Rhapsody - Dawn of Victory (2000)

This is a truly handsome set, and one of the only Collector's Editions in my collection. I cannot remember how much I pauid for it, but it is only worth around $70 now anyhow, so not exactly hidden treasure. Anyhow - there's no changing the fact that it is jolly fine packaging. Alas, the sleeves for the two discs are flimsy and card, so they live in a separate place from the 65 page hardback book.

The book starts with an introduction from a wizard called Aresius of Elgard. Ancient (but not too much, eh) wizard of the enchanted lands. But before we get into the plot, we are treated to a double page spread of the band, in full Rhapsody glory, mediaeval tunics, a throne and swords. Very, very D&D.

After that, we are into the plot, which follows on from the previous album/s. This is the third chapter in the Enchanted Lands trilogy.

First chapter = hellish evil army, lead by "Black King".
Second chapter = Heroic "Warrior of Ice" finds and wields the magical "Emerald Sword".
Oooh, a map!

I smell cheese - loads and loads of juicy cheese. Let's highlight the tropes in the plot:
- Black King with evil army
- valiant hero
 - Lands of Chaos
- Ivory Gates that can only be found by three keys (of wisdom)
- Magic sword (can only be wielded by one whose heart is true.
 Also, for some reason, lots of characters starting with "A".

Now, onto the third chapter. The valiant warrior has his magic sword and an army and is about to face off against the Dark Lord Black King.
And rape.... why oh why do these things always involve rape?  Followed soon after by death. But in her case her death saved the rest of them. Let's stop reading and let the music speak for itself!

"At the Court of King Chaos only blood can write its own tragedy...." begins "Lux Triumphans", with choirs, symphonic structures and an epic build up into the "Dawn of Victory". Surging guitars, like horses thundering across the plains. Charging the enemy. Triumphant melodies. Vocals mid-tenor, soaring with passionate power. You can see the hero riding forth on his massive steed, sword raised and hair blowing in the wind, like something out of a cheesy romance novel. Heavy on the pompesity.

Lots of keyboards, maybe even a harpischord, builds an indestructible wall of epic sound. I"m going to use the word "epic" as much as possible! Vocals smoother, as the Warrior celebrates "The triumph for my Magic Steel" (I kid you not). He parades across his Enchanted Lands, his army following, the enemies heads speared on their pikes. The next target is in his eyes, and his army ride to further victory (hopefully).

Gentler now, it's time for a little romance, and a homecoming, as we find our way to the "Village of the Dwarves". Keyboards mimic bagpipe rhythms, nifty! Vocals decidedly more folksy, with penny whistle accompaniment. Lovely, lilting reel of a rhythm. A charming blend of folk whimsy and modern instrumentations.

Time for the next battle this time in "Dargar, Shadowland of the Black Mountain". It begins with a thunderous roar of instrumentations and a cry of victory? Defiance? Dargor has been twisted into a disciple if evil. Cascading chorus, like a stampede across the lands; leaping, slashing, fending off the enemy.

Starting soft and slow, "The Bloody Rage of Titans" celebrates the beauty of the Enchanted Lands - where unicorns once roamed.  After a gentle and soothing intro, it surges into a dramatic and bloody war, vocals tinged with loss and a hint of despearation.

Another dramatic and pompous flourish as we rip roar and rage like a "Holy Thunderforce". Chaotic and violent. Vocals harsh-edged, cutting vicious as a sword. This is a battle hymn anthem. Dramatic harpsichord.

"So we'll fight against the wind for the glory of the kings to defeat the evil enemies..."

Creepy children's choir lead us down into the instrumental "Trolls in the Dark". A surging maelstorm of darkness and treacherous shadows, blood running in the night. Pounding rhythms. Choirs. Guitars ripping up a tornado. Dramatic and dangerous.

Harpischords again as, triumphant now, the horse rises into the sky, flying! Not only has it developed wings, but it is also the "Last Winged Unicorn". Oooh, an alicorn. And flying unicorns breathe innocence. Dragons, eat your heart out, this unicorn will breathe innocence at you. Okay, sarcasm aside, it's a powerful song, rising in triumphance and victory with harpsichord intermingling with guitars and choirs rising and falling, the tempo filled with great flourish and an epic cascard of sound and celebration. It is easy to imagine the great and fearsom last winged unicorn rising from the holy sea of golden flames and racing across the skies.
Is it a phoenix? Mythologies all getting entwined and confused!

