LUCA TURILLI’S RHAPSODY – “ASCENDING TO INFINITY”
NUCLEAR BLAST (2012)

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

Can somebody please explain to me what on earth is going on with the guys in Rhapsody? Having made quite an impression with their unique blend of Symphonic and Euro-Power Metal since their inception in the early 90’s, ‘trademark issues’ led to their decision to change their name to Rhapsody Of Fire, which was never a real issue as the core of Alex Staropoli (keys)/Luca Turilli (guitars) was left intact. Last year we were informed that Turilli decided to leave the band and form his own version of Rhapsody under the moniker Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody, which is again fine I guess, however what makes things really complicated is that his first album under that new moniker that’s entitled “Ascending To Infinity” is also considered to be “Rhapsody’s” 11th album! Having decided quite early on that any further attempt to understand this situation would simply be futile, I instead began listening to the nine compositions on offer.

During these last twenty years or so Luca Turilli has been working towards perfecting his compositional skill, involving orchestral arrangements and Euro Power Metal riffs and melodies in equal parts, hence, it should come as no surprise to any of you that “Ascending To Infinity” is the end result of a similar musical ‘exercise’. On a personal level, I always admired Luca’s understanding of what constitutes a decent orchestral arrangement but was not always particularly attracted by his Power Metal tendencies and so it is that I find myself once again listening to an album that offers me enthusiasm and apathy in equal amounts. On a more positive note, I think that Luca’s new band mate Alessandro Conti has done a really good job behind the mike, ensuring I did not miss Fabio Leone’s contributions too much. Ok, so let’s look at the album more closely.

The oriental tunes and vocal variety of the two and a half minute orchestral theme “Quantum X” provide a very promising start for the album but I feel that the momentum was somewhat lost with “Ascending To Infinity” – a typical up-tempo Euro Power song whose interesting choral parts were not enough to help it stand out. The same cannot be said for the exceptional “Dante’s Inferno”, with its pompous orchestrations, clever symphonic arrangements and a dead catchy refrain. Having really enjoyed the medieval-sounding opening theme of “Excalibur” I was somewhat disappointed by its prominent Power Metal elements but then I heard “Tormento E Passione” – an amazing piano-led orchestral theme of Broadway quality that is, without a doubt, the highlight of the album. “Dark Fate Of Atlantis” is another varied composition that didn’t particularly register with me but the ballad “Luna” did, featuring beautiful piano melodies, dramatic orchestral themes and a variety of male/female vocals performing in both English and Italian – quite a treat, actually. More variation can be found in “Clash Of The Titans”, a song that some of you may not all particularly enjoy but which fans of Luca’s music will surely manage to connect with. Closing the album with a fifteen minute song would always be a great challenge for any band and, but even though there are some very inspirational moments in “Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer’s Fall”, the taste it leaves is bitter sweet!

I am not sure what Luca’s intentions are about the future of this ‘new’ band but, at this stage, what is very important is that Nuclear Blast is clearly offering its support to the Italian guitar maestro. Regardless as to whether you register “Ascending To Infinity” as a debut release or as the latest addition to an already rich discography, the fact is that it is an album that will mainly appeal to the same people who were first enchanted by Rhapsody’s “Legendary Tales” back in 1997. Though not the type of album that I would listen to on a daily basis, I would certainly not mind having a copy in my record/CD collection.

John Stefanis

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)

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