Customer Reviews

Dawn of Victory

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rhapsody comes on like Spinal Tap, with their silly outfits and hyperbole. They're the worst band in the world, right until you push the play button. At that moment they become the best band ever. I know, I know, every music fan in the world thinks his own little momentary favorite is the best band ever. No, but seriously, Rhapsody makes the best popular music in the history of the human race so far. I don't even like much rock music, especially this diseased garbage the kids listen to nowadays. I'm a Sinatra and big band fan. But I've waited my whole life to hear a band like this. They restore hope. They represent everything holy and decent in the universe, and the willingness to take up arms to defend it. They not only respect the great tradition of European classical music, they have mastered it. Beethoven and Wagner and Bach and Tchaikovsky themselves couldn't write motifs more stirring, more noble, more beautiful. At the same time, Metallica couldn't match these guys in terms of raw power and speed and virtuosity. And these two styles of music are blended with such utter naturalness, it makes you wonder why we haven't been doing this all along. And the singer is a marvel, expressive, beautiful, unabashedly dramatic. Who cares if he has an Italian accent? Italy is the cradle of classical music, and he still speaks better English than any of those soul-destroying creatures called "rappers", who have no respect for heritage or any regard for anyone who does. Hail Rhapsody! They aren't just the best of the so-called "power metal" bands, they are a unique phenomenon in the history of pop music, a band that will be remembered for a hundred years after all the vile nonsense that tops the American charts has been wiped from time and memory. If you have one ounce of taste and don't buy every album they have made and listen to them, and nothing else, until you have memorized every note, you might as well go deaf, because you're wasting your ears.

I'm the jerk who wrote the review deriding Rhapsody's exceedingly foreign vocals and cheesy lyrics. While I stand by that assessment, it was unfair for those characteristics to denigrate Dawn of Victory's rating. I'm returning to give it the score it deserves. (Previous review: 3 stars; new review: 5 stars; average of 4 stars between the two which is what it deserves.)

Rhapsody's story of fantasy adventure is something that generates emotional fuel. Even if the story is very generic, what counts is the feelings that come through. Metal bands these days are turgid and excessive in their negative attitudes, and Rhapsody's feeling of heroism is refreshing and pleasant. And, this is just my opinion, but I'd rather listen to songs about dragons and warriors than drinking beer, driving a truck, or having the hots for the girl at the office.

Rhapsody feels no embarrassment when tackling songcraft of this type. Because they are so enthusiastic about what they are doing, their energy is certainly infectious, aided by their excellent musicianship and Luca Turilli's incredible sense of melody. Many of these songs have the hooks of pop, but the energy and intensity of heavy metal. However, Rhapsody's inclusion of symphonic elements makes it something else entirely. Operatic choirs, REAL strings (not keyboards), among other things, all add credence to the band's style.

Unfortunately, the band seems to have lost some of its creativity since their previous release, Symphony of Enchanted Lands. SoEL is more creative, with greater ebbs and flows of diversity, and more interesting orchestral passages. While Dawn of Victory is still very good and has several great songs, they are more and more interchangeable with less emphasis on the orchestral side and a heavier lean towards the metal end. That's not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but doing so sacrifices an important factor of originality that they once possessed.

A good album. It's cheesy, but that's part of what makes it great.

I bought "Dawn of Victory" with high hopes and expectations, and it surpassed them. When the spoken intro comes on, I thought the voice actor sounded kind of dumb, but hey. Then the epic choirs entered the scene, and I was hooked. Excellent use of the choirs, classical instruments, and female vocals. This is neoclassical metal at its finest. The singer, although he sometimes mispronounces words, sounds great. In fact, I think his mispronunciations actually enhance the atmosphere of the music. The album's theme is fantasy, which appeals to me very much, and the lyrics are very good. I can't say that I've seen lyrics written quite this way, but they pull it off terrifically. The guitarist, Luca Turilli, is virtuosic, on par with Yngwie Malmsteen. When he shreds, it's melodic and meaningful. The keyboardist/harpsichordist, Alex Staropoli, is also wonderful. I haven't listened to the bass very much, but it is great too. The drummer is also rather impressive. Keep in mind that "Dawn of Victory" is like a third chapter in a book, so you won't get the beginning of the story. The music is the important thing, though, and even the heavy parts are beautiful, not to mention the classical interludes. As I said before, the female guest vocalist is great, and adds a lot to the music. I can't really describe how terrific and gorgeous this music is, so I'll just leave you with this: get this CD.

