TRIUMPH OR AGONY

Although Rhapsody...oops! Rhapsody Of Fire's proginness can be discussed, the heavy amount of cheese present in their music and lyrics can turn off many listeners. I am a heavy metal fan and I always found ROF's music enjoyable, when I felt like listening to it. Triumph Or Agony is a far more focused album, darker, much less metallic effort. More operatic vocals, less thrashy riffs, more lamenting and anguished choirs make this record stand out from the rest of their albums.The ballads/metal ratio has increased a lot. Not as cheesy as they once were, not as pretentious with blistering solos and "over the valley of dragons, eternal pride and victory of undying wisdom of long lost magic sword tales of old elvish poems....". This can be associated with the old rhapsody...so if you disliked Rhapsody you might want to give this one a try!

Triumph or Agony is a suberb example of what is the very best of Italian symphonic prog rock. Luca Turelli's song writing is as usual sublime and he is a master storyteller. The album is well constructed, superbly orchestrated and brilliantly performed. It is big, it is bold, it is a true epic of the sort that is timeless. This is a must have album for all who love the genre and will certainly appeal to lovers of modern orchestral work. Quite simply, it is a masterpiece.

"The evil forces are planning the worst act in the history of these lands"

Having rather embarrassingly had to change their name for copyright reasons, Rhapsody become Rhapsody of Fire in 2006 and released their first album under that name. The name may have changed, but reassuringly, the music has not. The opening symphonic, choral and operatic majesty of the two part "Dar-Kunor" immediately tell us that this is business as usual.

This album continues "The dark secret" saga which began on the previous album. This is the second epic tale told in serial format by the band, but is very much a continuation of the first. The usual combination of elves, dark forces and heroes combine to further the "Lord of the rings" type adventure. Here, our hero Khaas and various aides are embarked on a quest to locate a black book written with the blood of angels which contains "The dark secret", an evil prophesy.

For some reason, the first part of the album concentrates on a retrospective, recounting the "Legend and myth of the Emerald sword" (from the first saga), the "New saga" only starting (or continuing) at track 10!

Musically, there is no progression to speak of here, if you enjoyed the band's previous albums it is pretty much a certainty you'll enjoy this one. If like me, you have followed the band from their first album, you might be starting to think that the albums are becoming just a bit too similar to each other. That said, "Triumph or agony" is overall slightly softer and more symphonic than what has gone before. There is less of the double paced heavy drumming, and more of the slower big sounding pieces. "Silent dream", "Blood red dungeons" and "Son of pain" for example, which appear consecutively on the album, are all devoid of a frantic rhythm. In their place we have soft vocals and big ballad type sounds. These are once again embellished through the appearance of a full orchestra.

The aforementioned tenth track is the centrepiece of the album, a sixteen minute 5 part epic called "The mystic prophesy of the demon knight". Here, the band go majestically over the top, with no less than seven narrators including Christopher Lee and Susannah York. At times, you could be forgiven for thinking you have suddenly re-tuned to a radio play as the characters talk to each other:
Dargor - "Yes that is the book, I am sure of it!"
Tarish - "Let us take it and leave this godforsaken place"
Iras - "The legendary evil book is now in our hands"., etc.
Our heroes having successfully retrieved the book, the saga is apparently concluded, however the closing "Dark reign of fire" warns that the "book will soon be opened with consequences beyond any nightmare". It appears we shall have to await the next instalment of this continuing story to find out in detail what evils the book contains.

The special edition of the album contains two bonus tracks. One is simply a radio edit of a section of the centrepiece track, but the other, "Defenders of Gaia" is a sort of deleted scene. It is actually one of the best tracks on the album, if not the best, very much in the tradition of songs like "Dawn of victory".

In all, this is probably best described as simply another Rhapsody (of Fire) album. While it is generally slightly more symphonic and less metallic than previous releases, all such things are relative, and "Triumph or agony" is still very much in keeping with what has gone before.

