Customer Reviews

King of The Nordic Twilight

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a rule about solo albums. If the band member is the "band leader" and/or the major songwriter, he or she shouldn't release a solo album unless the material is significantly different from what their main band is doing. Bruce Dickinson's decidedly un-Maiden-ish early solo albums are the best example of this. So when Rhapsody founder Luca Turilli comes out with fantasy-themed solo album, I have to be a bit skeptical since there really wasn't any need for this album.

That being said, I sure am glad Luca released King of the Nordic Twilight. It may not be that original (aside from the logo, it's essentially a Rhapsody album), but it is as good as or better than anything Rhapsody has released. All of the Rhapsody trademarks are here - symphonic arrangements, Helloween-inspired guitars and keyboards, catchy vocal melodies, and of course those Dungeons & Dragons lyrics - but they just seem to sound better on this album. Much of the credit goes to vocalist Olaf Hayer (Dionysus), whose style and performance just seems more dynamic than Rhapsody vocalist Fabio Leone. Of course it doesn't hurt that the uber-cheesy narrator from the Rhapsody albums does not appear on this album. Songs like Ancient Forest of Elves and Legend of Steel are among the album's highlights, and the epic title track alone is worth the price of the album. The operatic Princess Aurora is the album's weak point, sounding out of place and just a bit too cheesy, even for a power metal album.

Overall, King of the Nordic Twilight is perhaps a perfect example of what a power metal album should sound like. It should easily appeal to fans of Rhapsody (obviously), Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Freedom Call, and other similar bands. Fans of traditional metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest should also find it quite enjoyable. If you're a die-hard death/black metal fan, then you should probably skip this one in favor of something more aggressive.

It's hard to review a Luca Turilli record without mentioning Rhapsody at some point. Truthfully I've never understood the comparisons. Not only is Luca's side project better musically its significantly stronger in the vocal department. Luca's lead singer Olaf Hayer not only has a better voice than Rhapsody singer Fabio Lione but he also has better word annunciation and vocal control. It's been said that Lione has better range but his higher range generally sounds forced. All in all Luca Turilli is more focused on making good music where as Rhapsody tends to be the soundtrack for a Viking film. It is often said, by the way, that Princess Aurora is a weak song. Although it is somewhat out of place on the record musically it is very much on target with its subject matter and is a beautifully sung song.

In today's world of cheese and Helloween rip-off's, sometimes it's hard to find a decent power metal band. Luca Turilli's side project does more than fit the bill "decent;" its actually one of the better power metal releases in recent years. To be fair, I'll go over the good's and bad's of "King of the Nordic Twilight."

Pro's: Luca has created a very unique metal sound, incorperating chamber instruments, harpsichord, and female vocals into his music to create a very classical feel. Dispite the sophistication, the catchy choruses on metal anthems like "Legend of Steel" and "Where Heroes Lie" will keep your head banging. Luca is good guitarist, but he won't exactly blow your mind, either. What will do, though, is entertain you with catchy melodies and violon/guitar interlaced harmonies instead of trying to tackle techinical solos.

Cons:What's the point of a solo project if it's gonna be the same thing as your main project? If you slapped a "Rhapsody" logo on the cover, you could certainly trick me into believing this is another Rhapsody album. And Luca's getting too cookie-cutter-esque with his albums, sort of like the great Sratovarious. It just seems that the arrangement of Rhapsody and Luca Turilli albums have a distinct pattern to them. Almost every song on "Sympony of Enchanted Lands" has a parralel on "King...", although "King..." has a some more material. Like Princess Aurora...which fits perfectly into the con's. This song is unique on the album because it truly stinks. The rest of the album utilizes female vocals very well, but this song is just terrible.

In the middle: Olaf Hayer does a fine job of sounding exactly like Rhapsody's vocalist: good range with little umph or harshness to his voice. He does an adequate job, but I wish he would try to put a little more metal into his vocals.

The bottom line: Very good, but I would suggest Rhapsody's "Symphony of Enchanted Lands" before you consider picking this up.

...while he was making Power of the Dragonflame for Rhapsody. Power is great but not nearly as diverse and fantastic as this. The harpsichord on track 3 is just awesome.

Flawless neoclassical, epic power metal. The best there is!

This allbum does indeed remind you a lot about rhapsody, but the symphonic elements aren't as apparent in the mix as in Rhapsody's. This album has the usual sing along choruses and all that. All in all, this album does partly sound like Rhapsody with hints of Nightwish (when Rannveig sings Princess Aurora), elsewise like Helloween, (Olaf Hayer being german explains that) but most of all it is Rhapsodyish (there's only one blues-style solo - Sascha Paeth plays in the intro of Where Heroes Lie).

