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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rhapsody on Ice, July 27, 2004
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.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than Rhapsody, July 14, 2003
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.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent power metal., January 1, 2002
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.
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