Speaking about Italian Heavy Metal must always include speaking of Luca Turilli. Besides his solo albums and his Luca Turilli's Dreamquest project, he is the main composer, along with Alex Staropoli, of Rhapsody Of Fire, the biggest name of the Italian Power Metal, whose international success is the main responsible for a wave of new Italian Metal bands, specially in the second half of the nineties decade of the last century.
I found Rhapsody Of Fire (at the time just Rhapsody, before some legal problems with the rights over the name had forced them to change the band's name) in 1998, in a Metal shopping trip with some friends to a specialized store. We asked to play the CD, which was their second album, Symphony Of Enchanted Lands, and we heard this...
It was epic to a whole new level, something like we never had heard. It was an immediate passion and, for a while, Rhapsody was my favourite band. In the mean time the band changed a little and my tastes changed a little more, but I still listen with joy to everything that is released by the band now called Rhapsody Of Fire, like this Sea Of Fate, from their last album, The Frozen Tears Of Angels.
From the new wave of Power Metal bands in Italy, the more noticeable are probably Elvenking, with a touch of Folk in their sound.
And also Raintime, with a more Extreme Power Metal.
Besides these ones, there are more bands deserving a listen, like Vision Divine, Labyrinth, or Thy Majestie.
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