Customer Reviews

Power of the Dragonflame

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My first impression of this album was a bit off. I didn't have Rain of a Thousand Flames in hand yet and the difference between this album and Dawn of Victory is HUGE ! Another reviewer here complained that the format is the same, well yeah, I can't argue that. ALL Rhapsody albums start with an instrumental intro and then rage into a powerful, in-your-face charge. That being a given, this album is far heavier than Dawn of Victory. If you did pick up the Rain of a Thousand Flames EP, it won't seem that heavy as Rain really bridges the two albums quite nicely. In my opinion Power of the Dragonflame combines the best of Dawn of Victory and Rain of a Thousand Flames and mixes them flawlessly. Dragonflame doesn't seem quite as rough as Rain was, the songs are much more fluid and focused. The songs also range from extremely heavy to soft ballads, a pace determined by, as well as complimentary to the story of the final chapter of The Emerald Sword Saga.

If you are new to Rhapsody, and are considering this as your first album, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, however be aware this is by far their heaviest album. The final battles of the free world against all the forces of evil take place in the story on this album, meaning there are a lot of very intense songs. Compared to Symphony of Enchanted Lands, much of that albums harmonious melodies have been dropped for agression and power. This fits the story. I just want potential newcomers to be aware that this band has various albums ranging every area of metal.

The intro "In Tenebris" is what you would expect from a Rhapsody intro, powerful and majestic.

"Knightrider of Doom" is a very fast and powerful song and one of my favorites on this album. This is one of the two really heavy songs that caught me off guard when I first heard this album.

"Power of the Dragonflame" is the other one. It starts like a death metal song, but once you hear the chorus, you realize you are listening to the most majestic Rhapsody song ever written. A very fitting tribute to the might of the Dragon.

"The March of the Swordmaster" is a classic Rhapsody song. Dungeons & Dragons in metal. I love the chorus of this song.

"When Demons Awake" is a slower, but very heavy song. In many ways this is a song that could have been on the first album if it wasn't so heavy, it has that kind of atmosphere to it.

"Agony is my Name" Ah yes, a no nonsense song that has all the makings of a great live tune. Strong and aggresive it has a great chorus with plenty of power to it.

"Lamento Eroico" In a surprising turn, Rhapsody recorded this song all in Italian. The music is beautiful and haunting and I definately love the song.....I just wish I knew what they were saying.

"Steelgods of the Last Apocalypse" While this song is a great song, if I had to pick a weak link on this album, this would be it. There's just not much to the song. It seems to lack purpose.
The chorus is catchy but overall the song just doesn't live up to the rest of the album.

"The Pride of the Tyrant" Majestic and uplifting, this song portrays the spirit of those making their last stand in a hopeless battle perfectly. I get chills listening to the chorus.

"Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness" I won't even try to describe this masterpiece. It is the crowning achievement of Rhapsody's legacy of great songs (so far). My absolute favorite song.

One last note, if you can spare the extra cash, get the 2-disc/DVD combo version of this album, it has a bonus song called "Rise from the Sea of Flames" that is one of the five best songs on the album. If you're a fan, you'll kick yourself if you miss out on having that song.

Every album is better than the last, and Power of the Dragonflame is no exception. I cannot recommend this album enough !!

I have to admit, after 2 listens to the entire album straight through, I must say that this is the best album I've purchased since Opeth's "Blackwater Park." This was the first Rhapsody album I picked up and I was a bit hesitant at first only because people talk about how the music is repetitive and too over the top and whatnot. Needless to say, I dont' believe this.
Rhapsody's music is catagorized as "Epic Hollywood Metal." To anyone who has yet to own this record, DON'T take that catagorization seriously. Associating the word "Hollywood" with this seems to me a huge slap in the face of a great piece of Art. Yes, it is Epic Metal, it does utilize almost every instrument you can think of, from guitars to keyboards to flutes to violins to even choirs in a lot of the songs. If listening to this doesn't transport you back to medieval times, you don't have ears!
Most of the songs on this record are very epic and loud, but the blend of guitars and orchestrations are so perfect in many parts you'll feel that this is the ONLY Rhapsody CD you'll ever need (hard to believe they have 4 other albums besides this!). It's just all together so much fun to listen to, the melodies and driving rhythms are all simply breathtaking. Chorus's, like many power metal bands, are the shining moments on this album, many using grand choirs as I said before and are so uplifting and empowering you won't know what hit you. There is one slow track in the mix that really isn't metal at all, more like a very dramatic opera song, if you can get past the drama and non-metal sound, you'll start to love it. On another note, the lead singer's got an incredible voice and is definitely up there with Russell Allen of Symphony X (my favorite power metal vocalist) The final track is a 19 minute epic, I see it as more 16 minutes because the song really ends after that much; another great song w/ great chorus work.
Now, as much as I love this CD, it's not PERFECT. No album really is, but giving it any less than 5 stars just feels wrong to me. Anyway, there are FEW moments in the album where the keyboard work is just so cheesy it almost sounds like something out of an old Atari video game. These usually don't last more than 3 seconds though. One other small hindrence was the last song, where towards the end, some voiceovers are used to try to create some kind of story I guess, but the voice used is just so flat and undramatic it just sounds like the guy's reading off a piece of paper (anyone who owns Blind Guardian's "Nightfall In Middle Earth" knows what kind of voice acting I mean). These are such small imperfections that they almost feel worthless mentioning, so don't let them deter you from buying this.
This isn't one of those albums that a bunch of people say is amazing but when you go to hear it you find it boring, I find too many albums with overrated reviews like that. This album truly is amazing, and one should know because I don't give 5 starts to just anything that's "pretty good." What MIGHT turn people off to this is its epicness. This is more for fans of power fantasy inspired metal and less for fans of Pantera/Slayer/Metallica etc. I'm addicted to this CD, the first couple of days I had it I probably played it 10 times over, I just still can't get enough of it; definitely one of the best CD's in my collection. Just a reminder, if this doesn't grab you the first time, don't give up on it. Spending 18 bucks on a CD and then listening to it once and discarding it seems to me pretty silly, right? Do yourself a HUUUUGE favor and buy this album now!

