Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Prometheus: Symphonia Ignis Divinus

[Power_Metal_Dom]

The long anticipated 2nd album since the Rhapsody split has been revealed!

Prometheus: Symphonia Ignis Divinus will be released on June 19th in the EU, June 22nd in the UK and June 30th in the US through Nuclear Blast. Guest starring are Ralf Scheepers, Dan Lucas and David Readman.

The first single, entitled 'Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross)' will be released on April 24th, 2015.

Album Art

Tracklist

01. Nova Genesis (Ad Splendorem Angeli Triumphantis) 3:08
02. Il Cigno Nero 4:08
03. Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross) 4:34
04. Anahata 5:03
05. Il Tempo Degli Dei 5:03
06 .One Ring To Rule Them All 7:05
07.Notturno 4:34
08. Prometheus 5:06
09. King Solomon And The 72 Names Of God 6:51
10. Yggdrasil 6:00
11. Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer’s Fall Part II: Codex Nemesis 18:04
I. Codex Nemesis Alpha Omega
II. Symphonia Ignis Divinus (The Quantum Gate Revealed)
III. The Astral Convergence
IV. The Divine Fire Of The Archangel
V. Of Psyche And Archetypes (System Overloaded)

Digipak Bonus:
12. Thundersteel (Cinematic Version) 4:32

 

[Cronopio]

Looks hella nice, that. The cover is Symphony X-ish. Think he's gonna go way over the top with this one.

 

[1928]

Good ol' Luca, still delivering the most cornball metal song titles this side of the Milky Way. Can't wait. Been too long since the heart and soul of Rhapsody released new stuff.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Another track released. It's beautiful

 

[1928]

Always feel bad to be the Debbie Downer but at the end of the day I still feel the same way I did on Facebook - decent music, but I think a little bloated, and the lyrics are arguably the worst I've ever heard, and that's saying something. Like he took every exotic and mystical sounding term in the collective science fiction lexicon and crammed them into a word salad.

Other than that, something feels off here. Rosenkreuz was a bit better, but...

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Pretty much agree Mr Nippleson though I'm not as salty about the lyrics as some people. This is power metal yknow and this is Luca, ridiculous lyrics are par for the course a lot of the time.

Also new teaser which is much more on form:

 

[1928]

Holy hell.

I've only heard half the album so far, will hear the rest in a bit, but I have to admit, although I stand by my comments about Prometheus and Rosenkreuz, the rest of the songs are utterly brilliant and I'm perplexed that they chose those two songs as singles because they are easily the worst I've encountered so far.

One Ring To Rule Them All is fan-fucking-tastic. They sing in the Black Speech, it's heavier than I ever expected. I could've done without the soft middle part but oh my god, what an epic piece of metal.

I am extremely surprised (and relieved) that this album, bar the two singles, is as good as it is. Wow.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

I've been a big fan of Luca since Legendary Tales and through his amazing solo projects up to Ascending to Infinity. I'm very relieved and pleased this album takes off from where the last ended. Luca is an exceptional composer and though it lacks a lot of his unique brand of shred, I'm more than happy he's made up for it with some stunning set pieces, even more grandiose orchestration which doesn't feel too over the top and more outstanding vocal work from operatic genius Alessandro Conti. My only critique would be that the themes and the lyrical content have gone a bit batshit mad but hey, this is power metal and that's sort of a given a majority of the time.

This is a strong contender for album of the year.

 

[1928]

Very interesting to see how differently we're receiving this album, Dom! I have to say this is a difficult album for me to review or even comment on. I suppose the easiest way to summarize my feelings would be that it's an album I can respect, but do not necessarily enjoy.

I think it's overly busy sometimes, the melodies not all that strong (harmonically speaking, it's very pleasing to the ear, but phrases don't seem to resolve as strongly as I expected them to and it's always leaving me wanting more), but there's no denying whatsoever that Luca is a brilliant composer. I think he's finally achieved that 'film score metal' style that was attributed to Rhapsody throughout their career, yet Rhapsody's older albums absolutely pale in comparison with what's going on here. This is, I honestly think, the current apex of symphonic metal. It is without a doubt masterfully composed and performed. I personally feel 'Of Michael...' part 2 could have been at the least 10 minutes shorter, just like part 1, but every time I hear the refrain with 'codex nemesis' sung, I get goosebumps. It's extremely powerful. However, like I said, it's overly busy, and I notice especially in 'Of Michael...' that at the end it becomes so loud, with so many layers, it becomes very hard to hear what's going on, and the vocals are buried deep throughout the album in spots just like that.

