Rhapsody of Fire

In 1997 a holy thunder rolled through the international metal scene as the Italian metal band Rhapsody released their debut album, Legendary Tales. Incorporating classical music and baroque sounds, they invented a completely new genre, “Film Score Metal”, in which they blended the styles of movie soundtrack composers such as Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer and Basil Poledouris with modern melodic heavy metal and themes from the fantasy genre.

In the years that followed, the founding members Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli, together with vocalist Fabio Lione, perfected this new sound with their albums: Symphony Of Enchanted Lands (1998), Dawn Of Victory (2000), Rain Of A Thousand Flames (2001), and Power Of The Dragonflame (2002).

“The Dark Secret” EP, which was released on June 28, 2004, gave listeners a fantastic taste of what was yet to come: the milestone album Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II – The Dark Secret, which was released in September, 2004. Legendary actor Christopher Lee was also involved in the project, narrating part of the storyline. The value of his contribution cannot be overstated; “A dream came true for us,” said Staropoli after the recordings were successfully finalized.

Then a new chapter began:

“What in the beginning seemed to be a nightmare, turned out to be a great advantage for the band in the end,” says Rhapsody Of Fire singer Fabio Lione in regard to the band’s new name. Due to trademark and copyright issues the recently band decided to change their name. However, the band has taken the name-change in stride and sees it as a fine opportunity to bring their music to the next level with a new beginning of sorts. Keyboardist/songwriter Alex Staropoli adds, “The name Rhapsody of Fire better represents the energy that has always been present in this band and its music.”

And now Rhapsody Of Fire is again ready to unleash that energy with a new album, Triumph Or Agony  -and they write more than just songs:
The band’s lyrics often refer to mystical lore from the medieval age and the heroic valor of those times, reminding us of the everlasting fight between good and evil. “Evil can be found everywhere,” says Turilli, “but it will never win as long as there are enough good people who fight against it.”
And so their albums tell fantastic tales of wizards, dragons and magic, as evidenced by “The Emerald Sword Saga” earlier in their career and more recently, part one of “The Dark Secret Saga,” Symphony of Enchanted Lands II.

The second chapter in “The Dark Secret” saga, Triumph Or Agony continues the bombastic Rhapsody Of Fire tradition with a live 70 piece orchestra and choir as Turilli and Staropoli continuing to self-produce the band’s work with the assistance of co-producer Sascha Paeth.
New songs include “Silent Dream”, “Son Of Pain” and the epic 16-minute long "The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight", a great example of a cinema soundtrack adapted to a metal song. In addition vocalist Fabio Lione’s gives his songwriting debut for Rhapsody Of Fire with the song “Il Canto del Vento”.

The album also features an array of guest narrators and character actors, including several recruits from the London theater scene, actress Susannah York of the Superman film series and a return appearance by renowned actor Christopher Lee as the all-knowing Wizard King. Also debuting is his daughter, Christina Lee, as Princess Lothen.