Symphony of Enchanted Lands

Rhapsody

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 23, 1999)
• Original Release Date: February 2, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lmp
• ASIN: B00002S839
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,645 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Italian progressive metal act's sophomore album, originally released in 1999. Ten tracks including, 'Epicus Furor', 'Emerald Sword', 'Wisdom Of Kings' & 'Heroes of the Lost Valley'. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exercice in virtuosity AND a work of art !, December 30, 1999

By	Brice (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This is the second album of a band that really deserves to be well-known. Some melodic metal performers are often blamed because they just try to impress people with their outstanding ability to play fast while they forget composition and feelings. With Rhapsdoy you get both ingredients, and at their best level. This is very good heavy metal with a strong classical influence. The instruments are incredibly diverse (violins, viola, cello, piano, accoustic and electric guitars, contra bass, harp, flute...) and finely orchestrated. While one heavy song and its powerful rythm will get you going, the other one will enchant your ear with its delicate medieval melodies. In my opinion the only small fly in the ointment lies in lyrics, which are a bit simple (dragons everywhere, holy swords, elves, magical keys...). But let's face it anyway, they fit to this kind of music ! I highly recommend this album (as well as Legendary Tales, the first one which is also a masterpiece and I weigh my words) to anyone who likes metal and/or classical music. Pass on it only if you can't bare heavy guitars or the heroic fantasy universe.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This can't be possible..., July 9, 2000

By	Lord Chimp (Monkey World) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

How can a metal band compose such beautiful classical music? Rhapsody is truly awesome, both literally and figuratively. They merge their bombastic power metal with classical music in ways that blow the mind. The guitars are exhilarating and technical...Luca Turilli is really amazing. His solos and riffs are incredible, but don't concentrate solely on the guitar. You'll also want to lend an ear to the stunning classical interludes. What's great about these songs is that they can be fast and heavy at one moment, then shift fluidly into more florid moments, but it all coheres nicely. This fantasy story of heroism is delivered through Fabio Lione operatic vocals. Though the English is a little disjointed, it all sounds really good, so it never becomes a problem. The use of the choir adds to the power of the music.

In the end, this CD comes across with far more impact than the phenomenal Legendary Tales, and I can't wait for more of Rhapsody's albums.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlike any band I have ever heard - and I've heard a lot, March 8, 2001

By	Chris Kennedy (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Let me say first that I own all 3 of Rhapsody's albums. This is because in a day of garbage, corporate-packaged music that is beginning to infect even the metal underground, it is simply a wonderful thing when a band comes along that combines amazing musicianship with a real love for playing. Most of the reviews for this record have already mentioned the basics - power metal (i.e. heavy metal with operatic vocals) crossed with orchestrated passages. But I don't think they are getting to the meat of it. This is in my opinion, the best work Rhapsody has done to date. I love Legendary Tales, but this album just destroys it, and Dawn of Victory, while great, is a letdown. Firstly, the first track on all the albums is a sort of hymnal/classical intro, and this one has the best of the 3, easily. Alex Strapoli, the keyboardist/pianist/harpsichordist, does the arrangements, and he is superbly talented at it. Then of course we get to the first 2 over the top speedy songs. Both simply magnificent. One of the main things I love about this band is they way they incorporate the classical instruments WITH the metal instruments - case in point is "Emerald Sword" where the violins are soaring over the double bass drumming and background guitar. It works so well, it makes me wonder why it isn't more prevalent. Whoever said there isn't much variety is not listening to the entire album. "Eternal Glory" and "Wings of Destiny" are completely different from each other and from most of the rest of this CD. My favorite track, by far, is "The Dark Tower of Abyss" for its incredible classical intro and middle section, which coincide perfectly with the rest of the song; the main riff uses a trade off between guitar and strings in an increasing downward spiraling fashion that shows the complexity of the writing. This is not your average power chord band. If you download a song by this band, "Dark Tower" is the one to get. The vocalist is perfect. The ONLY drawback to this album are the spoken word intros on tracks 4 and 10, but they are less than 2 minutes total and hey, that's why there's a mute button. This album's greatest appeal is that anyone who can appreciate music will like it - it is universal. Not many bands can say that.