I think 'Il Cigno Nero' is a beautifully written power metal song, just lovely to listen to, perfect amount and variety of piano and synths and Alessandro's enchanting singing. Seriously, what a fucking voice on that guy. He really gets that Michael Kiske power in the higher notes. (I would have loved for a second Helloween cover on this album - Eagle Fly Free, I Want Out, etc. - but Thundersteel is a fun tune, too.) Notturno is a nice breather, Yggdrasil is actually pretty cool with some classic power metal playing, One Ring... I've already commented on. The other songs I could probably do without.

My least favorites are still Rosenkreuz and Prometheus, primarily for the lyrics but also for the melody problem I mentioned earlier. Also because I think they force Alessandro's upper range too much and eventually it becomes a little tiring for me to hear.

All in all I greatly respect Luca and I consider all of his work to be a gift unto the fans, and I highly admire his skill at composing and how far he's come since Legendary Tales. That said, I think Ascending to Infinity was a much more enjoyable album while still hitting some great elements of symphonic metal. That said, Prometheus is just another step in the evolution of Luca's songwriting. I can only wonder how much 'metal' will be in the next album. And I know Alessandro has a whole lot of education and training behind his singing, but I just can't help wondering how long his shelf life will be with the band, potentially other bands (maybe?), etc. I would really like to know just how demanding this music is on his voice, because I hope it stays with him for a very long time.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

I think it's overly busy sometimes

Whilst I have heard critiques along this line...I come to Luca for complexity and lavish over the top scores so I think people could be aware of what to expect. That said I actually think there's a lot of motifs and melodies which I can happily pick out and follow making each song distinguishable. Sure there's a bit of padding but for me at least that doesn't derail what is centrally an enjoyable 'tune'. Whether they're strong or not I suppose is a matter of opinion.

I personally feel 'Of Michael...' part 2 could have been at the least 10 minutes shorter

Agreed.

Seriously, what a fucking voice on that guy....I just can't help wondering how long his shelf life will be with the band, potentially other bands (maybe?), etc. I would really like to know just how demanding this music is on his voice, because I hope it stays with him for a very long time.

Couldn't agree more he's a real find in power metal. It's hard to get very excited for many vocalists these days especially as far as unique voices go but here's a guy who's been classically trained and he's belting the hell out of any song he turns to. I knew Luca wouldn't half-arse it when it came to who should front his vision of Rhapsody but this guy surpassed my expectations and it's delightful ^_^ I share the worry though that his chords won't last long or he'll quit for some other reason.

The other songs I could probably do without.

I think each song is indispensable. It might be the way I can't listen to tracks in isolation, if I'm listening to music I want the whole album played through and for this one I love the flow each tracks provides.

My least favorites are still Rosenkreuz and Prometheus, primarily for the lyrics but also for the melody problem I mentioned earlier. Also because I think they force Alessandro's upper range too much and eventually it becomes a little tiring for me to hear.

For me those are the 'single' tracks if you will, the ones that are a touch shallower and will do for grabbing people's attention on YouTube but I still really love the melodies and performances on both. Rosenkreuz is one of the catchier ones, I love it. I also cannot get enough of higher male singing so the upper range is music to my ears

I think Ascending to Infinity was a much more enjoyable album

All this gushing aside though I think I find myself agreeing. It's not that this is a weaker effort or changes too much, it's just that this is a wonderful parallel and anything that doesn't exceed my enjoyment of the first doesn't unseat it. Luca and co should be incredibly proud of this release and Rhapsody of Fire should be hanging their head in shame and taking notes.

 

[1928]

It'll definitely be interesting to hear what the next Rhapsody of Fire album sounds like, compared to both Dark Wings of Steel and Prometheus. I think it's safe to say they are totally different bands at this point - the tour documentary miniseries Rhapsody of Fire did last year reveals a lot into that - but I do hope the next RoF album has a little bit more of that symphonic touch that hasn't really been seen since Triumph or Agony, or Symphony 2...

Il Cigno Nero is just lovely to blast driving down the highway with the windows down. Makes the drive to work more fun.

 

[1928]

Only bumping this because WOW, Alessandro is 34. I thought he was, like, Marc Hudson young, 26 or something. That's... amazing. He'll have those pipes for a long time. o_o