At one point in my life, I owned every single studio album by then-called RHAPSODY. Eventually, for reasons left unsaid, I was forced to let most of them go and ended up in my collection with only my favorite of their records, the original "Symphony of Enchanted Lands." If RHAPSODY was one of the bands I chose to partially got rid of at that time it's because I realized their albums sounded pretty much the same.

Yes, I love the heroics and the epic choruses and the orchestral arrangements and the use of harpsichords/clavicembalos (an instrument that, were it not for this band and others like it, would be completely unknown for many of today's baroque-music-ignoring rock fans.) But I found a problem with most every RHAPSODY album except for the one I mentioned as my favorite: after a fantastic orchestral intro and a terrific anthem-like first song, the subsequent tracks are not in the same level and tend to sound so similar to each other (and to the tracks in the other albums) that the whole experience is somewhat ruined for me.

I will review "Symphony of Enchanted Lands" soon and I'll explain why I think it's the best RHAPSODY album. But focusing in "Triumph or Agony", their first record under the new copyright-forced name, I can say that it shares the same qualities and the same mistakes of most every opus by this Italian band.

We get a terrific orchestral intro. After that, the first song, the title-track, sets us off in an excellent way. The verse is powerful and mighty and the chorus is inspiring. Things don't change that much afterwards, though. We get the obligatory quiet moment with Leone singing over a soft accompaniment in keys; we get a quiet interlude with the harpsichord taking center stage along with some flutes and soft winds; we get the mandatory longest track in the end with lots of purely orchestral-moments and voice acting by different actors, among them the legendary Christopher Lee. In a word: we get the traditional, very enjoyable, RHAPSODY OF FIRE experience. We just don't get anything new.

I don't have anything against bands that repeat successful formulas. If this album had the same amount of great songs as "Symphony of Enchanted Lands", I would rate it higher, even if it wasn't the groundbreaking record that many prog purists always demand. I can tolerate not-so-original music when it is extremely entertaining and when it's perfectly crafted. Sadly, "Triumph or Agony", while certainly perfectly played, does not have enough great choruses or memorable melodies for me to rate it higher.

The playing, as always, is first-rate. The magnificent shredder Luca Turilli returns with more of his wonderful technique, alongside master keyboardist Staropoli and the competent rhythm section. Fabio Leone, a very underrated singer who in my view should be consider among the best melody-singers in metal, gives a terrific performance though not in the same level as in previous albums.

Ridiculous lyrics aside , I love RHAPSODY (OF FIRE), and when I review their best album I will probably give it 5 stars, as I think it is a masterpiece in this style of music. But "Triump or Agony", their latest release, is more than a tad weaker and, though enjoyable, fails to be the awe-inspiring heroic experience of other efforts. 3 stars is what it deserves, as it's still an entertaining, soul-lifting record that, its problems notwithstanding, will never depress anyone who hears it, as this music sings of triumphs, glory and courage.

The Same system use this band to create Music...they are like dream theater,nothing new on their music,so,if you are new on this band and you hear this you will be very happy,but like a lot of people that know every note by this band,they will be very sad..because this is allways the same..they don´t move into a new direction.there is nothing new on this work..they keep making albums every year,they have to wait until the mind is fresh.they have to wait to recreate their sound..something that rhapsody allways do..but on this album we have NOTHING NEW..the same sequences,the same ,the same,the same chorus of war,the same epic music,the same classical feeling,create a new story or something plss,the same rhapsody albumif you listen to this without have been listening to their previus albums, is great,again this is not bad,really,they are great,is an amazing band,but i have waiting so long to a new sound from this band,because i still believe that they can give us an amazing work once again...but this time no baby...what is happening on the head of luca turilli,he is a genius,but no no no..so sad.3 solid stars

cheers

'Triumph Or Agony' - Rhapsody Of Fire (7/10)

Once again Rhapsody Of Fire releases more of the same, but I'm not complaining. Abiding by the rule 'If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It', this talented Power Metal band from Italy has released more of the same music that can be best described as 'Film Score Influenced Power Metal.' With Orchestras, Choirs, and Operatic vocals, there's really an evocation of epic feeling in this album. The thing that distinguishes this album from it's predecessors is it's focus on more balladesque-style songs. This focus on shorter songs detracts from the overall cohesion of the album as a whole, but the 16 minute epic 'Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight' makes up for the other songs potential shortcomings, and comes out as one of the greatest epics I've listened to in a long time.

