Rhapsody

Power of the Dragonflame

A Nice Surprise

Review Score:

(8/10)
I've never been a really hardcore Rhapsody fan, though I've kept track of their career from Legendary Tales on. I'm really not in the mood to listen to them all the time(I'm sure hardcore fans can listen to them at any given time), but every now and again I like my Rhapsody fix. By the time I got around to Dawn Of Victory and Rain..., I started getting a bit bored with them; Every album started out with Track 1) The 1+ minute into track of epic choir chanting that builds and builds until we're thrust into Track 2). Where we get the fast guitar intro followed by the thundering drums and Fabio's opening cry. You know the drill. I quickly realized they were becoming the AC/DC of Epic Symphonic Hollywood Metal(that's a lame desciption for your sound no matter how you cut it). They were talented of course, but boring. I stayed away from Dragonflame when it came out coz I just didn't care. Upon hearing about Enchanted Lands 2, and the fact that they got Christopher Lee to narrate, got me in need of that Rhapsody fix. I got that and Dragonflame. And you know what I thought of Dragonflame? I thought it was pretty damn good actually. It's still Rhapsody and still suffers from Rhapsody's cliches, but there's just.....something a little different about it that I really liked. I can't pinpoint it exactly, but I know that I could tell one song from another. They try a speedier sound on one song. Fabio tries a harsher, Manowaresque vocal on this song as well, and it's good. This is what I had been waiting for Rhapsody to do-make songs with a little variance while retaining their signature sound. They even manage to slip the "F" word into the lyrics this time. No big deal by any means, but different. Even with a few minor changes this cd isn't going to convert a Rhapsody hater, nor will they turn away a hardcore fan. These things were very, very welcome to me. Plus a minimum of that rotten narrator really helps. If you also feel Rhapsody had gone quite stale and you need a Rhapsody fix, Dragonflame is a good way to re-introduce yourself.

More Reviews: