Rhapsody of Fire

Rhapsody of Fire (formerly known as Rhapsody) is an Italian symphonic power metal band formed by Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli, widely seen as a pioneer of the symphonic power metal subgenre.

Since forming in 1993 as Thundercross, the band has released twelve studio albums, two live albums, three EPs, and a Live DVD. Rhapsody of Fire is known for its conceptual lyrics that constitute a fantasy story throughout all of their albums from 1997 to 2011. After using the moniker of Rhapsody for nearly ten years, the band changed its name to Rhapsody of Fire in 2006 due to trademark issues.

In 2011, following the release of their album ''From Chaos to Eternity'' which concluded The Dark Secret Saga, and after 18 years as co-leader of the band, Turilli left Rhapsody of Fire (on good terms) to form a new Rhapsody band, Luca Turilli's Rhapsody, along with two other members who left with him, Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers. They describe their discography as a parallel continuation of Rhapsody of Fire's discography, with their first album being their own "Rhapsody's 11th album" and consider that they didn't leave the band, rather that it amicably split in two.

In 2016, other long-term members Fabio Lione and Alex Holzwarth left the band, and reunited with Turilli, Leurquin, and Guers, to play again under the name Rhapsody for their 20th Anniversary Farewell Tour; in December 2018, several months after announcing that Luca Turilli's Rhapsody was now inactive, Turilli announced the creation of a new Rhapsody band named Turilli / Lione Rhapsody, with the lineup of the 20th Anniversary Farewell Tour (recreating, minus Staropoli, the original band's 2002–2011 lineup).

History

Early years as Thundercross (1993–1997)

The power metal band Thundercross was formed in 1993 by Luca Turilli, Alex Staropoli, and Daniele Carbonera. Turilli has said in interviews that both Thundercross and the early Rhapsody material were heavily influenced by Helloween, Crimson Glory and Manowar's style of heavy metal, and that Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker were a big influence from a guitar playing perspective.

In 1994, Thundercross released their first demo, ''Land of Immortals'', with vocalist Cristiano Adacher. During this period of time, they went through a few bassist changes in their lineup.

After accepting a proposal from ''Limb Music Products & Publishing'', the band started recording their second demo, ''Eternal Glory''. At this time they also changed their name to ''Rhapsody''. Shortly after the release of ''Eternal Glory'', Adacher and bassist Furlan left the band. Former vocalist of Labyrinth and ''Athena'' Fabio Lione joined Rhapsody afterwards.

Album debut: ''Legendary Tales'' and ''Symphony of Enchanted Lands'' (1997–2000)

With these four members, the band started recording their debut album, ''Legendary Tales'', which was released in 1997. Rhapsody incorporated classical music, baroque and heavy metal styles in a subgenre they call "film score metal" due to its resemblance to movie soundtracks. The album was recorded in Germany by the well-known producer Sascha Paeth (Heaven's Gate), who also helped Rhapsody with their bass parts. The album was also the beginning story of the Emerald Sword Saga. The lyrics on the album (written by Turilli) often refer to mystical medieval folklore and the heroic valor of those times and are centered around high fantasy, highlighting, in particular, the everlasting fight between good and evil.

In the years that followed, Turilli, Staropoli, and Lione developed their new sound even more with their second album, ''Symphony of Enchanted Lands'', in 1998, having been joined by bass player Alessandro Lotta. They wrote pieces such as "Emerald Sword", drawing on Russian folklore and Celtic style elements and adding to the ''Emerald Sword Saga''. 1999 was a quiet year for Rhapsody, but Luca and Fabio both released solo albums.

Success and conclusion of The Emerald Sword Saga (2000–2004)

In the spring Rhapsody started their first tour, starting in Sweden. They performed with Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica in Spring 2000 supported by their new drummer Alex Holzwarth.

After the tour, they began recording their new album, ''Dawn of Victory''. The first single "Holy Thunderforce" was released in 2000 with some success. The new album showed Rhapsody in a whole new light, with a more aggressive style and sped-up tempo. It continued the third part of the Emerald Sword Saga, and the orchestra still played an important part of the album, with songs such as "Lux Triumphans", "The Village of Dwarves" and "The Bloody Rage of the Titans", played beside more bombastic melodies as "Dawn of Victory", "Triumph for My Magic Steel", "Dargor, Shadowlord of the Black Mountain" and "Holy Thunderforce". It was more successful than any of their previous outings, and "Dawn of Victory" ranked at #32 in the German charts, while in Japan it peaked in 4th place. In early summer 2001, Rhapsody toured through South America and Europe.

