For more than thirty years, fans of symphonic melodic metal have been listening to Italy’s Rhapsody Of Fire and the band isn’t slowing down, with a new album in Challenge The Wind out now through AFM Records, they also have issued their fifth and final single to be taken from it.
The new single is ‘Mastered By the Dark’, the last track featured on the album. Available on all digital streaming providers here you can check out the lyric video to it and previous singles here at RAMzine.
“Compared to all previous Rhapsody Of Fire releases, the current album consists exclusively of up-tempo numbers, not a single ballad in sight,” said founder member and keyboard player Alex Staropoli. “None of our other records have featured as much pure, unadulterated metal as Challenge The Wind!”
Founded in 1992 by Staropoli who has been described as “the creator of the film score metal genre”, the band has an impressive catalogue of 14 studio albums, three EPs and two live recordings to date, the band also features vocalist Giacomo Voli, Alessandro Sala on bass, drummer Paolo Marchesich and guitarist Roby De Micheli, who joined the fold in 2011, contributing lots of gritty metal riffs and virtuoso solos to contrast the band’s symphonic orchestral style.
Challenge The Wind was produced by Staropoli and mixed by Seeb Levermann (Orden Ogan), who is responsible for the homogeneous sound of the ten songs on the album’s elaborate arrangements.
‘Diamond Claws’ was the band’s previous single, and before that was ‘A Brave New Hope’, about which Staropoli said: “‘A Brave New Hope’ is probably the most catchy song of the album, featuring a lot of vocal harmonies and a very cool guitar solo. The lyrics of the chorus will bring you right deep in the storytelling.”
It followed the album title track as a single released the month before, and about which Staropoli said: “‘Challenge The Wind’ is another strong musical statement from the band. Speed, energy, orchestrations, shredding guitars, amazing vocals and choirs; truly epic and divine music. Expect to be blown away, the entire album will shake you to your core!“
That followed ‘Kreel’s Magic Staff‘, a foretaste of what was to come, back last year and now the band has revealed more details about their brand new studio album.
Tracks featured on the album are ‘Challenge The Wind’ itself, ‘Whisper Of Doom’, ‘The Bloody Pariah’, ‘Vanquished By Shadows’, ‘Kreel’s Magic Staff’, ‘Diamond Claws’, ‘Black Wizard’, ‘A Brave New Hope’, ‘Holy Downfall’ and ‘Mastered By The Dark’.
The Challenge The Wind album can be ordered here and the singles on digital streaming services via this link.
