Rhapsody of fire

The Rhapsody style is fast, melodic metal with clean vocals, symphony and keyboards and long, complex guitar solos. It combines elements of such genres as power metal , symphonic metal , progressive metal and neoclassical metal ^[4] . Rhapsody are considered the founders of the symphonic power genre, along with Nightwish . For their resemblance to the soundtracks of Hollywood films , critics nicknamed them “Hollywood Metal” ^[5] , and Turilli himself prefers the definition of film score metal - “soundtrack metal” ^[6] . Rhapsody is also called "epic metal" because their texts have the structure of an epic story with a cross-cutting plot.

The group noticeably imitates classical composers - such as Paganini , Bach , Vivaldi , using the guitar imitating a virtuoso violin playing . Among the influential composers are also noted authors of cinema music: John Williams , Howard Shore , Hans Zimmer and others, as well as the Italian progressive rock band Goblin , who wrote the soundtracks to the horrors of Dario Argento . Rhapsody often insert musical quotes from classical and folk music, as well as from movie soundtracks, into their songs.

In arrangements, the musicians use both keyboards and flutes , violins , cello , and record with symphony orchestras . The basis of guitar parts and rhythm is melodic power metal . From progressive metal, the group borrowed the active use of classical instruments, the great length of compositions, conceptualism and, in later albums, complex rhythm changes in compositions. From neoclassical metal - imitation of classical music and quotes from it.

Most of the Rhapsody songs are written in English , but traditionally the group makes one or two songs in the album in their native Italian . In the early days, vocalist Fabio Lione was criticized for his strong Italian accent when singing songs in English. Singles usually release versions of songs in both languages. Also in the texts there are often inserts in Latin and in fictional languages.

Early years

Guitarist Luca Turilli , who comes from a family of classical musicians, met keyboardist Alex Staropoli in 1990 at a meditation course. After writing several songs together, in 1993 they founded the band Thundercross. The vocalist of the team was Cristiano Adaker, the drummer - their old friend Daniele Carbonero, and the manager - the famous producer Sasha Paet , who later collaborated with Kamelot and After Forever . In this lineup, already under the name Rhapsody, the group recorded demo singles “Land of Immortals” and “Eternal Glory”, released on the label Limb Music .

Before recording the debut album Legendary Tales in 1997, Rhapsody left the vocalist. The new frontman was Fabio Lione , previously a singer in the band Labyrinth . Fabio was not previously familiar with Luke Turilli and Alex Staropoli, so the relationship between them began with a scandal: the vocalist refused to perform the song “Land of Immortals” that he did not like. However, the relationship soon improved in the group, and Lyon became the regular vocalist of Rhapsody, and later co-author of the songs.

The debut album was the beginning of the multi-part fantasy saga “The Chronicles of Algalord” written by Turilli, who is the main author of the group’s lyrics. The album was designed in the style of melodic power metal, using some elements of folk music and Baroque music. The following year, the group released their second album, Symphony of Enchanted Lands , which continues the first plot and style. The choir of Don Cossacks took part in the recording of the album.

Composition Changes

Since 1999, Turilli began releasing solo albums, without stopping to work intensively with Rhapsody. In 1999, a drummer from Carboner left the band and was replaced by session drummer Alex Holzwart (brother of Blind Guardian session bassist Oliver Holzwart), officially only included in the band in 2003. On the albums Dawn of Victory and Rain of a Thousand Flames, the group continued the story saga about the country of Algalord, the Ice Warrior and the Emerald Sword. The sound of the group’s songs was noticeably “heavier”, especially in the album Power of the DragonFlame . Turilli even mentioned the desire to record an album in the style of symphonic black metal , but because of disagreements with the studio, this project was not implemented.

Until 2000, Rhapsody almost did not perform live. The musicians were not sure of the possibility of a full transfer to the stage of all the elements of their music due to the large number of instruments and complex arrangements . But in 2000, the group first went on a full-fledged European tour with Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica . Shortly after the tour, bassist Alessandro Lotta left the band, ending his musical career for the sake of his family. On the album Power of the Dragonflame , bass parts were performed by Turilli himself, while Frenchman Patrice Guirs was invited for live performances. With his participation, the first South American tour of Rhapsody was held.

The fame of the band spread far beyond Italy and even Europe, and the band soon left the small label Limb music. Their latest release with this company was the hit collection Tales from the Emerald Sword Saga . The new 2004 album , Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret, was released on Steamhammer SPV. At it, Rhapsody invited the famous Hollywood actor Christopher Lee ( Saruman , Count Dooku ) as a co-screenwriter of the album and to read the accompanying text "from the narrator." Christopher Lee also sang a duet with Fabio, the ballad “The Magic of the Wizard's Dream”, starred in two videos and participated in the group’s performances.

