Rhapsody Of Fire - Tirumph Or Agony

Magic Circle Music | 2006 | 11 songs (62:23) | Symphonic/Orchestral Power Metal

Once known as simply Rhapsody, after more than ten years the band found themselves having to amend their name due to illegal use of a trademark and copyright infringement. So Rhapsody of Fire they became. I’m not sure who owns the rights to the name “Rhapsody,” but I’m willing to bet that had Christopher Lee—famous but most recently famous for his role as Saruman in the hugely successful Lord of the Rings movie trilogy—not been featured—and promoted heavily—on 2004s Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret, I would be reviewing Triumph or Agony by Rhapsody, not this absurd Rhapsody of Fire nonsense—which is just another layer of cheese on top of the massive amount the band already had on the table.

Over the course of recent albums, the band has been receiving a steady amount of flack from fans wanting the faster, heavier style the band showcased on earlier albums. As time went on, the theatrics and symphonic elements tended to overshadow things, serving up decidedly weaker doses of the metal they became known for. If “Rhapsody of Fire” makes little sense, Triumph or Agony is a very apt album title. Some will find the album to be a triumph in bombastic symphonic metal; others will find it to be another agonizing nail in the coffin of what once was. Many, like myself, will find themselves in a tug-o-war between the two.

Triumph or Agony begins with a standard intro, the two-part “Dar-Kunor,” which is actually a very good intro with a nice climactic build-up. The title track follows. Luca Turilli and company show that they’re not incapable of writing a classic-sounding Rhapsody song. The song is symphonic in nature, but the guitars are upfront and heavy; the vocals are big and grandiose, and not drowned out by the Choir of a Gazillion Voices. “Heart of the Darklands” has all the same attributes, only this track is faster and heavier. Both are great songs. The album takes a sharp left turn with the folkish “Old Age of Wonders,” rife with orchestration, flutes, violin, male and females vocals, a big choir, and teeny-weeny guitars with funny names plucked precisely to give off the annoying visual of silly, drunken elves and hobbits dancing around a campfire—naked. (I just puked a little.) The album then drifts to and fro between lighthearted, symphonic folk metal and a more mid-paced, heavier style. No song matches the intensity of either “Triumph or Agony” or “Heart of the Darklands.” “Silent Dream” comes close, as does parts of “The Prophecy of the Demon Knight,” a 16-minute epic. But no other song quite reaches back far enough to appease the detractors of the band’s latter day transformation. Rhapsody of Fire is the same old band of recent times.

None of this is to say these songs are bad—quite the contrary! In terms of symphonic metal, Triumph or Agony, to my ears, is largely a triumph. It’s not an album I’ll reach to as often as Legendary Tales or Dawn of Victory, or even the first Symphony of Enchanted Lands album—which I find to be the perfect balance between the band’s symphonic metal and early vaunting take on power metal. Simply put, Triumph or Agony won’t change the opinions of current or previous fans of the band. It’s good enough to please those who didn’t jump ship while the band slowly shifted styles; and it’s bad enough to solidify the opinions of those who have vilified the band and its stylistic departure. Triumph or agony. Pick your side.