Time for celebration, as "The Mighty Ride of the Firelord". I assume that this is the Warrior of the Ice riding on his fiery winged unicorn/phoenix. The symphony builds and builds in scale and power, surging with mighty and an epic wall of sound. Flutes flicker across, like dancing dragonflies, harpsichords shimmer and the vocals soar above it all like a wicked edged sword. Choirs rise like flickering flames. Rhapsody are a very easy band to get metaphorical about.
And it just keeps on going.
For nearly 10 minutes.

There is one word to describe Rhapsody. Epic.
And another. Pretentious.
But despite that, they do what they do with extreme skill and ability and they have totally taken the "epic symphonic power metal" genre and made it their own. So what if their lyrics reek of double cheese pizza with extra cheese on top? Isn't that true of every power metal band? Rhapsody are the Manowar of the modern metal scene - bringing a deliberate level of pompesity and a wall of dramatic and powerful sound. All the rest (Skylark, Olympos Mons, Faeryland etc) fall beneath the hooves of their mighty phoenix-alicorn and get burned to ashes in their wake.

It's strange how keyboards, entirely electronic sound, can succesfully capture a mediaeval vibe.

Rating = 9/10

PS: The rest of the book is suitably impressive. In fact, the very next pages give a breakdown of what the band are trying to achieve with the sounds - which would have been good for me to refer to whilst writing this dissection. *sighs* Then there is some interviews with the band members.
Oooh, they use "bombastic" - I forgot to use that adjective!

Also, I think I am getting violins confused with harpischords, there's apparently lots of violins on the first two full tracks, but I can't *quite* seem to hear it.

Bonus enhanced CD has video clips and variations on the songs we've heard, along with pretty graphics and a screensaver.

Elvenking - Wyrd (2003)

I was initially planning on listening to Elis ("Gods silence, devil's temptation") this time through, but I am afriad that their music did not really inspire me. I felt like something a wee bit different.

And thus Elvenking it is.

Who are Elvenking? Well, they're a folk/power metal band from Italy. They were formed in 1997 by a couple of friends with a love of metal and folklore. Since then they have gone on to acquire a few other members, and release seven studio albums (I own three) and have become one of the most well-renowned Italian metal bands. They draw influence from Skyclad, but they have slightly less puns (although they do have a song called "Miss Conception" on another album).

This is their second album, and is gorgeous. The cover is beautiful with a lovely Celtic border, in the centre of which a tree person heaves himself from the earth. The art is  heavily inked and coloured making it appear straight from a storybook. On the back, a lion-headed trunk sprouts from the ground, whilst around it drift autumnal leaves and an eagle soars. Inside the lyrics are white on black overprinted above the cover images, the shadowing effect designed to make them easier to read.

Mine is the Limited Edition version with two bonus tracks, screensaver and wallpapers. I tried, and failed, to install the screensaver. Oh well. This is one of the many albums that I purchased, added to my collection, listened to once (did not even rip onto my computer playlist) and promptly shelved and forgot about it. I'm not even sure where I got it from, but it's probably another Real Groovy acquisition.

The vocalist for this one is a different one from "Heathenreel", his name is Kleid, and I believe this may well be the only album he makes with the band, before the former vocalist returns to reclaim his post. His vocal style is fairly similar, but a little more diverse. I probably should have reviewed "Heathenreel" first, but I felt this one deserved to be listened to. None of the band use their full names on the album cover.

The enchanting "Loser's Ball" opens the album - with acoustic instruments and clapping hands. A female vocalist adds her melodious voice to Kleid's lower tones.

It is followed up by the rather racier "Pathfinders", with fast paced instruments fading into more folk-orientated rhythms. This is a far more power metal number - excepting for the folk touches.

"Jigsaw Puzzle" is an energetic number. Every so often, Kleid's voice will soar off into melodic swoops and dives, before gliding back down and into the faster paced verses, then shouting as we get into the chorus.

