| | Rhapsody Of Fire Triumph Or Agony CD Rhapsody Of Fire Discography of CDs
 (7 Customer Reviews)
Even though unforeseen trademark conflicts forced Rhapsody to expand their name to Rhapsody of Fire prior to this, their seventh studio album, it's good to see that nothing else has changed about the Italians' highly dramatic and orchestrated fantasy pomp metal. And why should it have? After all, no one knows drama like the Italians (except perhaps the Greeks), and Rhapsody -- forgive me, Rhapsody of Fire -- would be silly to let something as trivial as a name change alter their (thus far) very successful career course? Rather, the sextet appears even further emboldened and motivated by this unusual challenge, so that the questioningly titled Triumph or Agony only ups the ante (if that's possible) of their ambitions, which, as ever, include framing their core -- guitars, keyboards, bass, drums -- instrumentation with a full choir and symphony orchestra. Thus equipped, they deliver new unofficial chapters for The Lord of the Rings via the agonizingly triumphant title track, the frankly spectacular single "Heart of the Darklands," and the necessary showcase for frequent guest narrator, actor Christopher Lee, in "Dark Reign of Fire"; they offer stately, metallic marches like "The Myth of the Holy Sword" and "Bloody Red Dungeons" to highlight the 50-piece chorus behind them; and push the boundaries of both reason and hilarity with the daring inclusion of harpsichords, pan-flutes, and folky duets with pixie female vocalists on the lively "Old Age of Wonders." Let's not forget the gentle, sweeping balladry of their native tongue submission, "Il Canto del Vento," either -- yet, amazingly (or perhaps not!), this and all the grandiose songs before it are little more than a warm-up to the album's climactic, 16-minute song suite: the self-explanatory "The Mystic Prophecy of the Demon Knight." Here, band, choir, symphony, and additional plot-advancing narrators come together with greatest fervor and belief in their quest, reprising and expanding upon both album and band's unbeatable, and altogether expected, musical megalomania. In other words, their fans won't be disappointed, and detractors won't be able to control their spinning eyeballs; but, what matters most is that Rhapsody's transition to Rhapsody of Fire is a seamless one, and will likely continue to bear glorious treasure hunts for fans to pursue, for years and years to come. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
Rhapsody of Fire: Fabio Lione (vocals); Luca Turilli (guitars); Alex Staropoli (keyboards); Patrice Guers (bass instrument); Alex Holzwarth (drums).
Triumph Or Agony Music | List Price | $17.98 (You save $3.63) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Rock CDs, Heavy Metal, Progressive | | Label | Steamhammer | | Orig Year | 2006 | | All Time Sales Rank |  13615  | | CD Universe Part number | 7280502 | | Catalog number | 97582 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Sep 26, 2006 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Luca Turilli; Alex Staropoli | | Engineer | Sascha Paeth | | Additional Info | Bonus Tracks; Special Edition |
Rhapsody Of Fire Triumph Or Agony Songs | 1. | Dar-Kunor: Echoes From The Elvish Woods / Fear Of The Dungeons |
| 2. | Triumph or Agony |
| 3. | Heart of the Darklands |
| 4. | Old Age of Wonders |
| 5. | Myth of the Holy Sword, The |
| 6. | Il Canto del Vento |
| 7. | Silent Dream |
| 8. | Bloody Red Dungeons |
| 9. | Son of Pain |
| 10. | The Mystic Prophecy of the Demonknight: A New Saga Begins / Through The Portals Of Agony / The Black Order / Nekron's Bloody Rhymes / Escape From Horror |
| 11. | Dark Reign of Fire: Winter Dawn's Theme |
| 12. | Defenders of Gaia - (Bonus Track) |
| 13. | New Saga Begins, A - (Bonus Track/Single Edit) |
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Triumph Or Agony Music Review Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Great album
This album is not as heavy as their previous works,but this started earlyer then on this cd.This is not a heavy metal album,but it is a great one.The vocals are not as back in the mix as use to be,wich is a wellcome result.The music is excellente,a really unique style.These guys are very talented,expecially Luca Turilli,who's solo albums are great also.If you like high quality music,with symphony and orcheastra,buy this album.
Submitted by george (canada) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No I'm Stunned.
This is by far the greatest effort since SOEL1. Every song is outstanding, and the title song, wow. I wasn't particularly enthralled by SOEL2, but they hooked me again. Very, very catchy. Rock on, Rhapsody Of Fire!
Submitted by mindundermetal (Jax Beach, FL, U.S.A.)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No NOW OF FIRE!!!!!!!!!
What a great CD!!! They have the audacity and the guts to improve themselves on every record.
Luca and Alex are the best metal composers that I've ever heard and Fabio is the perfect singer for the band.
Now Rhapsody has the perfect element of metal... FIRE!!!!!!!!
Submitted by patricktruemetalfan (Valparaíso, Chile)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Oh. My. ZOMG.
I've seen a lot of complaints about this album, saying that Rhapsody (of FIRE!) has really gone down in quality since SoEL2, with less of Luca Turilli's famous guitar solos and lower quality music all round. All I have to say is - WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?
I've been a Rhapsody (of FIRE!) fan since way back to the original Symphony of Enchanted Lands, and I've heard nothing but improvement throughout the albums. Yeah they go slightly overboard with the melodrama, but who cares? The reason you listen to music is...well, the music. Does the music sound good? Son of Pain = likely Rhapsody (of FIRE!)'s best ballad since Lamento Eroico. Dark Reign of Fire = likely their best ending track of all time. Mystic Prophecy of the Demonknight = likely the best narration in any of their songs, along with excellent solos from Luca. Silent Dream = likely their best song, period.
Triumph or Agony is nothing but another masterpiece from Rhapsody (of FIRE!). Seriously, even if you've never even heard of the guys (and believe me, you've been missing out on a LOT), ToA is definitely a brilliant place to start. Actually you may want to start early to follow the cool story (cheesy, but cool to follow nonetheless), but for pure musical genius, begin here. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next instalment in the series.
Submitted by Arix (Perth, WA, Australia)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No good stuff
the mighty rhapsody are back. not as heavy as other outings but who cares?still a great record.
Submitted by gj862002 (canada)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
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