Rhapsody Of Fire - The Frozen Tears Of Angels review
| Band: | Rhapsody Of Fire |
| Album: | The Frozen Tears Of Angels |
| Style: | Symphonic power metal |
| Release date: | April 30, 2010 |
| Guest review by: | Parasomnia |
01. Dark Frozen World
02. Sea Of Fate
03. Crystal Moonlight
04. Reign Of Terror
05. Danza Di Fuoco E Ghiaccio
06. Raging Starfire
07. Lost In Cold Dreams
08. On The Way To Ainor
09. The Frozen Tears Of Angels
10. Labyrinth Of Madness [bonus]
11. Sea Of Fate [orchestral version] [bonus]
12. Immortal New Reign [Japanese bonus]
Rhapsody Of Fire is a name synonymous with power metal. Anyone who has ever delved even the smallest bit into this genre undoubtedly has heard of this band. This fact is with good reason: Rhapsody Of Fire is a freaking powerhouse of talent and epic ability. Unlike their last couple albums, The Frozen Tears of Angels satisfies every bit of the unicorn riding, dragon slaying fantasies of Rhapsody Of Fire nerds, while maintaining super solid, well written metal songs.
That said, I'll begin my review of The Frozen Tears of Angels
From the first moment of the first song, "Dark Frozen World ", this is unmistakably a Rhapsody Of Fire album. The James Earl Jones-esque narration's a la Christopher Lee will be familiar to every fan of this band. After a short, but epic, choir and orchestra section, the album is kicked off with "Sea of Fate". Ripping classically influenced power riffs from virtuoso guitarist Luca Turilli? Check. Soaring vocals from virtuoso vocalist Fabio Lione? Check. Orchestrated keyboard synths mixed in with the good old fashion freak out keyboard solos from virtuoso keyboardist Alex Starpoli? Check. These three are definitely the shining stars of the album, although Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers and Alex Holzwarth have some pretty insane rhythms, with a few songs featuring short, but INSANE, bass solos.
This album is a solid as hell piece of work. I would say it was perfect, except there are a couple songs on here that seem like rehashed, revamped Rhapsody songs. "Sea of Fate" is the example I'll use. Yeah, sure, it's got really intricate instrumental and vocal work, but it sounds too much like other Rhapsody Of Fire songs that I've heard. That said, the majority of the songs on this album will rock your socks off. "Reign of Terror" is, IMHO, the best Rhapsody Of Fire song I've heard. And that's saying something. Be prepared for Fabio's epic black metal-esque death screams
Final Impression: This album is incredible. I honestly think this is the best material this band has released since Legendary Tales way back when they were still Rhapsody. Check it out, even if you aren't a fan of symphonic power metal, there is something here for every metalhead.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 10 |
Written by Parasomnia | 05.06.2011
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
8.5
8.5
|
Rating: 8.5 |
The mighty Rhapsody are back with a new label after years of legal battles. The question is; have the past years exhausted the band, or is The Frozen Tears Of Angels the masterpiece they claim it is? There's no doubt that The Frozen Tears Of Angels is a Rhapsody album; flamboyant, colourful, cheesy and theatrical, the kings are back. This isn't the absolute masterpiece you might have been waiting for however, but neither is it a disappointment. Opening "Sea Of Fate" might show us that Luca Turilli's fingers haven't ceased up, and the silky smooth "Crystal Moonlight" might be mildly catchy, but these songs fall short of the wild energy and pomposity you might have experienced on the Dawn Of Victory or Power Of The Dragonflame albums for example. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 9
Visited by: 134 users
| munson Posts: 117  |
I agree with your points, but I think this review is too catered to people who already know and enjoy Rhapsody of Fire.
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| Parasomnia Posts: 50  |
Written by munson on 05.06.2011 at 19:21 But then again, this album IS catered for people who know Rhapsody of Fire. This isn't exactly the best album to start out on, story wise
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| munson Posts: 117 |
Written by Parasomnia on 05.06.2011 at 19:49 Good point. Still my favorite RoF album to date, and if you're not thinking about the story arch, I think this would be a great first taste of Rhapsody of Fire. The narrated and orchestral parts are easier to digest on this album, I think.
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| Parasomnia Posts: 50 |
Written by munson on 05.06.2011 at 21:07 Definitely agree  The music is much more solid than its ever been before, and there isn't as many random folk interludes in this album.
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| Saeed_p Posts: 113  |
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| mikeprado30 Posts: 1284  |
Written by Saeed_p on 06.06.2011 at 23:30 Agree with that! I was surprised with such great album! The best piece in the Rhapsody's discography, even better for me than Power of the Dragonflame (former personal best RoF album)
---- BARDS WE ARE, BARDS WE WILL BE!
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| Parasomnia Posts: 50 |
Written by Saeed_p on 06.06.2011 at 23:30 Eh, to each be his own
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| LordHypnos Account deleted |
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| Parasomnia Posts: 50 |
Written by [user id=135634] on 02.10.2012 at 15:05 I know, that was after only a couple listens. Now, I'd say its 8.3-8.6
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