January 2022 Feature Release – The Guardians Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Guardians has been nominated by Andi. It's the 2000 third album "Dawn of Victory" from Italian symphonic power metallers Rhapsody.

https://metal.academy/releases/5958

Thanks Daniel for accepting my feature release submission! I shall work on my review soon...

I'm afraid my feelings on this one are very much the same as they were for Majestica's "A Christmas Carol" feature release from last month. I've made no secret about my not being capable of dealing with the cheesier & more consciously epic side of European power metal. I also hate the vast majority of symphonic metal, are repulsed by almost all folk metal & think neoclassical metal is really boring & repetitive most of the time so, let's be honest, no one was really expecting me to like this record. It's just lucky we have such a cool clan rating feature so that my piss poor score doesn't effect the likelihood of others who are destined to be more fortunate discovering this release which is admittedly very well produced & impressively executed with Yngwie J. Malmsteen being drawn upon for inspiration at times. If pushed I'd probably take this one over the Majestica one but there's very little in it.

2/5

I did my review, here's its summary:

Rhapsody (of Fire) are known for their unique power metal style, adding epic orchestration to killer anthems of the genre, and these dragon warriors from Italy have made no exception in Dawn of Victory! This is the underrated continuation of the Emerald Sword saga that started in the band's first two more popular albums. I know some of you dislike this kind of power metal including the cheesy keyboards and fantasy lyrics. However, as the power metal fan I used to fully be, I say there's lots of talent that deserve praise. Nowadays I prefer the American power metal over most of the European style, but I still haven't forgotten the legendary status of this offering. The greater power metal fans might expect the neoclassical power metal soloing from guitar wiz Luca Turilli, great bass, drum attacks, and catchy vocals that define power metal, not to mention the aforementioned epic orchestration, all to be found in fast tracks and slower semi-ballads. Dawn of Victory shows Rhapsody making material at higher quality without giving up on what makes them the legends they are. The first 3 albums make a stellar start to their career and saga, and this is the more underrated part of that trilogy in my opinion. I definitely recommend this to any fan of this style of epic neoclassical power metal. With no filler and barely any weakness, Dawn of Victory is up there as one of my favorite albums of power metal and an essential part of any power metal collection!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Dawn of Victory", "The Village of Dwarves", "Dargor, Shadowlord of the Black Mountain", "Holy Thunderforce", "The Mighty Ride of the Firelord"

For fans of: DragonForce, Gloryhammer, ReinXeed/Majestica

Rhapsody (of Fire) is a band that has suffered a lot in recent years due to oversaturation. And unfortunately it has affected some of the older music as well. Having never been a very big fan of theirs before in comparison to other prominent power/symphonic metal acts, at least I can say that I mostly enjoyed Dawn of Victory. It's pretty basic, but "Holy Thunderforce", "Triumph for My Magic Steel" and "Dragor, Shadowlord of the Black Mountain" are fun, high energy power metal songs. "The Village of Dwarves" has a pretty awful synth lead, the guitar and keys solos are unmemorable as they mostly resort to noodling instead of building on the original melodic motifs. The symphonic elements are bombastic and enjoyable, but sometimes they can get in the way of the purely metal foundation such as "The Last Winged Unicorn" and it just becomes overwhelming. Still, a decent power metal album that goes over the top with the symphonic stylings, making it memorable, but even the hooks that we do get are nowhere near as poignant as similar timeframe Blind Guardian or Kamelot.

7/10