Kev Rowland Back in 1993, the band Thundercross was formed by guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboard player Alex Staropoli, changing their name to Rhapsody in the early Nineties, before changing it to Rhapsody of Fire in 2006 due to copyright issues (I do hope you are paying attention). In August 2011 the band announced the friendly departure of long-time guitarist, songwriter, and founding member Luca Turilli, along with bassist Patrice Guers and they went on to form Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody while Rhapsody of Fire continued under that name, giving us two symphonic power metal bands with a linked history (and for a time, even the same singer). By the time of this, their second (and final) album in 2015 the line-up had settled with Alessandro Conti (lead vocals), Luca Turilli (guitar, keyboards, orchestral arrangements), Dominique Leurquin (guitar), Patrice Guers (bass), and Alex Landenburg (drums).

There are two different orchestras involved, and the impression is that we are being taken on a Wagnerian journey which somehow also contains some Eastern musical elements. There were also additional singers, including the likes of Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Dan Lucas (KARO), and David Readman (Pink Cream 69), yet for everything which is going on and the undoubted abilities of all involved this album really does wash over the listener. There is just so much taking place that it actually becomes somewhat simplified, and the result is something which has way more in common with a modern opera than it does a metal release. Some of the vocal performances are simply outstanding, such as on “Anhata”, but Turilli has brought in so many elements of classical and opera that he has moved this far away from metal and the result is a hybrid which falls between the two and very different musical camps so that many metalheads will find it too far in one direction while fans of opera will probably think the same, just for different reasons. These days Turilli can be found pursuing a very different musical style, and while I enjoyed the earlier Rhapsody and Rhapsody of Fire releases, this is one I can do without.

Warthur Well, this is an interesting experiment. In a stark contrast to the tedious wrangling over the Queensryche name, Luca Turilli and his former bandmates in Rhapsody have decided to coexist: the original band will continue under the Rhapsody of Fire name, whilst Luca will produce new music in the Rhapsody style as band leader of Luca Turilli's Rhapsody, and both bands will be considered to be official parts of the Rhapsody family.

It's an interesting experiment, but I can't help but think that - on the Luca side of the equation at least - something is lost as a result of the divorce. Turilli continues to push the whole Hollywood metal style he developed with his former bandmates on the legendary Rhapsody concept albums, but without a cohesive concept to hang the album structure on it feels a little unfocused, and whilst the sound presented is diverse it doesn't always cater to Turilli's talents. (It often feels rather light on Turilli's guitar work, which to me is the main draw for his material). It's competent enough stuff, but somehow it's missing the magic.