I couldn't believe it... with two incredible albums released it was hard to believe that these italian guys could do another album with the same (or better) quality as the other two .. this album has great , no..BIG, compositions... fourious guitars and Keyboards.. great choirs ... what else do you want?... these guys are the "chosen ones" to bring metal back to the golden era..

Following in the footsteps of Symphony of Enchanted Lands, the Italian power-metal outfit release the laudable Dawn of Victory. At first glance, it seems that Rhapsody wanted to make a live-friendly album, one that would not require as much production on tour. In other words, the songs are the most straightforward metal songs Rhapsody has written since "Flames of Revenge".

The symphony is less apparent, with the guitars being pushed to the forefront. Nevertheless, it is a very solid album with everything we have come to expect from their first two albums: hard-hitting power-metal with upbeat, medieval ballads. Changing the formula created in their first two albums, their opening track, "Lux Triumphans" sounds much like a unified song than an orchestral introduction. Both "Village of Dwarves" and "The Bloody Rage of the Titans" provide an appreciated change of tempo and style among typical power-metal lore. "Dwarves" is a song fit for merry Vikings around a fireplace, celebrating glorious times and "Titans" is a foreboding and tragic foot-stomp with an amazing violin-guitar riff that single-handedly propels this song to the lead of the album. No Rhapsody album is complete without a long epic, and "The Mighty Ride of the Firelord" delivers. The symphonic orchestration, songwriter Luca Turilli's shrieking guitars and an unexpected (but appreciated) reprise of "Lux Triumphans" make this song an instant classic, sure to ring in metalheads' ears for sagas to come.

Although Dawn of Victory does not have the same majestic thrust of its predecessor (in other words, no "Emerald Sword" or "Eternal Glory"), it is a commendable effort by a band who knows no rival. All hail the mighty warriors of metal!

See also: Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands, Rhapsody - Power of the Dragonflame, Kamelot - The Fourth Legacy

I don't mean to charge against anyone,but I think that Rhapsody is being unjustly put down. There are a lot of points that are not important,such as the "foreign vocals",or whatever you please to call it.It makes me think of a feeling of xenofobia rather than on a vocalist's abilities. The highly technical vocalists are a trade-mark of most of European metal,and that doesn't mean that that kinda singers lack something.Pronnunciation?Yeah,I guess that it's a point to take care of,but I guess that most people whose native language is not English will have this....weird,to call it someway,pronunciation.But anyways,I don't think that it must be used as an element to put down a musician. Getting into subject,I think that this album is pretty good. It shows talent,musical skill...lots of things that are becoming quite rare to listen in a metal band nowadays.There are great songs,such as "Triumph for my magic steel",or the title cut.Some bands may show off a great musical ability,but hell,some of them lack the talent to write good songs,and that's not the case with this guys.The lyrics?I guess that it takes a little brains and to read a couple of interviews with Luca Turilli or Alex Staropoli to realize that they are not just a bunch of idiots writing about nothings.And being absolutely honest,I've heard lyrics that are by far worse than the ones of this guys(if there is something that could make me think that the Rhapsody lyrics are bad). This is not just stubborness from a rabid fan.I think that this band should be taken as what they are:a group of great musicians making absolutely exquisite music.They don't deserve to be put down,and their music is not something to laugh at.They are pretty good musicians,sometimes a bit overdone,but well,if you have it,why not show it off? Be fair,people.

I first saw the album DAWN OF VICTORY at a music store and I had to have it. But then, I saw the limited edition. It has the DAWN OF VICTORY album, another CD with full-lenght videos and a 64 page booklet with full of cool pictures! Of course it's more expensive but it's definetly worth it. These guys are totally awesome in concert! They put on a great show. If you don't want to spend the extra money, the original version is an excellent buy too. You should also check out their other albums: SYMPHONY OF ENCHANTED LANDS and LEGENDARY TALES, two other superb albums from these guys.

