Luca Turilli's Rhapsody: Ascending To Infinity

In 2011 Luca Turilli left the epic symphonic, sometimes referred to as Hollywood metal band he co-founded back in nineties with Alex Staropoli called Rhapsody Of Fire or should I say Rhapsody as they were originally known. Before Luca departed Rhapsody Of Fire they had released album number ten From Chaos To Eternity that brought to a conclusion their long running saga tale and the working relationship between the two. So, while Rhapsody Of Fire continue now there's also another Rhapsody that is Luca Turilli's Rhapsody, who have released their debut which Luca says represents the eleventh Rhapsody album for himself and the band. So what does that mean for Alex Staropoli and Rhapsody Of Fire? Sure will be very interesting to see where that band goes with their next release after the amicable spilt as both embark on a new musical chapter.

Luca plays both lead guitar and keyboards with more masterful performances, as he is such a talented player, and Rhapsody Of Fire drummer Alex Holzwarth contributed the drums for this recording(Alex remains with that band and Luca has found another drummer) accompanied by guitarist Dominique Leurquin and bass player Patrice Guers who left Rhapsody Of Fire with Luca. Luca had to find a lead singer and he has made a great choice with classically trained Alessandro Conti. Alessandro really can do it all; he is such a diverse expressive vocalist who is certainly up to the task.

Luca is in total control this time around as he produced and handled all the music, lyrics and orchestral arrangements. If you are familiar with and enjoy the songs of Rhapsody Of Fire then Ascending To Eternity is for you. I was also reminded of Luca's solo material, from the orchestral introduction with a modern touch "Quantum X" and spoken words (no Christopher Lee narration on this one though) telling of what is to follow as the soaring "Ascending To Infinity" comes to life. Also as this release marks the start of a new chapter with the band, as Ascending To Eternity covers many topics which is a big plus and allows for more diversity than before. It really was time to move on and try something different and they have both lyrically and musically but still retaining much of what attracted so many to Rhapsody Of Fire over the years.

Ascending To Eternity draws not only on the past but also modern influences, as this wouldn't be a Rhapsody release without the epic orchestration and choirs and both are utilised fully on here. There is so much going on as Luca draws on so many styles from classical and folk to power/speed/symphonic metal. "Dante's Inferno" is a fantastic song, one of those tunes that you know from the start is going to be good, with Luca serving up everything that is so captivating about this kind of music and like elsewhere not all the lyrics are sung in English which serves to add to the appeal.

Ascending To Eternity isn't a short album thanks to lengthy numbers like the mammoth track "Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall", a sixteen minute epic where Luca pulls out all the epic musical stops as this track draws you in. Folk music introduces "Excalibur", another substantial song clocking in at eight minutes, and also on this one there is plenty to like. It's obvious that so much effort has been put into this release to get the desired results, the musical master Luca Turilli has drawn on his many years of experience and delivered big time.

Included with the Ltd. digibook version of Ascending To Eternity is the bonus track a cover of Helloween's "March Of Time" of which Luca Turilli's Rhapsody do justice to this classic power metal song making for a a great finale to this release. Also there is a bonus DVD which includes interviews and a video for the single "Dark Fate Of Atlantis", amounting to some nice extras for the fans of special editions.

Ascending To Infinityis a cinematic metal adventure on a grand scale. Luca Turilli's Rhapsody have a hit on their hands with such an exciting quality release to launch their new band.

Track List:
CD
1. Quantum X
2. Ascending To Infinity
3. Dante's Inferno
4. Excalibur
5. Tormento E Passione
6. Dark Fate Of Atlantis
7. Luna [Alessandro Safina cover]
8. Clash Of The Titans
9. Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall
I - Alma Mundi
II - Fatum Mortalis
III- Ignis Divinus
10. March Of Time [Helloween cover] [bonus]

DVD
1.Dark Fate Of Atlantis [video]
2..Making of Dark Fate Of Atlantis [video]
3. Interview

Added: August 12th 2012
Reviewer: Scott Jessup
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2824
Language: english

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