Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands (1998)^{Release ID: 5957}

Rhapsody's second album, Symphony of Enchanted Lands, is a power metal fan-favorite for two very good reasons: 1. "Emerald Sword," 2. most of the album follows in the vein of "Emerald Sword."  This reason both makes the second entry in the famous five-part metal opera their most famous, but also hurts the album.  How?  Simple.  Did you ever find an album to be monotonous or samey?  Unfortunately, half the songs of the album are essentially trying to be sequels to "Emerald Sword," bearing the same tempo, vibe, style of instrumentations, everything.  But the thing is, they're following in the vein of "Emerald Sword."  In other words, they're songs by the exact same band trying to recreate one of the most powerful and symphonic songs on Earth.  As a result, the whole album is loaded with the symphonic power metal atmosphere they themselves invented and perfected more than BLind Guardian ever did.  And as a result, we have yet another entire collection of jams that make it hard to resist the urge to get out the toy lightsaber you haven't used in years and pretend you're gonna slay a dragon with a band of metal mistrels at your side.

Most people believe this is the best album of Rhapsody's five-part album series, and their best in general.  Well, I'm different.  I believe it's the worst of the opera, but I do NOT, I repeat, NOT believe that this is their worst album period.  I actually started their sixth album and got bored, so I shut it off.  Because Symphony of Enchanted Lands is so accessible, it makes a great entry point for anyone looking to explore symphonic metal.