New Title

The musicians of Rhapsody are closely acquainted with the musicians of the American heavy metal band Manowar , and their music influenced each other. The groups repeatedly held joint tours under the general name " Demons, Dragons and Warriors ", where HolyHell was their third partner. A recording of a concert in Canada as part of this tour was released on DVD Live in Canada 2005: The Dark Secret . In 2006, Rhapsody signed to Magic Circle Music , a label owned by Joey De Mayo , the leader of Manowar , an American Italian by birth who personally became the producer of the group.

Shortly thereafter, in mid- 2006, the group was forced to extend the official name to Rhapsody of Fire due to some claims about trademark rights. Participants did not disclose exactly who made this claim. Many observers have linked this to the switch to Magic Circle Music and possible contractual obligations to Steamhammer records or Limb music. However, Turilli stated that the group is not experiencing any problems with the label ^[7] . Another common version is a lawsuit from Real Media , which owns a music search service called Rhapsody. The name change was spoiled by the Italian comic group Nanowar , which began to add the words “Of Steel” to its name.

Under the brand name Rhapsody of Fire, the group released the album Triumph or Agony ( 2006 ), where it continued to collaborate with Christopher Lee and the new saga.

Break and reunion

Collaboration with Magic Circle Music has been marred by financial scandal. In 2008, a trial took place between the label and the group.

A series of scandals and troubles led to the fact that since 2008 the group almost stopped concert and studio activities. The breakup of Rhapsody was not announced, but in fact the group for almost two years did not exist. Participants at this time were engaged in solo projects. Luca Turilli still released solo albums and is touring with his line-up. Fabio Lione performed with the band Vision Divine . Sandro Staropoli recorded a solo album. Alex Holzwart worked with his brother Oliver as part of their project.

In November 2009, Rhapsody of Fire.com announced that the band would reunite and release their eighth number album on the major Nuclear Blast label. The working title of the album is The Frozen Tears of Angels. The world release of the album took place on April 30, 2010.

Split into two groups

On August 16, 2011, the founders of the group, Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli, announced a “friendly divorce”. Alex Staropoli, Tom Hess, Alex Holzwart, Fabio Lione and the bass player Oliver Holzwart (Alex's brother, former Blind Guardian ) and guitarist Roberto De Micheli, who joined them, continued their activities under the name Rhapsody of Fire. Luca Turilli, Dominic Lerkin, Patrice Gers and Alex Holzwart formed Luca Turilli's Rhapsody ^[8] . The team led by Luka Turilli will begin active creative activity in June 2012, as stated in the trailer for this musical project ^[9] - in fact, a continuation of Turilli's solo project that has existed all these years.

In the absence of Turilli, the group recorded two albums - Dark Wings of Steel (2013) and Into the Legend (2016). Lyrics after leaving Turilli wrote Fabio Lione. Luke's group also released two albums: Ascending to Infinity (2012) and Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus (2015). Albums were sustained as a whole in one genre, but there were slight stylistic differences between the groups. Turilli chose a bias in symphonic metal , recording with a choir and a large number of invited musicians, while Staropoli, on the contrary, reduced the "symphony" of the sound.

Complete change of squad

In 2015, Oliver Holzwart left Rhapsody of Fire. On September 26, 2016, Rhapsody of Fire left Fabio Lione, who played in the group since 1997, and two weeks later, Alex Holzwart also announced his departure from the group. That same fall, Lyon, together with the musicians of the Hollow Haze collective, created the Eternal Idol project. On October 13, their first video was released, and in December 2016, the album. Fabio also continues to act as a vocalist for Angra , which she has been collaborating with since 2012.

After the mass departure of the musicians, Staropoli was forced to almost completely renew the composition of the official Rhapsody of Fire. The new vocalist was Giacomo Voli, the bassist - Alessandro Sala, the drummer - Manu Lotter. In this composition, the group plans to record the next album.

In 2017, most classical musicians (Turilli, Lyon, Holzwart, Gers, Lerkin) held a joint farewell tour, performing under the name Rhapsody and performing songs from earlier albums. Staropoli refused to participate in this round ^{[10] [6]} . In 2019, the same line-up came together under the name Turilli / Lione Rhapsody to record Zero Gravity (Rebirth and Evolution) , which was released on July 5.

