ASCENDING TO INFINITY (LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY)

Well, this is an interesting experiment. In a stark contrast to the tedious wrangling over the Queensryche name, Luca Turilli and his former bandmates in Rhapsody have decided to coexist: the original band will continue under the Rhapsody of Fire name, whilst Luca will produce new music in the Rhapsody style as band leader of Luca Turilli's Rhapsody, and both bands will be considered to be official parts of the Rhapsody family.

It's an interesting experiment, but I can't help but think that - on the Luca side of the equation at least - something is lost as a result of the divorce. Turilli continues to push the whole Hollywood metal style he developed with his former bandmates on the legendary Rhapsody concept albums, but without a cohesive concept to hang the album structure on it feels a little unfocused, and whilst the sound presented is diverse it doesn't always cater to Turilli's talents. (It often feels rather light on Turilli's guitar work, which to me is the main draw for his material). It's competent enough stuff, but somehow it's missing the magic.