THE COLD EMBRACE OF FEAR

Having returned in 2010 with "Frozen tears of angels", which constituted part 3 of "The dark secret saga", Rhapsody of Fire released this mini-album later the same year. "The cold embrace of fear" is described as part 4 of the saga, then sub-titled "reprise from part 3". What this means is that it does not really further the ongoing story much, but rather takes stock of our heroes predicament, and amplifies the tale. In that sense, this release can be compared with the 2001 mini album "Rain Of A Thousand Flames". Much of the narrative which appears in the accompanying booklet repeats the final text from the booklet which accompanies "Frozen tears of angels", the intrepid party having now reached the convivial town of Ainor.

The story does move on a bit though, as the "white book" is found and taken into the custody of the good guys (hooray!), save for a few pages which the baddies (boo!) tore out.

This set is actually a little different in terms of the way Lucca Turilli and the boys have approached its development, as the entire album is described as a single 35 minute song in 7 acts. The intention here is to create a cinematic experience, with even greater emphasis on the theatrics. This is done through extended use of narration (Christopher Lee guests again here) and more emphasis on the orchestrations.

I have to confess that the extended dialogue sections did cause me to laugh out loud a couple of times, such is the way they are hammed up by the various participants. The opening section for example sees the gang getting caught in an avalanche, the narrative in the sleeve notes continuing "ALL TOGETHER - What's that?. . .The ground . .it's an avalanche!".

It is really Act III before we get the first of the real meat of the album, the 15 minute epic "The ancient fires of Har-Kuun" swimming in superb waves of chorale, orchestra, metal and folk. The language of this the first sung track alternates between Italian and English, the infectious chorus boating one of Rhapsody/Of Fire's great melodies. This "Act" really is the pinnacle of the album and reason alone for acquiring it.

The extended conversational dramatics return on "The betrayal", which tells the story vividly but needs to be heard only once or twice. "Erian's lost secrets" is the other stand-out track of the set. Here, choral vocals, anthemic melodies and epic orchestration come together in another fine Rhapsody classic. Unusually (for the band) but highly effectively, the song includes a reprise from "Ancient fires..".

While "The cold embrace of fear" is put forward as a single track in seven acts, it really is another suite of separate tracks. The set certainly flows well, but the epic "Ancient fires of Har-Kuun" can readily be heard on its own without mitigating the pleasure.

Overall, this mini-album takes the saga on a little further, while offering a slightly different perspective on the band. For Rhapsody/Of Fire fans, an essential addition, for others a good album.

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