CD REVIEW: RHAPSODY OF FIRE – Dark Wings Of Steel

Label: AFM Records

Release Date: December 3, 2013

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur

There is something about symphonic metal that gets me excited.  I love the sound of an electric guitar, killer drums, and larger than life vocals and choruses all coming together.  After a nice intro in the form of “Vis Divina,” the album kicks off in the right direction with “Rising From The Tragic Flames.”  The guitar work and drums are top notch on this track.  This track is so strong, I wait patiently through the softer opening of “Angel Of Light” until the song takes off and soars mightily on the lead vocals and chugging guitar riffs.  Much like the other tracks, “Tears Of Pain” has that large keyboard/symphonic sound that draws you in and keeps you engaged while the drums keep the rhythm tight and moving.  “Custode di Pace” lulls you with a soft sensibility and acoustic guitar and piano interlude that gives you a break from the heavy stuff while keeping the song within the parameters of the genre.  The title track brings the disc full circle and gives you that pounding rock track masked with keyboards and vocals that lift it up in a symphonic manner.

Some discs are full of songs that keep the flow alive and moving; such is the case with this disc.  Songs like “Fly To Crystal Skies” and “My Sacrifice.”  This is no small feat, as the latter is over 8 minutes in length.  The vocals stand out on this opus and keep the listener involved.  The former has a rock sensibility that blends well with the symphonic sound and encompasses the sound of rock and rolls days of big guitar glory.  Moving into the modern era, “Silver Lake Of Tears” has all the key components of a symphonic metal track that should please all who dig the genre.  The vocals play well against the duet of the keyboards and guitars.  “A Tale Of Magic” is another track that feeds the sound of the disc and band well.  The heavier bottom end of the vocals and bass line stand out and accentuate the track (which happens to be the shortest on the disc at just over 4 minutes).  The disc closes with the melancholy and less aggressive track “Sad Mystic Moon.”  The entire disc creates almost an hour of great metal that features strong playing, vocals, and lyrics.  After listening to this disc a few times, I ran to my local CD store and picked up two older releases – this is one of my favorite “new” bands.

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Category: CD Reviews