The Chronicles of Algalord is an epic fantasy story that makes up the concept of Rhapsody albums. The lyrics of almost all the songs are devoted to this concept, although the main part of the plot is known from the accompanying text in the booklets for the albums. Part of the story was written by actor Christopher Lee .

The story, according to musicians, is inspired by the folklore of different countries (including Russian) and is dedicated to the uncompromising struggle of good and evil. According to Luke Turilli, “evil lurks everywhere. But he cannot win, as long as there are enough good people to confront him ” ^[11] .

Emerald Sword Saga

The story is told on behalf of the Elgard chronicler, wizard Arezius.

In the first part of the story, the lands of Algalord are invaded by demon forces led by Akron, sowing death and destruction. To defeat the enemy, the northern hero, named in the prophecy by the name Warrior of Ice, goes in search of an ancient weapon - the Emerald Sword. In Elgard, he meets the wizard Arezius, who knows the prophecy. With Arezius they go to the city of Ancelot, the sight of beautiful lands inspires them. Using the keys of Ikaren, the Ice Warrior opens the ebonite gate and enters the forbidden lands. There, the dragon Taros joins him. With battles, they reach the fateful tower and take possession of the Sword, but Taros receives mortal wounds on the way back.

The Ice Warrior joins the defenders of Ancelot and with the help of wonderful weapons frees the city from the siege of demons under the command of the mighty Dargor. But Princess Irene, bride of the Acelot king Arwald, was captured along with many others, and the demon lord Akron demands the Emerald Sword in exchange for their lives. The Warrior of Ice and Arwald brought him the required, but the cunning demon in their eyes tortured Irene, and then Arwald. Even Dargor shuddered at the brutality of his master. The Ice Warrior managed to escape, leaving the Sword in the hands of the enemy.

With the help of the Sword, demons perform a bloody ritual of the resurrection of the Queen of the Damned, and fiery rain falls on the kingdoms. In the battle, the Ice Warrior and Dargor, the Prince of Shadows converge. The hero tries to convince Dargor, but he, being sure that the Ice Warrior is guilty of the death of his family, seriously wounds him. Akron entered Algalord, carving women and children. At these moments, Gaia, Mother Earth, clarified the mind of Dargor, and he killed the Queen of the Damned, and the dying Ice Warrior dragged Akron into the swamp. The revived gargoyle statues came to the aid of the defenders of Algalord and plunged the army of demons. Having accomplished the feat that atones for his sins, Dargor hid from the people.

Dark Secret Saga

Starting with the album Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret, the story continued, written by Christopher Lee, and is now being told on behalf of Knight Iras Algor of Hor-lad. Many years after the war, peace reigned in the lands of Algalord. However, according to the prophecy of the angel Erian, the seventh black book of the dark knight of the Necron will have to return the demons to this world. To find and destroy the last black book, kings and heroes create the Order of the White Dragon, which includes the Dargor of the Prince of Shadows. They travel to the ancient dungeons of Dar Kunor, through the mountains and swamps. In a dream, the demon Vankar, the father of Dargor, rebukes him for treason. In Dar Kunor, having solved the riddle of the name Necron, they find the Black Book on the altar of a dark sect. Barely taking it, the heroes are forced to flee, saving their lives from the living dead.

Current squad

• Alessandro Staropoli - keyboards (since 1993)
• Roberto De Miqueli - Guitar (since 2011)
• Alessandro Sala - bass (since 2015)
• Giacomo Voli - vocals (since 2016)
• Manu Lotter - Percussion (since 2016)

Rhapsody Luke Turilli Group

• Luca Turilli - guitar (since 1993)
• Patrice Guirs - bass (since 2002)
• Dominic Lerkin - rhythm guitar (since 2000 - as a session musician, in 2010 included in the official composition, also a member of Luca Turilli's Dreamquest )
• Alessandro Conti - vocals (since 2011)
• Alex Landenburg - Percussion (since 2012)

Former members

• Fabio Lione - vocals (1997—2016)
• Alex Holzwart - drums (2000—2016)
• Daniele Carbonera - drums (1993-2000)
• Alessandro Lotta - bass guitar (1997-2001)
• Cristiano Adaker - vocals (1993-1997)
• Андреа Фюрлан — бас-гитара (1993—1997)
• Том Хесс — гитара (2011—2013)
• Оливер Хольцварт — бас-гитара (2011—2014)

Guest Musicians

В записи своих альбомов Rhapsody часто используют оркестры, церковные хоры и отдельные симфонические инструменты. Некоторые из музыкантов сотрудничают с группой почти постоянно.