Over the course of sixteen minutes (twenty if you count the continuation track 'Dark Reign Of Fire') the listener embarks on an epic journey through caves and seemingly abandoned halls to find a mystical book, as conveyed by the album's concept. Lyrically concerned, fans of Lord Of The Rings will love it, but I can see why someone might get a bit irritated by the concept. Musically, it's fantastic and can easily match up to any Dream Theater or Symphony X epic.

The use of orchestral instruments is exceedingly well done, and one of the reasons the album is so great. The album's shortfall though is in it's lack of overall cohesion. If for example, there were more songs like the epynomous 'Triumph Or Agony' to liven things up throughout the album and provide a break in the album's slow feeling, this would be worthy of being a modern classic. However, one too many ballads makes this album a bit hard to enjoy as an album. It's still definately worth getting, if only for the epic (and most of the shorter songs are pretty good as well!) but it's far from being perfect.

What's their to say about Rhapsody Of Fire (formerly just Rhapsody before the random decision for changing their name, some legal reason I believe, it's only an added 2 syllables).

Their amazing use of symphonic metal and merging it with fantasy, soundtrack orchestration and power metal has been a successful mix and has remained their sound for over nearly 20 years.

These crazy Italians have also been fond producers of concept based albums, with this album being the 2nd part of The Dark Secret Saga.

Like Lord Of The Rings, but even more epic, there is a darklord, dragons, elves, dwarves, caves, you know all that stuff.

The story of the album tells of a journey to get the 7th book containing the dark prophecy created by the dark lord Nekron, with the blood of angels (wow very dark). Our heroes (all with weird names), led by Dagor, a shadowlord who leaves his life of evil behind. They get the book, run away from zombies & have to escape from the Darklord's army, basically.

The story is presented amazingly with narration, orchestration and amazing instrumentation. Christopher Lee (the most legendary pensioner alive), also does some amazing narration on the album.

1. Dar-Kunor ? The intro basically. The orchestration is amazing and a film vibe is present & very effective.

2. Triumph Or Agony ? An amazing start to the album. Amazing vocals from Fabio. The choir and orchestra are also incredibly hair tingling. Amazing guitar solo as well.

3. Heart Of The Darklands ? Very catchy chorus with amazing vocals. Incredibly epic. This song basically sets up the story for the album. Very powerful & epic.

4. Old Age Of Wonders ? Very folky & almost madrigal like. The female vocals in the chorus add to the Tolkienesque vibe of the song. Very beautiful. I love the cadence at the end of the chorus.

5. The Myth Of The Holy Sword ? This song is the perfect example of how the choir, orchestra and the band themselves work off each other so perfectly. Amazing chorus, catchy and epic, what more do you want.

6. Il Canto Del Vento ? An amazing composition by Fabio. Basically this song is an Italian aria, showing of Fabio's amazing tenor.

7. Silent Dream ? Very cheesy but very catchy with amazing vocals in the chorus.

8. Bloody Red Dungeons ? This song basically details a weird bloody cave. Again another amazing chorus.

9. Son Of Pain ? This song is about Dagor's change in face basically. Amazing discourse between orchestra and Fabio's amazing vocals. The cadence at the end of the chorus reminds me of Sparach Zasthura.

10. The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight ? Wow, what a mother of a song. The first part of the song, A New Saga Begins is incredibly catchy with amazing choir parts. The instrumental section which follows is amazing, before it ends with some narration. The narration in Through The Portals Of Agony is amazing, creating real sense, with the actors really making the story believable. In The Dark Order, Fabio does some screaming, which to be honest is amazing, the growls aren't the best, but the screams had me reminiscing to Dani Filth. The gang vocals are incredibly epic & very powerful. The last 2 parts sum it up very well.