Rhapsody's latest album is sure to make their fans happy. Yeah, the lyrics are cheesy, but the music is so good you'll want to sing along anyway. There aren't really any tracks that jump out and grab me right away, but that means there aren't any weak points or "filler" songs either. Everything on this album is done very well, except of course for that blasted narrator we've all come to know and hate. The good news is that he only shows up in one song. The bad news is that it's in the 20-minute finale. When, oh when will they get rid of him? Maybe if and when they do, I'll consider giving Rhapsody five stars. :)

This album is definitely something else. At first, I couldn't bring myself to listen to it because I looked at the CD booklet and saw the story and map to the "Emrald Sword saga". After perusing the lyrics, I thought for sure that I had just blown 12 bucks on a peice of crap. Then, I played the album and was blown away by the power. True, the lyrics are terrible in some songs, but I find myself singing along because of the music's power. I often stop myself on the street, realizing that I just sang something to myself about Algalord's holy revenge. Even though the lyrics to 'When Demons Awake' are the worst lyrics I have ever heard/read in my life and the vocals are growls, the music is very good. Luca Turilli is an extremely talented guitarist and songwriter.
Recommendations- Symphony X's V:The New Mythology, The Odyssey, Twilight on Olympus and The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Manowar's Kings of Metal, Warriors of the World United and The Triumph of Steel
Blind Guardian's Nightfall on Middle-Earth and Tales from the Twilight World
Dio's Holy Diver and Last in Line
Iced Earth's Burnt Offerings
Wagner's Tannhaueser, Ring cycle, Flying Dutchman
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute
Jason Becker's Perspectives and Perpetual Burn
Yngwie Malmsteen's Trilogy and Inspirations
Paganini's 24 caprices and The Witches
Lots more

When i first bought this album i was pretty upset with the way it was presented. The cheesy pretense, the bad lyrics and song titles, turned me off quite a bit. Even the music was a bit extreme at first. I must say, however, it didnt take very long for this album to grow on me. Alex Staropoli and Luca Turilli are just fantastic musicians, their fills and solo's never cease to impress me. Although they slightly overuse the "horror movie" progression (more well known by classical musicians as Franz Lizsts minor 3rd progression) in their song writing, they structure their songs almost perfectly. Rhapsody is definetly more talented(and MUCH better than) subpar bands like blind guardian, and stratovarius. Alex Staropoli's usage of the keys and orchestra causes them to obtain an extremely unique and awesome sound that i must say very few bands have.

Unfortunately, the only thing that brought this album down from 5 stars was the cheesy pretense and the completely non-poetic lyrics. If you can set those aside however, and just enjoy the music, then i highly recommend this album(and the others theyve done) over most of the stuff in the power/melodic metal genre.

Fans of this band will also probably like Nightwish and Sonata Arctica. If you like this album then i highly recommend Nightwish's Century Child and Sonata Arctica's Winterheart's Guild, those are absolutely excellent albums.

This is the first CD I heard from Rhapsody. I would compare the music and lyrics to Blind Guardian, as they are probably closest in nature, but Rhapsody is better both musically and lyrically. It's bombastic, Italian power metal at its finest. Massive choirs, female and male opera singing at some points, and a strong lead singer all amount to excellence. The music is energetic and powerful, while the vocals fit perfectly. The lyrics are very creative; for those who say they're cheesy, just look at the song titles. "Steelgods of the Last Apocalypse" and "Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness" alone tell that it's not just another band whining about religion or girlfriend problems. While the lyrics are of fantasy, at least they are unique compared to most lyrical content in bands nowadays. I would recommend this to fans of good power metal, such as Blind Guardian and Edguy.

