The Dark Secret

[Ayreon Guardian X]

What does everyone think of Rhapsody's new mini-album, The Dark Secret? I personally believe that with the new narrator and new style, Rhapsody, while still being cheese metal, will actually be cool cheese metal.

 

[OfSinsAndShred]

I think Rhapsody's already cool, so I can't wait.

...I'm still missing why Rhapsody is cheesier than SX or any other metal band with fantasy stylings.

 

[Ayreon Guardian X]

Rhapsody is cheesier than most metal bands because they would color their hair silver for an album shoot, be holding swords in an album shoot, make a video featuring a cheesy evil temptress, and finally becuase their previous narrator sounded extremely cheesy saying, "Oh, no oh, god no! It has happened, the queen of the damned has opened the book of the dead...." etc.... The only other band that I know that is cheesier is Metalium, and that is because of their entire quest story, and secondly, because they took pictures of their faces and superimposed them on an art piece of knightly warriors (see Hero Nation)

I still love the music and think that Rhapsody is one of the most unique and awesome prog/neoclassical/symphonic metal bands out there. They, unlike most bands, have their own identity, and don't let being reguarded as cheesy stop them from doing what they want to do. I think that injecting new life into their music with as highly reguarded a talent as Christopher Lee will definitely help their music appear more serious, even if the lyrics are not.

 

[theodyssey]

You know, i agree with ofsinsandshred. Why is that cheesy? i always call bands like hammerfall and rhapsody cheesy, but in reality, what is so cheesy about them? Since when is a heroic quest and such cheesy?

 

[Ayreon Guardian X]

I think that it becomes cheesy because the bands themselves act like they are the super-heroic Conans. Authors don't dress up like their book heroes and I believe that the bands should let it at the musical and lyrical level. Even at that, I believe that a Metaliana is grasping at straws and that it is just an attempt to stretch the story a little longer. Rhapsody wouldn't be as cheesy if, first of all, their narrator didn't sound so melodramatic and fake, secondly, they didn't hold swords and color their hair grey, and lastly, if their videos didn't contain either two weird kid traveling through time or a half-nude (not that I mind that part) evil temptress fighting one of the band members with horribly cheesy special effects work. If you are going to make a video like that, wait until you are big enough to hire actors/actresses that are less melodramatic or get special effects that actually look believable.

I even believe that artwork in the lyric booklet depicting the quest or story, provided it is well done, can help. A good cover, such as Molly Hatchet's "Flirtin' With Disaster" would help make the decision to buy the album. Even "Dawn of Victory", "Rain of a Thousand Flames", and "Power of the Dragonflame" had awesome art that influences a purchase. Just don't try to act out the story unless you have a budget as big as that needed to create "Lord of the Rings" (at least that quality of production).

 

[OfSinsAndShred]

I must admit I don't like their videos. But hey, they're doing what they can with their budget.

And what's wrong with being in character and having swords and everything? It all helps with the effect, IMO - they're pure fantasy. It's like a combination of dungeons and dragons with metal. *shrug* I think it's cool.

 

[SilentRealm]

im not gonna argue with ayreon guardian x on this.

 

[ElPredicador]

What the hell is being cheesy anyway?

 

[arglebargle]

Most people considered anything fantasy-related to be "cheesy".

 

[ElPredicador]

NO, I mean what's the definition of cheesy, not what things are cheesy.

 

[OfSinsAndShred]

Hard to describe. Dorky, over the top. Weird Al's a good example, lol. And Rhapsody I guess.

Y'know what I find cheesy? The "look how evil we are" metal stuff... Ooooh, scary.

 

[ElPredicador]

OK, I may be getting the picture...