Starting with vioin and electric guitar, "The Silk Dilemma" gives us a nifty folk/power fusion. It is quite reminscent of Skyclad. I've been listening to a fair amount of Skyclad recently (in my car, on cassette tape, therefore not yet for this blog) and I can certainly hear similarities between the two bands. Possibly its because there are very few folk/metal fusion bands. It ends with a bang and a clang.

The next track, "Disappearing Sands" is one of the two limited edition tracks. Unlike most bands, Elvenking have buried their bonus tracks in the album instead of sticking them at the end. A rather upbeat start sends us spinning in to this somewhat more metal number. There are touches of Helloween and Edguy here, culminating in chorused voices. Some of the vocals are quite aggresive and snarled.

"The tears in my eyes were like rain come from the gloomiest cloud."

"Moonchariot" gets off to rather a wild and chaotic start, with energetic acoustic guitar giving way to rather heavier guitar and bass, complete with a low and guttural growl and thrashing death drums. Then, as suddenly as it began, it switches into more wild acoustic guitar intermingled with rather gentle vocals. This dives into heavier again, before soaring forth as very melodic and magnificant chorus. The lyrics are quite spellbinding:

"I built a cradle for the Moon and from her chariot she grants my boon - I'll keep my promises, I'm sure she won't betray me."

Another fast paced, folk number is "The Perpetual Knot". Good rhythms, litling reels. Some nice melodies.

This sound continues into "Another Haven", along with what sounds a little like wind chimes. The combination of metal and traditional is deftly woven and beautifully constructed, the violin and other instruments adding an otherworldly, forgotten era edge.

"A Fiery Stride", one of the bonus tracks, starts with ethereal acoustic plucking, whilst over it the violins add their sorrowful voice. With a bang, the (not so acoustic) guitars come crashing in. It has all the melody and power typically found in the power metal genre, with its sing-along choruses and powerful vocals. The solo is solid and tightly structured.

A rather heavier number, "Midnight Circus" comes crashing in with fast guitars and slammin' drums. This is pure power, the folk dismissed in favour of more European traditional metal with solid guitar and the occasional lapse into pure melody. There's a bit of piano added into the mix too. Feels a bit like Edguy-meets-Iron Maiden, with a touch of Helloween.

The final track, "A Poem for the Firmament" is the compulsory epic piece, clocking in at over ten minutes long and divided into sections - Dawn, Day, Twilight, Deep Night. It starts with Dawn, the riping sky heralded by gentle acoustic guitar and strings as the sun's pale fingers split the dark asunder and cast their glow upon the land. The vocals are exquisite and accompanied by flurried guitar. Day breaks with dramatic guitars, before rising into a noon of melody and beauty. There are some moments of trilling speed metal.. As night falls, and twilight darkens the land, the female vocalist returns, her voice litling and melancholic. There are actually three different females singing on this album. The keyboards and guitars race in as darkness seizes the land. After a dramatic few minutes of the churning, wild Deep Night, dawn arrives again, bringing us to a soft and gentle end.
What a song! It is impossible not to feel the energy and vibrancy of this band, combined with the sheer diversity and melody. If you want one song to show how changes in pace, volume, intensity and instrument can effect the structure of the song, this would definitely be a high contender. It is the highlight of the album, and certainly deserves several listenings.

I enjoyed this album - and although some of the songs seemed a little similar to one another, I imagine with repeated listenings they shall develop their own personalities. Elvenking are definitely skilled at what they do and, more to the point - enjoy doing it. You can hear their energy and their enthusiasm in their rhythms. The recording is crystal clear and well mastered. It is not as heavy as the previous album ("Heathenreel").

I shall give it an 8/10.

My other albums are: Heathenreel and Two Tragedy Poets.

Skylark - Gate of Hell (1999)

This is the Divine Gates, part one (yes, I have part two as well).

Skylark are an Italian Power Metal/Symphonic Metal band that formed in 1994 and are still active today.