11. Dark Reign Of Fire ? Amazing choir sections & amazing vocals from Fabio. A nice eerie ending.

12. Defenders Of Gaia ? Ok, this is only a bonus track, but a pretty amazing one at that. Amazing chorus and some amazing instrumental work, with every member of the band having a solo basically. This song is also environmental, which is different from their usual fantasy writing.

CONCLUSION: Epic beyond belief. One of the best symphonic metal albums I have ever heard, these guys are force to be reckoned with. Amazing story, I think it is more epic than Lord Of The Rings (both did have Christopher Lee though). If you don't have it, then you should be buying it now.

I have never been a big fan of Rhapsody Of Fire because I thought that their early works included to many fast and hectic tracks and a lot of useless bombast and silly orchestrations. On "Triumph Or Agony", the Italians reduced their speed and focused on a more diversified song writing without losing their very own style and this works surprisingly well for me.

Instead of symphonic "wankery", the band kicks off with a short and atmospheric introduction which is the opener "Dar-Kunor". Even the ballads work quite well such as the beautiful "Old Age Of Wonders" that features some soft female guest vocals or the touching "Son Of Pain" with some great orchestral work and maybe the most stunning vocal performance on the record. Even the piano ballad "Il Canto Del Vento" that features Italian lyrics is not as cheesy as I feared and in fact a quite beautiful song with a great vocal performance. The orchestrations rather remind of Therion or even Dimmu Borgir at some points and not of pointless power metal bands but at the same time the band icluded some soft folk elements. This combination works best in tracks as "The Myth Of The Holy Sword" that also features an epic guitar solo that reminds a little bit of Manowar. That's nothing surprising as the band had signed with Magic Circle Music at the time that has a very close connection to Manowar.

The album's epic track "The Mystic Prophecy Of The Demonknight" is divided into five parts and resumes very well the new strengths of the band on this record. It's surely one of the best if not the best song Rhapsody Of Fire have ever written in their long career. I especially appreciate the folk sounds with the use of violins and the powerful drum play in the first part, the narrative play passages in the second part, the more metal orientated and heavy speed and power metal passages in the unusually brutal third part that even includes some piercing screams and soft growls, the guitar solos that open for the fourth part that includes some very atmospheric passages and the calm ballad tones in the fifth and final part of the epic masterpiece.

There are still some elements that seem very pathetic to me. The fantasy topic and some parts of the lyrics play with too many stereotypes and offer nothing new or innovating in the universe of Rhapsody Of Fire. This album won't win a price for its originality. Some potpourri songs featuring multiple male choir's voices, orchestrations and high pitched lead vocals still give me headaches if I get an overdose of them as in "Bloody Red Dungeons". But this kind of song is so rare to find on this record that it doesn't pull down the final rating by much.

In the end, we have a very epic and powerful record that focuses more on mid tempo tracks, includes some nice folk orchestrations, great narrative passages and overall more creativity than ever. This kind of music might still be too overambitious and overwhelming to some which I would completely understand but in my opinion the band just found the perfect mixture this time and the powerful music creates a lot of images in my mind. The final verdict is that this underrated record is probably the best effort the band has ever released to date and only grows on you as time goes by. There are many passionate details to be discovered over and over again. This is more than music, it's an epic story and worthy of a theatre play or epic movie without sounding too ridiculous as for example Manowar's attempts on this kind of music. It's nothing revolutionary but simply Rhapsody of Fire on the peak of their career and there really isn't much to criticize on here.

Originally published on www.metal-archives.com on November 14th of the year 2011.

Rhapsody's first album after an unfortunate trademark dispute prompted them to add "of Fire" to their name (but they'll always simply be Rhapsody to me) feels like a bit of a stumble to me. Perhaps they were thrown a little off their game by the unwanted legal pressures, but it seems to rely a bit more on flabby orchestral filler than Rhapsody ever have before, and the band's metal passages don't soar the way they do in previous albums. They're still just about tight enough to keep my attention, and hopefully now that the sinister Seventh Book has been discovered in the story the action will pick up, but as far as Triumph or Agony is concerned my answer is "neither" - it might not be agony to listen to, but it's certainly not a musical triumph in its own right.