Italian power metal band Rhapsody Of Fire, has returned with yet another epic and exciting album entitled "From Chaos To Eternity." It's packed with massive amounts of symphonic orchestrated instrumentation, along with the concept story of their fantasy saga which started in 1997 with their first album "Legendary Tales." This is said to be the final chapter of the saga. Definitely read up on the lyrics as the album takes you on a long dark journey.
"Ad Infinitum" is a short introduction that starts the album off with crazy guitar riffs and booming cymbals. Words are spoken in a narrating style to provide you with where their story last left off. This runs into track two, "From Chaos To Eternity," as you are immediately greeted with rapid solos combined with piano and violent drumming. A lot of the vocals are layered with multiple voices which really give the song an epic and symphonic feel. An incredible solo enters towards the end of the song with tremendous amounts of melodic notes flying through the air. Luca Turilli is one of the most talented guitarists in the world, and manages to keep his solos fresh and exciting on every album that he writes. Tom Hess is the other guitarist who has recently joined the band this year. Together they write some of the most impressive patterns ever heard.
Things slow down for a moment with a soothing flute that opens the angelic "Anima Perduta." Soft vocals fill the air, layered with calm drums and bass. Little by little, more instruments enter as they build up to the chorus. Distorted guitars and symphonic strings surround Fabio Lione as his voice becomes more operatic almost matching the strings high notes. The song then fades into "Aeons Of Raging Darkness," which opens with powerful punchy bass lines and melodic guitars riffs. Some of the vocals in the verses lean more towards demonic screaming, which adds an interesting flavor to the whole mix. The refrains, however, take over with soaring operatic vocals taking you right back to that symphonic sound. A wicked solo later enters mixed with beauty and darkness.
Jumping to the final song, "Heroes Of The Waterfalls' Kingdom" isn't the average length you expect after listening to a whole album of four and five minute tracks. This last song runs for an astonishing 19 minutes and 39 seconds! It is broken up into 5 parts. It starts out with a short narration as soft, beautiful acoustic guitars follow and light vocals which are sung with Italian lyrics. Heavy orchestrated strings are later introduced and the song picks up in speed. Monstrous double bass pedaling accompanies the deafening guitars and powerful vocals. As the song goes on, you will come across many unique and detailed solos that will take your breath away. Also, you will notice the use of violent growling about 14 minutes into the song. The structure of this song is absolutely mind blowing and is definitely an amazing way to end the story of their fantasy saga.
Being as marvelous and well written as "From Chaos To Eternity" is, it amazes me how Rhapsody Of Fire is able to pull off new and unique music structure and sound with ever album that they release. Luca Turilli is a genius with his creative imagination and meaningful lyrics and story telling. And if you are unfamiliar with the saga that the album is about, I suggest you look into the story line and check out their earlier albums as well.
8.5/10
Official Site - http://www.rhapsodyoffire.com/
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/rhapsodyoffireband
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