Rhapsody - Live in Canada 2005 - The Dark Secret
My expectations towards 2006 huh. It’s hard to say what this year will offer in the world of rock & roll. Normally one of the highlights is in summertime, with the festivals going on and, mostly, some interesting releases. January is normally not a month to look forward to, except for this year, with the release of ‘Live in Canada 2005, The Dark Secret’ by Rhapsody. I remember Tom Angelripper saying something about releasing a live album after six studio albums, so this one’s coming on a logical time then.
Just to put the facts in a row. Rhapsody hasn’t been on the road that much after the ‘Power of the DragonFlame Tour’. It took quite some time to record ‘Symphony of The Enchanted Lands Part II, The Dark Secret’ and afterwards only two concerts in Europe were given and a tour in North America has been worked out. That’s a shame, because seeing Rhapsody live is a must, especially for everyone involved in power-metal.
The album then, contains 60 minutes of live material. The songs from the latest record are combined with the most popular songs from the previous ones. The set list is therefore just great; every fan of the band should be satisfied with that.
Then the technical things; the band seems to have really developed since I saw them live the last time. Fabio’s voice is way stronger, the synths parts are developed more (listen to Emerald Sword for instance) and the way the two guitars are adapted to each other is incredible. Also, the presentation by Fabio has improved. The contact with the audience is much better than before and the crowd is responding tremendously. The voice of Christopher Lee takes responsibilities for the announcements and is also present in Unholy Warcry and Lamento Eroico.
I cannot say anything different than the fact that Rhapsody has just done it again. Right when I thought that it would be very hard to improve their selves after the record and the single ‘Magic of the Wizard’s Dream’, they show that they have the ability to put their skills into a live recording. The fact is, with only 60 minutes, it’s still too short. I miss songs like ‘Holy Thunderforce’ ‘Warrior of Ice’ and ‘Black Dragon’. Because of this, this album won’t add as much as it could to my cd collection. However, that is the only remark I can come up with. And since the band hasn’t been on the road for quite some time (in Europe), a live album will satisfy the fans for sure.
So, 2006 started out pretty nice. I pray it will continue this way with a lot of great releases. For the rest, let’s hope Rhapsody will come up with a big tour, with some more dates than confirmed so far on the website.
85/1001Details SPV/Steamhammer
Released on Monday Jan 23rd, 2006
Film Score Metal
Writer @CarpeSiem on Monday Jan 16th, 2006
Tags: #Rhapsody
Tracklisting
1. The Dark Secret
2. Unholy Warcry
3. Wisdom of the Kings
4. The Village Of Dwarves
5. Erian’s Mystical Rhymes
6. Dawn of Victory
7. Lamento Eroico
8. Nightfall on the Grey Mountains
9. The March of the Swordmaster
10. Emerald Sword
11. Gran Finale
2. Unholy Warcry
3. Wisdom of the Kings
4. The Village Of Dwarves
5. Erian’s Mystical Rhymes
6. Dawn of Victory
7. Lamento Eroico
8. Nightfall on the Grey Mountains
9. The March of the Swordmaster
10. Emerald Sword
11. Gran Finale
Line up
Alex Starpoli: Keyboards
Luca Turilli: Guitar
Fabio Lione: Vocals
Alex Holzwarth: Drums
Patrice Guers: Bass
Dominique Leurquin: Guitar
Luca Turilli: Guitar
Fabio Lione: Vocals
Alex Holzwarth: Drums
Patrice Guers: Bass
Dominique Leurquin: Guitar