This album is very attractive - and not just because it has a naked lady on it - walking towards the gates of Hell, a cloak draped across her arms (but not her entire back) and trailing behind her like wings. Before her, a scary face carved from wood or rock, staring at the ceiling. Inside, the lyrics, in a font that is very fancy - but difficult to read. Ther eis also a cast list, meaning this must be a concept album (makes sense, given that a, it's called "part one" and b, they ARE a power metal band). So I shall henceforth refer to the singers as "The Divine Speaker, White Warrior, Guardian Angel, Lady of the Light, Princess of the Snow, Belzebub, Satan, The Divine Spirit and The Unknown Spirit. We also have the Divine Gladiators. They seem to be a choir.

Right let us being our aural journey into the Gates of Hell!

Firstly, the Divine Speaker offers us an "Intro". His accented voice explains that the world was being torn asunder from natural forces, and one man had the power to stand against him.

Now it is time to "Welcome" the White Warrior. It begins relatively slowly, as he converses with the Divine Gladiators, before the keyboards and guitars herald us into the song, our hero is gathering his weapons, armour and resolve and striving forth. Mighty rhythms, high spirits, uplifting music.
After all, he has the Dragon's sword by his side.
Hrm, the lyrics make sense, but the English is a little broken.

The harpsichord seems to indicate that he is riding a horse of delicate stature and poise, whilst birds soar about him and he picks up the pace.

We rip into "The Triumph" (which seems a bit premature this early in the album). There is something very positive about this European Power Metal. The high vocals, the elation in the music - bot the guitars, the keyboards and the harpsichord - even as our hero is striving to fight for his various causes.

"...My mission is the Triumph, so I will cross the dasrk room until my senses will approach the Golden Gate..."

(see what I mean by the broken English?).

"Belzebu" begins with a cascard of harpsichord and galloping drums. After a lengthy and rhythmic passage, filled with small triumphs and lots of keyboards, the White Warrior finds himself  facing Bezelbu himself. Not surprising, he is not a very nice person. Or being.

"No man was born able to fight me..."

I believe the White Warrior may be about to meet his match.

Melancholic and loaded with the mournful voice of the harpsichord, the Guardian Angel steps in to ask "The Last Question". It is a haunting, melodic piece.

Disaster strikes! Bezelbu rampages upon the scene with a shout and a cacophany of drums and brings upon the world a most devasting "Earthquake!"  Along with a storm of guitars, warring as the sky and ground are torn asunder.

In the aftermath, the Guardian Angel walks through the torn and tattered, ravaged and ruinous landscape and mourns the calamity that has struck the world in "I Can't Find Love Tonight". Another track loaded with melancholy and a touch of longing.

Now is the turn for the White Warrior to fight back - but oh no, for "Satan Arise" (although he pronounces it "satin arise"). A powerful song, with raging guitars and storming drums and much turmoil, over which the keyboard soars.

Now the Guardian Angel faces the White Warrior and asks him "Why Did You Kill the Princess?" which brings to me the question - what princess?  When did he kill the princess? Both the Guardian Angel and the White Warrior have similar voices - singing in a higher register, and I find it quite difficult to differentiate between who says what. The song is classic power metal, with complex rhythms, dropping into slow melodies and then rising and soaring once again.

Now a magic lift appears, with the Princess of the Snow upon it (is she the one they were discussing the killing of? I'm so confused! This storyline makes no sense). It is time, it appears, for the White Warrior to step upon this "Lift for the Sky".

Presumerably to take him into Part 2 - the Gates of Heaven.

In "Dance of Stars" he must ride this magic lift through the stars in order to fight the beast, reach Heaven and fulfil his destiny. Whatever that is. Another epic, rousing power metal song with a hint of triumph:

"I have to leave the Earth , give me my chance to start so I will save the world, no more demons, no more war."

Okay, so the story doesn't make a lot of sense (and is rather cheesy). The vocals could do with a bit more variation, maybe some lower male voices to play some of the roles? They all sound rather alike, excepting for the sinister "Bezelbu" and "Satan" voices, but the music is triumphant and powerful, energetic and rousing. It's appealing and oddly joyous and the harpsichord adds a nice touch. Compared with fellow Italians, Rhapsody, it's fairly light weight, with not quite the overwhelming, symphonic layering, which gives it a fresh, almost innocent, playful feel. It seems like these guys are having fun. The production isn't great, and some of the percussion sounds a little tinny, so I shall rate it 7/10.