The music of Rhapsody is a litmus test for the quality of a human being in these declining days of Western civilization. If you like this album, you are a good and noble person. If you don't like it, you are a soulless robot sleepwalking through your mediocre and degenerate existence, just like the other ninety-nine percent of the human race. Rhapsody mixes the highest quality of classical music with the most powerful rock-pop ever crafted. They are, by far, the best popular music ensemble in the world, or that has ever been in the world. Some people love them. Some hate them. Almost no one is neutral. That's why they are a litmus test. A soul detector. If you have one, you will love this. If you don't, you won't. It's as simple as that.

Rhapsody's 2002 album Power of the Dragonflame, the final installment in their Emerald Sword saga, features the masters of Italian power metal at their creative peak. The band arrived during the power metal revival of the late 1990's, and their particular blend of Helloween, Iron Maiden and Yngwie Malmsteen won over more and more fans with successive release. The band also perfected their virtuoso guitar work, dramatic vocals, symphonic arrangements, and fantasy subject matter along the way.

Power of the Dragonflame features the band pushing the limits of just how epic, ambitious, and (melo)dramatic a fantasy-themed power metal album can be. It's a furious, glorious blockbuster of an album that provides the perfect soundtrack to guitarist Luca Turilli's fantasy storyline. The band was firing on all cylinders on this album. Everything from Luca Turilli's frenetic guitar work (Dragonforce may get all the attention, but others were blazing that trail long before their arrival) to Fabio Leoni's powerful and dramatic vocals to Sascha Paeth and Miro's immaculate production to the utterly amazing cover artwork was just top notch. Even Rhapsody's flaws like cheesy lyrics and pompous narration were kept in check on this album.

Unfortunately this would be the last great album from Rhapsody (soon to become Rhapsody of Fire due to legal reasons). It seemed like they had pushed their capabilities as far as they could go, and subsequent albums just rehashed the sound and themes of the Emerald Sword albums. It was easier to look over the band's repetitive tendencies when they continued to improve with each album. There was a constant sense of "what are they going to come up with next". After this album, the answer was "more of the same", and they soon lost their appeal.

That doesn't change the fact that Power of the Dragonflame is an amazing power metal album, and is probably the band's finest offering. Power metal aficionados should not hesitate to grab this album (or any of the Rhapsody's albums prior to this one). They aren't at the same level as Blind Guardian, but up to this point there were very few power metal bands that could come close to Rhapsody.

NOTE: There is a limited edition version of Power of the Dragonflame that includes a bonus track - Rise from the Sea of Flames - and a bonus DVD that collects all of Rhapsody's promotional videos. The promotional videos are unintentionally hilarious in that they appear to be shot with a home video camera and feature the band striking dramatic poses amidst various masked characters and budget special effects that make Savatage's Hall of the Mountain King video look like Lord of the Rings. Cheesiness aside, the limited edition is worth hunting down for the bonus song and the deluxe packaging. It's housed in a DVD-sized gatefold digipack inside a slipcase that features the glorious album cover artwork.

In tennebris: an atmospheric choir intro that builds in intensity until the next track is unleashed. I like to call this kind of intros 'loading' song - like loading sequence in a computer game for example.

Knightrider - heavy song with a very singable chorus.

Power of the Dragonflame. - Not as good as #2, the guitar sound is a bit sharp for my liking. But by all means a good song.

March of the Swordmaster - one of my Rhapsody favourite tracks. Well structured. Very catchy chorus (like most Rhapsody songs) Heavy verse, pre chorus, Love the melodic solo. My favourite on this CD

When Demons Awake - probably the most aggressive Rhapsody song. Fabio sounds like an angry wolf on the verse. Very majestic and ostentatious chorus on this one.

Agony is my name - a little more earfriendly than its predecessor. some classical interludes intertwined with the metal really makes this worthy listening to.

Lamento Eroico - displays the power that can be in opera (though I don't listen to classical opera). Some very interesting harmonies on this track.

Steelgods of the last apocalypse - impressive blend of classical soundtrackish music and metal. Turilli has the groove going on the guitar on this one after the 2nd chorus. Another favourite.

Pride of the Tyrant - a good track in the same street as steelgods... and Agony.. ,

Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness - this really is made up of 3 songs together constituting 19minutes (though the last 3 minutes are a bit redundant....). A lovely classical guitar intro, followed by a heavy riff and good choruses. Then there's an intstrumental in which Turillli plays brilliantly before the synopsis of the saga is given in the last song. Love it.
Nice twist in the story line too, this one.

this was the first Rhapsody cd i had. i was blown away by the music simply amazing. i focused more on their music first, but then the amazing vocals got to me. perhaps not the most melodic vocals but it's opera-ish...theater hall style shouting. he grabs your attention and your listening attention span. you WANT to hear what he is saying. the stories are all amazing, beautifully told, well written. every song has the lyrics that fit perfectly with the music. there is a certain melodic flow to their music though...symphonically beautiful, well organized, it makes you want to cry. it's dramatic, action-packed, and hyped. everything a good movie should have, rhapsody gives it to you in music form. you like lord of the rings? well this is that times 10.