''Rain of a Thousand Flames'' served as a bridge between the last part of the Emerald Sword Saga and ''Power of the Dragonflame''. '' Power of the Dragonflame'' was released in February 2002 and saw incredible success worldwide. Marking the end of the Emerald Sword Saga, it contained soft ballads, upbeat metal melodies, and the epic 19-minute-long concluding song, "Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness". The band was joined by another two members, Patrice Guers (bass) and Dominique Leurquin (guitars). Alex Holzwarth, who had been playing drums for Rhapsody onstage since 2000 was listed in the official band line-up on these releases, although Holzwarth has played drums in the studio since The Dark Secret EP.

Beginning of The Dark Secret Saga, name change and legal issues (2004–2008)

''The Dark Secret'' EP was released on 28 June 2004. It gave listeners a taste of what could be expected from the new album, labeled '' Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret'' which was released several months later in September. Christopher Lee was involved in this project, narrating part of the storyline. ''Symphony of Enchanted Lands II'' was a follow-up to the Emerald Sword Saga called The Dark Secret Saga.

In July 2006 the band formerly known as Rhapsody changed their name to Rhapsody of Fire due to trademark issues. The band's website goes into further detail:
''The band members consider this a great new start, reflecting the emboldened and increasingly grandiose direction that their music has taken. "The power of the Dragonflame will burn brighter than ever before," says guitarist/songwriter Luca Turilli. Keyboardist/songwriter Alex Staropoli adds, "The name Rhapsody of Fire better represents the energy that has always been present in this band and its music."''

The band released '' Triumph or Agony'' on 25 September 2006 in Europe. The second chapter in The Dark Secret Saga, ''Triumph or Agony'', continues the bombastic Rhapsody of Fire tradition with a live 70-piece orchestra and choir as Turilli and Staropoli continued to self-produce the band's work with the assistance of co-producer Sascha Paeth.
Newer songs include "Silent Dream", "Son of Pain" and the epic 16-minute-long "The Mystic Prophecy of the Demonknight", an example of a cinema soundtrack adapted to a metal song. In addition, vocalist Fabio Lione gave his songwriting debut for Rhapsody of Fire with the song "Il canto del Vento".

In June 2008, Luca Turilli reported on the band's official website about a "hard legal fight with Magic Circle Music and his main representative Mr. Joey DeMaio". Since then, the band had gone on a hiatus for nearly a year and a half. Any studio or live activity was suspended for the period. Luca Turilli concentrated on his solo albums, Fabio Lione collaborated with Vision Divine and Kamelot, Alex Holzwarth collaborated with his brother Oliver, and Staropoli also announced his plans to record a solo album.

Final albums with Turilli, end of The Dark Secret Saga; split into two bands (2009–2011)

In late 2009 Limb Music re-released their back-catalogue from 1997 to 2001, along with the compilation album '' Tales from the Emerald Sword Saga'' on digital music stores.

On 18 November 2009, it was announced that the band had signed with Nuclear Blast Records and that their new album, '' The Frozen Tears of Angels'', would be released on 5 March 2010. However, Nuclear Blast stated that the album would not be released until 30 April. On 5 March 2010, the official Rhapsody of Fire website announced that it would indeed be released on 30 April. A new song was made available to download soon after. The album was produced by Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli and mixed and mastered by Sascha Paeth at the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg. As well as the standard edition, it was released as a "special limited deluxe digipak" which included two bonus tracks and a 32-page booklet, and on vinyl.

A 35-minute EP entitled '' The Cold Embrace of Fear – A Dark Romantic Symphony'' was released in Europe on 15 October 2010 and in the United States on 25 January 2011. The story is directly connected to ''The Frozen Tears of Angels''.

Rhapsody of Fire's ninth studio album, ''From Chaos to Eternity'', was released on 12 July 2011. ''From Chaos to Eternity'' is the final album in the band's fantasy storyline, The Algalord Chronicles, which began with the release of ''Legendary Tales''. It also marks the conclusion of The Dark Secret Saga, which began on ''Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret''. The final song on the album, the five-part "Heroes of the Waterfalls' Kingdom", is the band's longest, at almost twenty minutes long.

After the release of ''From Chaos to Eternity'', the band underwent many line-up changes. On 15 April 2011, it was announced that Tom Hess had become Rhapsody of Fire's second guitarist. Hess had actually joined the band in December 2010, recording all the rhythm guitar parts and contributing several solos for ''From Chaos to Eternity''. Hess began touring with the band starting in 2011.

On 16 August 2011, Rhapsody of Fire announced the friendly departure of long-time guitarist, songwriter, and founding member Luca Turilli, along with bassist Patrice Guers. They went on to found a new Rhapsody band, Luca Turilli's Rhapsody. With the departure of Turilli, Tom Hess became the lead guitarist of the band. Oliver Holzwarth

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