• Мануэль Старополи (брат Алекса) — флейта
• Кристофер Ли — голос
• Чинция Риццо , Роберт Хунеке-Риццо , Оливер Хартман , Томас Реттке — хор
• Дана Лурье — скрипка
• Саша Паэт (менеджер группы) — мандолина

Официальный состав группы по годам

Лука Турилли записал три сольных альбома, выдержанных в стиле, похожем на музыку группы Rhapsody, но с большим использованием клавишных и гитарных соло. Они также являются концептуальными и сюжетными. Кроме того, Лука играет в проекте Luca Turilli's Dreamquest. Саша Паэт, менеджер группы, является басистом и менеджером обоих сольных проектов Турилли.

Фабио Лионе выступал в качестве основного вокалиста в таких проектах, как Labyrinth , Vision Divine и Athena . Помимо этого он принял участие в записи дебютного альбома аргентинского симфо-металлиста Бето Васкеса Beto Vazquez Infinity , наряду с вокалистами из Nightwish , Blackmore's Night и Edenbridge .

Номерные альбомы

Демо, синглы, мини-альбомы

• Land Of Immortals (как Thundercross) ( 1994 )
• Eternal Glory ( 1995 )
• Emerald Sword ( 1998 )
• Holy Thunderforce ( 2000 )
• The Dark Secret ( 2004 )
• The Magic Of The Wizard's Dream ( 2005 )

Сборники, концертные альбомы

• Tales from the Emerald Sword Saga ( 2004 )
• Live in Canada 2005: The Dark Secret ( 2006 )
• Visions from the Enchanted Lands ( DVD , 2007 )
• Live — From Chaos To Eternity ( 2013 )
• Legendary Years ( 2017 ) ^[13]

Video

• Emerald Sword (live, 1998)
• Wisdom of the Kings (1998)
• Holy ThunderForce (2000)
• Rain of a Thousand Flames (2001)
• Power of the DragonFlame (2002)
• Unholy Warcry (с участием Кристофера Ли , 2004)
  Клип существует в двух вариантах: 10-минутная Epic Version, включающая в себя полностью вступительный трек « The Dark Secret », и короткая пятиминутная TV Version.
• Magic of the Wizard's Dream (с участием Кристофера Ли, 2004)
• Sea Of Fate (2010)
• Ancient Forest of Elves (1999)
  Клип относится к проекту Luca Turilli .
• Dark Wings of Steel (2014)

Лука Турилли

• Kings Of The Nordic Twilight ( 1999 )
• Prophet Of The Last Eclipse ( 2002 )
• The Infinite Wonders Of Creation ( 2006 )
• Lost Horizons (2006) (проект Luca Turilli's Dreamquest )

Дискография Luca Turilli's Rhapsody

• Ascending to Infinity (2012)
• (2015)

Фабио Лионе

Фабио не выпускал официальных сольных альбомов, но принимал участие в альбомах многих других групп:

• Labyrinth — Piece of Time (1995)
• Labyrinth — No Limits (1996)
• Athena — A New Religion (1998)
• Vision Divine — Vision Divine (1999)
• Vision Divine — Send me an Angel (2002)
• Vision Divine — 9 Degrees West Of The Moon (2009)
• Ayreon — Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator (Композиция Through the Wormhole ) (1999)
• Beto Vázquez Infinity — Beto Vázquez Infinity (Композиция The Battle of The Past ) (2001)
• Tribute to Helloween — The Keppers of Jericho (2000)
• J.Storm Eurobeat Songs
• Saintsinne — A New Places (Композиция Wings ) (2009)
• Sebastien — Tears Of White Roses (Композиции Dorian и Fields Of Chlum (1866 AD) ) (2010)
• Spellblast — Battlecry (Композиции History Of A Siege — Heroes и History Of A Siege — Slaughter ) (2010)
• 4th Dimension — The White Path To Rebirth (Композиция A New Dimension ) (2011)
• Infinity Overture — The Infinite Overture Pt. 1 (Композиция The Hunger ) (2011)
• No Gravity — Worlds In Collision (Композиция Voices From The Past ) (2011)
• Infinita Symphonia — A Mind's Chronicle (Композиция Here There's No Why ) (2011)
• TeadosiA — Upwards (Композиция Lost Words Of Forgiveness ) — (20 марта 2012) Снимался в клипе Lost Words Of Forgiveness , релиз, которого, состоялся 2 февраля 2012 года.

Alex Holzwarth

• Рок-опера Avantasia — ударные.