lukretion On their third album, Italian power metal masters Rhapsody started to slightly change the formula they had so successfully employed on their previous two records. Legendary Tales and Symphony of Enchanted Lands were remarkably constructed using in equal part heavy doses of neo-classical power metal and elements of Baroque music, opera and epic soundtrack music. It was a mixture that hit the spot, allowing the Italians to carve their own niche as extraordinary bards in the busy world of European power metal.

Dawn of Victory takes one step or two further in the direction of muscle and speed, tilting the scale in favour of metal rather than classical/operatic music. The songs are faster and more centred around guitar riffs than classical orchestrations. The album is also more decidedly electric, as the score of acoustic and classical instruments that had been copiously employed on previous records is considerably reduced here (Baroque recorders and a violin). This switch towards the heavier side of the band’s sound partly reflects the development of the storyline that now enters a more bloody and belligerent phase (Dawn of Victory is the third instalment of a multi-album concept about the battle between good and evil in a Tolkienesque fantasy world). However, I also suspect that their first tour experience in 2000 may have also played a role, as the band probably realized that the incredibly nuanced and multi-layered studio compositions of the first two albums were incredibly hard to reproduce live. The songs written for Dawn of Victory are more direct, aggressive and metallized compared to the previous two records, and I can imagine they would have been much more impactful in a live setting.

The quality of the music remains high. Luca Turilli’s fast-as-lightning guitar riffs and neoclassical melodic leads drive the songs, with Alex Staropoli taking the role of co-lead and throwing in a few excellent keyboard solos. The rhythmic section is powerful and relentless, and the work of drummer Thunderforce is particularly impressive (the band never revealed the identity of Thunderforce and some even think the drum parts were actually programmed – either way the drums are on fire on this record). Fabio Lione confirms his status as one of the best singers in the genre, with a dramatic and operatic voice that can hit high notes but also transmit emotions and feelings.

The tracklist is consistently good, making this one of my favourite Rhapsody albums to play. There are still a couple of songs that stand out for me and are among my favourite from the band. The title-track is an epic monster with one of the best power metal choruses I ever heard. “The Bloody Rage of the Titans” starts as a ballad with piano and vocals and then develops in a fantastic mid-tempo with strong cinematic vibes and again an excellent chorus. “Dargor Shadowlord of the Black Mountain” and the single “Holy Thunderforce” are also remarkable especially for their thunderous pace and trailblazing guitar riffs. The lengthy closing piece “The Mighty Ride of the Firelord” is intended to bring the album to an epic finale, but is actually where Rhapsody show their compositional limits as the track feels more like two songs stitched together than a well-structured, multi-part composition. I also have to subtract points for the general silliness of the concept and sappiness of the lyrics. The stories of dragons, princesses and knights are a trademark of the genre, but they have been told in much more convincing ways by other bands than Rhapsody.

Nevertheless, Dawn of Victory is a fun record to listen to, and feels fresh and spontaneous, which is a blessing after the slightly deflated and overproduced Symphony of Enchanted Lands. It marks a transition for Rhapsody music towards a more standard power metal sound where the patterns and instrumentation of Baroque music play a lesser role than in the previous albums. The band will further continue in this direction on the following records, further reducing Rhapsody’s uniqueness in the power metal scene. Fortunately, Dawn of Victory is just on the right side of this transition, which makes it one of my favourite Rhapsody albums to date.

siLLy puPPy RHAPSODY continued its five volume album series that thematically covered an overarching tale called “The Emerald Sword Saga” which exemplified a classic good-vs-evil tale that narrated fantastical lands of myth and monsters. DAWN OF VICTORY is the third installment in this universe and once again crafted by the powerhouse compositional team of Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli. While it may seem the early RHAPSODY albums sound very much alike, it might be helpful to remember that the five chapter series that composes five separate releases could in reality be considered a single massive project that is broken down simply for the sake of marketing and not overwhelming the fanbase.

DAWN OF VICTORY continues the classic symphonic power metal prowess that not only displays the epic fantasy themes but also showcases the extraordinary musicianship that is unleashed. Turilli once again delivers an incessant display of guitar virtuosity complemented with lightning fast neoclassical wizardry and Starpoli exemplifies the same fiery passion on keyboards. The music is once again a mix of not only symphonic power metal but also features many brushes with pure European folk music most obvious on tracks like “The Village Of Dwarves” and while not quite as metallic as, say, Ensiferum or Korpiklaani, still packs a power metal punch at key moments but are heavily dependent on violin and flute sounds.

