
Although there are no standout tracks here (this album tends to be relying more on its pleasant consistency than any particularly incredible tracks), the end of the album is graced with a twenty minute epic. Naturally, this made me very excited when I arrived at this part of the album, especially due to the incredible success of one of the band's earlier epics, being 'The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight' from 2006's 'Triumph Or Agony'. Indeed, 'Heroes Of The Waterfalls' Kingdom' is a very powerful work featuring a myriad of changes and different feelings woven into it. While sporting some very strong moments in it though, the closing epic to this album does not feel as if it works as a cohesive composition, instead working better as a series of soundtrack snippets, each to suit a different part of whatever fictional fantasy film Rhapsody are attempting to score here.
And with a few more symphonic flourishes after the metal fury has long since ended, 'From Chaos To Eternity' ends, something of a fitting musical end to this long saga that Rhapsody Of Fire has conjured up for the power metal world since riding out of Italy in the 90's. A very good album overall, although it should be mentioned that there are very few surprises to be had here for anyone that has heard an album by this band before.