As one would expect from what Rhapsody and Luca Turilli have done so far, this is a great album,why would you want to pay more for a ltd edition? well this one has an xtra cd that not only bears some xtra tracks but is also an interactive cd for you to enjoy on your pc that has wallpapers a screensaver and videos. The two cd's come inside a Book-format book which is great and inside has a recopilation of the Rhapsody story so far and interviews and fun stuff to read inside. The music as usual is very epic and powerfull ,telling a tale of a medieval hero and good vs evil. I liked it,if you liked the other Rhapsody stuff then you'll like this one.

I absolutly had to pick this record up after purchasing Power of the Dragonflame (the bands 4th album). After a few listens to this one though I must say that even though I did enjoy it, it wasn't anywhere close to the near perfection of the later record. Dawn of Victory is Rhapsody's 3rd album and a good one too. There are 10 tracks on this one and I would say about 6 are worth listening to. The album starts off pretty weak with more of the bland dialogue that I disliked about the 4th album and the first 2 tracks were pretty good at best(the musicianship just wasn't as inspired as the 4th album). As soon as track 3 hit though I was blown away, what a wonderful melodic and enchanting piece of music! This is undoubtably the best off the album. The next few tracks aren't quite as good but still worth hearing because they are good songs. The "Trolls in the Dark" instrumental is one of the coolest power metal instrumentals I've heard in the genre, its fast guitar riffs and choir chorus easily take your imagination away from the riggers of daily life; unfortunately, like a lot of metal instrumentals from progressive bands, it's cut too short (a mere 2 and a half minutes). After this i felt that although track 9 was good, it dragged itself out towards the end and track 10 on top of being dragged out too long, wasn't a good song to begin with.
Overall, this is a good CD that rhapsody fans will enjoy but if you want to get into them or epic power metal as a whole I'd highly recommend the 4th album. This one's lacking some inspiration.

Ok so this review is a few months late, but it's essential nonetheless!

After being blow away by the first two Rhapsody albums and seeing them re-create the whole epic experience live at Wacken 2000, hopes where high preceeding the third album release...does it deliver? For all fans of modern epic Heavy Metal (or or epic symphonic classical holywood Power Metal as the sticker would have it) the answer is a big yes! This is the 3rd chapter of the Algalord Chronicles (i.e. the 3rd Rhapsody album) and continues on from where "Symphony of the Enchanted Lands" left off. What happens after our hero emerges from all the chaos with the Emerald Sword? All shall be revealed in the pages of "Dawn of Victory". For fans of fantasy books/AD&D, etc. this is exciting stuff.

Musically this album is similar to the last two albums, however is has a slightly more *Metal* feel to it. The guitars are further up in the mix than before so music is inherrently riff driven. For those unfamiliar with the style, it is a unique sounding mix of Heavy Metal with classical music. Influences include Helloween, Malmsteem, Cacophony, Manowar, Iron Maiden.

The only niggles I have [and they are very small] lie with the production. I don't think the drum sound this time around has the clarity or presence that was present on the last two albums - don't get me wrong it still sounds great, however the drums of Daniele Carbonera on the last two albums were something special, the new drummer Alex Holzwarth still slays but it could have sounded a little better. Concerning the guitars, Luca Turilli sounds great on this album, plenty of killer riffs and leads, the sweep picking sounds great...also lots of shredding on this album, all of which compliments the stories of battle between good and evil and tales of conquest and tragedy on the battlefield! Vocals by Fabio Leone are as powerful and moving as ever and Alex Staropoli's keyboards add another demension to the already colourful soundscape. The classical interludes work well with the Hevay Metal sound(although the orchestra doesn't sound as full as last time for some reason). For people who like a touch of classical music in their Metal as well as some folk influences then check this out! If you like the glorious battle hymns of Manowar then you'll find plenty here to sing along to, and if you are simply into the sheer musical quality and atmospheres of old Iron Maiden, you shall find similar conviction in the works of Rhapsody...

Highlights include: Dawn of Victory - uplifting heavy Metal Dargor, Shadowlord of the Black Mountain - the long version is incredible, best song on the album The Mighty Ride Of The Firelord - the finale, great stuff with many different passages Village of Dwarves - folky song.