For the most part, RHAPSODY heeded the criticism of the band’s debut when it allowed sprawling symphonic parts to carry on with no metal bombast. DAWN OF VICTORY continues this correction that was achieved on “Symphony Of Enchantment” and continues to keep an extremely fast power metal guitar rampage throughout most of the album with only the lesser folk focused tracks deviating from the formula. While it’s not obvious, DAWN OF VICTORY also saw the debut of Alex Holzwarth as the new drummer but the style is so similar and in line with the musical deliveries that there are really no idiosyncratically stylistic changes that will give him away as a newbie as his percussive precision is as top notch as all of the other musicians involved in this fascinating project.

I can understand why this style of metal is considered too cheesy and over-the-top for some however the classical underpinnings keep this a highly melodic adventure with the metal emphasis keeping it in the head banging zone. Fabio Lione’s vocals are absolutely perfect for this operatic tale of fantasy worlds and the mix of keyboards and guitars ensures an interesting mix of metal bombast and atmospheric emotional tugs. While most tracks hover around the four to six minute range, the finale “The Mighty Ride Of The Firelord” charges its way up past the nine minute mark and offers one of the most progressive and diverse tracks as it narrates the final chapter in this musical tome of the series. The track is also probably the most successful at summing up the many stylistic shifts of the album as it displays both the symphonic power metal and folk aspects in tandem.

While not substantially different from the previous albums, RHAPSODY does a good job at mixing things up just enough to sounds like its retreading previous musical explorations. For example there are always new approaches to riffs which are mostly crafted through time signatures, riffing styles and dynamic shifts otherwise the folk, classical and power metal elements remain staunchly in place. With music this beautifully designed it’s hard not to love the hell out of it and when thought of as merely phase 3 in the 5 part series, it would be a disservice to deviate too far too fast from the formulaic approach. RHAPSODY is one of the most consistent bands in power metal and the third album DAWN OF VICTORY does not disappoint in that regard one little bit.

Warthur Rhapsody are one of those bands which rapidly become difficult to review, because their musical style doesn't evolve very rapidly from album to album and they tend to be rather consistent. Dawn of Victory stands out, though, as an interesting tangent in their discography, with the symphonic aspects of their sound toned down somewhat and more folky elements brought in. At points, this can become a little twee and cheesy - I could do without The Village of Dwarves, if we're being honest - but whilst the experiments with their sound don't always work, they just about succeed in maintaining my interest over the course of the album.

Stephen "Dawn of Victory" is the third album of Italian symphonic power metal act, Rhapsody, which later changed their name to Rhapsody of Fire. This is the first album with drummer Alex Holzwarth and the story concept is still continuing the epic fantasy of Emerald Sword Saga. The excessive usage of orchestra plays, classic music, and power metal combination with lyrics based on a fictional fantasy story made the media called them the Hollywood epic metal. The album features a more aggressive path compared to their previous record, "Symphony of Enchanted Lands" by injecting a more powerful rhythm, roaring guitars, and high pitch screamer, but still dynamically evolved around the pompous and symphonic atmosphere.

Outstanding songs here are the title track with a superb riff, "Triumph For My Magic Steel" with an amusing chorus, "Dargor, Shadowlord of The Black Mountain" with a unique chord progression on chorus, the traditional power metal style of "The Last Winged Unicorn", and the single, "Holy Thunderforce" which I think is the greatest track of the album. The rest are a bit patchy with "The Vilage of Dwarves" has an interesting flute passage but the chorus is just too cheesy, "The Bloody Rage of The Titans" has an interesting tempo changing but the generic verse and weak chorus made this the worst song of the album, and the "The Mighty Ride of The Firelord" is probably the most progressive part of the album with many classical interlude, but I think this is the type of the song you'll play at the end of the movie when the credits line are begin to ascend and people start to leave the theater.

Suffering with too much similarity in each song, I think "Dawn of Victory" lacks a bit of variety and I don't think implementing a lot of musical instruments helped a lot. However, I admired them for blowing a breath of fresh air by creating a different vibe of power metal. Fans of fantasy and metal will consider this a big achievement by the band, while casual listener like me will find this good to listen for once in a while.