MUSIC REVIEW: Rhapsody - Dawn of Victory

"MY MAGIC SWORD!!!"

Now I'm the jerk who wrote the reviewderiding Rhapsody's exceedingly foreign vocals and cheesy lyrics. While I stand by that assessment, it was unfair for those characteristics to denigrate Dawn of Victory's rating. So this is meant to be a more "fair" review.

Rhapsody's story of fantasy adventure is something that generates emotional fuel. Even if the story is very generic, what counts is the feelings that come through. Metal bands these days are turgid and excessive in their negative attitudes, and Rhapsody's feeling of heroism is refreshing and pleasant. And, this is just my opinion, but I'd rather listen to songs about dragons and warriors than drinking beer, driving a truck, or having the hots for the girl at the office.

Rhapsody feels no embarrassment when tackling songcraft of this type. So it's the "good" kind of campiness. Because they are so enthusiastic about what they are doing, their energy is certainly infectious, aided by their excellent musicianship and Luca Turilli's incredible sense of melody. Many of these songs have the hooks of pop, but the energy and intensity of heavy metal. However, Rhapsody's inclusion of symphonic elements makes it something else entirely. Operatic choirs, REAL strings (not keyboards), among other things, all add credence to the band's style.

Unfortunately, the band seems to have lost some of its creativity since their previous release, Symphony of Enchanted Lands. SoEL is more creative, with greater ebbs and flows of diversity, and more interesting orchestral passages. While Dawn of Victory is still very good and has several great songs, they are more and more interchangeable with less emphasis on the orchestral side and a heavier lean towards the metal end. That's not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but doing so sacrifices an important factor of originality that they once possessed. Another drawback is the album becomes very homogenous sounding in the second half, whereas the first half has better songwriting and songs sound more variegated. Check out Symphony of Enchanted Lands before you check out this out.

A good album. It's cheesy, but that's part of what makes it great.