Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Prometheus - Symphonia Ignis Divinus (2015)

Since 2011, the world has had to deal with two different versions of the Italian symphonic metal band Rhapsody of Fire, one with, and one without the founding member Luca Turilli, but so far, none of them have really lived up to the reputation of the original. Both bands have released one album each since the split, and both of them were okay, but nothing impressive. I did enjoy "Dark Wings of Steel" more since it had some more power in it, while "Ascending to Infinity" was more fitting as music for a apocalyptic movie.

But Luca has returned for his sophomore effort with his new Rhapsody project. The name is "Prometheus - Symphonia Ignis Divinus", and just like the name suggest, it is another grand, epic album that wants to take the listener to an incredible journey. But whenever I listen to it, it just reminds me that I have a shit ton of movies that I want to watch. Seriously, almost everything in this album would fit better in either a motion picture or at some opera show in the Coliseum. Just listen to the opener "Nova Genesis (Ad Splendorem Angeli Triumphantis)", and you will instantly think that it is the start of something made by an Italian Tim Burton. For the record, I am not saying that this is anything bad, I just mean that it feels weird.

I can instantly say that the music here in "Prometheus..." is a step forward from "Ascending To Infinity", having more focus and determination to attack the listener with. I can sense that Luca has taken his time to really perfect all parts of this album towards his liking, and it really shows in the final product. The overall song material might not be ultra strong, but it holds a good, consistent standard throughout the album, making it a really solid piece of music.

The big red line that goes through the album is the mix between the Latin and English language, which works perfectly fine most of the time. Whether the band only uses English (like in the LOTR song "One Ring To Rule Them All"), only Latin ("Il Cigno Nero" and "Il Tempo Degli Dei"), or a mix of the two, the band can still create some beautiful stuff to go along with it. You could complain that the lyrics would be harder to understand, which I totally get, but it still sounds good in my ears, and that is enough to please me. However, I do feel like some of Alessandro Conti's English pronunciations is kind of off, something that he needs to keep working on in between albums.

The album also contains the second part of the giant epic known as "Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall" (first part was in "Ascending To Infinity"), and just like its first part, it is the meatiest song in the album, clocking in at a whooping 18 minutes and 5 seconds. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time in trying to follow with the entire track, a trait that the first part also had. It is a pretty decent epic, but I wish that it would have been more consistent, not feeling like Luca just cut and pasted some different elements into a song that is too big for its own good. If you enjoyed the first part, you will most likely enjoy this one as well.

Luca has created a pretty good symphonic metal album that certainly beats out the other Rhapsody (for now). However, I am still a little annoyed that the music has such a big movie feel to it. I really would not be surprised if Luca would give up his career as a metal artist in the near future to travel to Hollywood and write film scores for some epic fantasy adventure. But for now, I am happy that Luca still creates metal music, and "Prometheus..." is a testament that he still can create some great stuff. Your move Rhapsody of Fire.

Songs worthy of recognition: Prometheus, Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross), One Ring To Rule Them All

Rating: 7,5/10 Yggdrasils