My favourite epic track is on this CD. Kings of the Nordic Twilight starts with soft piano , then goes into this choir accompanied with guitars, before moving into this cheerful folkish theme. And that's before Olaf has sung one note....
This epic is so much better than Prophet of the last eclipse which gets a little messy I think.

Other good tracks are Legend of Steel (infectious main theme...) , Black Dragon, Princess Aurora. All songs are good, though I tend to skip the intro(1)/interlude(7)

Also look out for the unlisted track 11 .. Rannveig singing an traditional nordic lullaby in Icelandic.

King of the Nordic Twilight is an Nordic Odyssey in the form of an epic opera. The music has emotion and drama. My favorite piece was 'Warrior's Pride.' Along with the CD you receive the words that tell an enchanting story. The musician Luca Turilli is a member of Rhapsody, but has gone out on his own for this CD. He has done an excellent job. King of the Nordic Twilight was to be one of three CD's in a trilogy. I'm waiting for number two. Luca.

This album is a triumph from start to finish. Using Rhapsody's groundbreaking debut "Legendary Tales" as a template, earlier ideas such as these are expanded upon and given much further scope here. In this way, the song structures are kept simple, thus avoiding the dangers of over experimentation, from which some of Rhapsody's later compositions tend to suffer.

Another important factor to consider is that this material has an altogether much lighter and less oppressive atmosphere than the 2nd Rhapsody album which preceeded it. Even the music itself bridges the gap between what can be generally termed as Hard Rock and true Heavy Metal. The sound production on this album is also much clearer than on the two previous efforts.

Most of the melodies and hooks used here are of the happy singalong variety, as opposed to the main group, whose epic choruses tend inspire the listener into undertaking acts of great heroism! There is also much more emphasis placed on the interplay between individual musicians, such as the dueling lead guitar and violin solos which feature throughout.

Unfortunately not everything on here is quite up to scratch. It seems that Luca is unwilling to allow his rhythm section to experiment a little. This becomes most evident when the second full length track follows with almost exactly the same drum sequence as used by the first! Even some of the later ones are hardly much different, which really detracts from the genuine quality of the songs themselves.

Both male and female vocals are performed to a high standard, and really do provide the icing on the cake. However the foundations of this material without doubt are built upon the wealth of truly unforgettable choruses, which seem to welcome the listener with open arms when returning for another visit. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who appreciates powerful, yet uplifting music which enriches the very soul.

Wow. This is REALLY music. This guy Luca is a genius! The power of music and lyrics, mixed with epic themes. His comrades in this CD are really great. The voice of Olaf Hayer, the drums of Hunecke-Rizzo, the bass of Sascha Paeth, the keyboards of Miro. What a piece of art, gentlemen!

How very appropriate that this great man Luca Turilli should emerge from Italy, the source of so much that is fundamental to the western world and a place where the barbarity of modernism has been, on occasion, so stoutly opposed. The atmosphere of holy empire, king, blood, and soil permeates all Luca's works, as they do those of his countryman Julius Evola, that great Tolkienesque philosopher of empire and tradition that Turilli so marvelously upholds. The soaring, triumphant, mystical metal music of Luca Turilli and Rhapsody is god made flesh, god made steel, god with a vengenance against those who would work against Nature! As western civilization breathes its last, a new culture emerges from the ruins, and it seems, greatest of ironies, that it is in Italy that a new renaissance might begin, with great thinkers like Evola and great artists like Turilli to lead the way. For Turilli is the most traditional of musicians, and yet at the same time, the most cutting edge. In this album he praises the Nordic peoples, who happen to be my own forefathers. Know this! The hammers of Thor march behind the swords of Italy! Even here in the evil empire, the wolrd nerve center of mob rule, anti-spirituality and the rape of the natural environment, there are still those who keep the flame of our great Tradition alive. Doughty men stand with you against the tide of all those polluters, egalitarianists and money-worshippers who seek to overrun us with their base, callow and false ideals! Hail the Empire! Hail the King! Hail Rhapsody! And Hail Luca Turilli! (Oh, and by the way, this album is pretty much just a Rhapsody album, only the vocals are more typically pedestrian metal-style, and you can feel the loss of Starpoli's great classical compositions at times. Not that Turilli's aren't great, too).

This is the side project of Rhapsody's guitarist Luca Turilli and is it ever amazing. In my opinion every song on this album rules. If you like rhapsody or Blind Guardian or any type of band like that,pick this up NOW.