Rhapsody Of Fire friendly split-up

A proper arrival from vacations must include some bombastic news that I was completely unaware of, and you can say BOMBASTIC again!

They had already stated that From Chaos To Eternity was the end of the Emerald Saga, but I believe everyone was expecting the beginning of a new saga, and not the split-up of the band.

Well, actually the band doesn't end. It will simply be split in two.
Alex Staropoli will go on leading Rhapsody Of Fire, with Fabio Lione, Alex Holzwarth and Tom Hess, while Luca Turilli will form a new Rhapsody (?) band, with Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers, and Alex Holzwarth (it seems Holzwarth will be the drummer for both bands).

While at first sight this seemed a major tragedy, thinking about it a bit, it's not that bad.
Rhapsody Of Fire had released nine full lengths and two EPs and, let's face it, although all of them had top notch music and song writing, nothing really original and breath taking came from them a while ago.
I believe that Luca and Alex felt the need to part ways to evolve in their song writing in different directions, since they had exhausted the artistic creativity they could generate together.

My personal bet is that Rhapsody Of Fire will get heavier and that the new Luca Turilli's band will be more progressive, both of them keeping the root of Symphonic Power Metal. So maybe everybody wins with this split-up, let's wait and see!

Here is the full statement from Rhapsody Of Fire website:
After 15 years of friendship, hard work and big passion, fully invested in the creation of symphonic music and an epic saga that will remain in the history of heavy metal, Alex Staropoli and Luca Turilli decided to proceed to a friendly split.
“10 albums released and the end of the saga represents, musically and lyrically, an important artistic goal finally reached, underlined by the success of our last release “From Chaos To Eternity”, for which we want to thank our wonderful fans once again. Now it came the time when new artistic stimulations need to be found, in respect of both parts’ visions and perspectives and of our long-time friendship” say Luca and Alex. Due to the latest legal agreements actually in force, Alex Staropoli will go on with RHAPSODY OF FIRE having, between the others, Fabio Lione as singer, Tom Hess as guitar player and Alex Holzwarth as drummer. For the same agreements and the original name’s common ownership, Luca Turilli will release his future works with a new RHAPSODY band, including the faithful band members Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers and Alex Holzwarth.

Alex says: “While wishing the best to Luca and his new band, I want to tell you that Fabio and myself feel motivated and stronger than ever and that RHAPSODY OF FIRE are already planning a great worldwide tour. More information regarding the new bass player and the new second guitar player will follow. Stay tuned!”

I'm back!

Hey everyone!
I'm back from my vacations and full of energy to keep the blog rolling!

In spite not having posted during the last two and a half weeks, I haven't been on holidays from the best music around, so I have some great new releases to tell you about in the next one and a half weeks, before I finish our South American tour in Colombia and Venezuela.

Cheers!

Metal Obituary: Jani Lane of Warrant

Johnny is probably going to kill me for posting Warrant on Darklands while he's away, and though I was personally not a huge fan of the band, they were a fairly big glam/hair metal band back in the 80's so the untimely passing of their historical front man Jani Lane this month is certainly worth a mention.

It appears that he always had a difficult relationship with alcohol and it seems that it was an excess of booze and prescription drugs that are to blame for his passing last week. He was 47 years old. R.I.P.

Warrant - Cherry Pie

Vacations!

From today and until the end of August, I'm on vacations, and so is my dwellings in the Blog.
Our beloved readers will have to feed only from the ocasional review that Miguel decides to throw in here (I know he has one or two in the back of his head, waiting to be written ah ah ah!)

Cheers!

Song Of the Day - CLXV - South American Metal Tour: Ecuador

I couldn't end our Ecuadorian week without bringing to light the Gothic Metal scene in the country. Quite a number of interesting bands and, although none of them really strikes out as being awesome, many have great potential.
I chose Decapitados for today's post because there was only one thing that I don't like about them, which is the voice of their Female singer which has a tone that doesn't fit in with the ambiance of the songs. On the other hand their Male singer as a voice that matches the songs perfectly.

Decapitados - Tiempo de Muerte

Song Of the Day - CLXIV - South American Metal Tour: Ecuador

Good Heavy Metal balads from Ecuador. This time with the band Crossfire. They have two full length releases.

Crossfire - Tanto Que Decirte

Happy Birthday, Miguel!

That's right, our one and only Miguel Melo is today's birthday boy.
Reason enough to justify another post today with one of my favourite songs from one of his favourite bands.
Happy birthday, dude! Enjoy!

Song Of the Day - CLXIII - South American Metal Tour: Ecuador

Today a band playing Heavy Metal with some Folk elements.
Aztra have released four full lengths in their ten year career.

Aztra - Sin Opción

Song Of the Day - CLXII - South American Metal Tour: Ecuador

Another great Progressive Metal band from Ecuador is Viuda Negra. They have released two full lengths.
I leave you with a good Metal balad, something rare these days.

Viuda Negra - Ausencia

Song Of the Day - CLXI - South American Metal Tour: Ecuador

Another great Ecuatorian band is Romasanta.
They play great songs in old school Speed Power Metal mixed with dreadful balads.
From a fast listening to what was available in Youtube I would say that their 2007 full length is the best of their three releases.

Romasanta - Marcas de Ayer

Song Of the Day - CLX - South American Metal Tour: Ecuador

Maybe glued too much to Dream Theater's style, but these Ecuatorian musicians are talented enough, and original enough, by using violin for instance, to make their country proud for having a great Progressive Metal band.
Jethzabel has just one full length, released in 2007, but I sure hope they are working on more material and evolving their sound.

Jethzabel - Jezabel

Song Of the Day - CLIX - South American Metal Tour: Ecuador

After the blog's first anniversary's festivities break, with Miguel definitely raising the standards of the song of the day with his witty writing and profound knowledge on Eighties Metal and Christian Metal, I'm back to continue our South American tour, just before a two weeks interruption for my vacations.

This week we reach Ecuador, a good surprise in the quality of the Metal bands I've found.

We start the week (almost too late) with the Power Metal band, Black Sun. They have released this year their seconf full-length.

Black Sun - La Pinta, La Niña y La Santa Maria

Song Of the Day - CLVIII - Top 7 Christian Metal bands of the 80’s

I just realised that my band suggestions have unwittingly followed an alphabetical order. How uncanny is that? Seeing as this is my closing post in this one-year celebration, I ask of you that you indulge me in breaking this neat order, writing a slightly longer post and injecting some chaos in the proceedings.

And chaos was what Stryper brought to both the Metal and the Christian community when they formed in the early eighties.

For starters, they didn't look quite right: having embraced the Glam Metal look of heavy makeup and impossibly big hair, coupled with a decisively conspicuous striped yellow and black attire, people couldn't stop wondering if indeed they were for real.

Then there was the fact that they favoured playing and mingling with mainstream bands rather than staying within the confines of Christian labels, festivals and venues. And to add insult to injury, they made a point of preaching from the stage and throwing Stryper-branded Bibles to the audience.

Despite this, and much to the confusion of everyone on both camps, Stryper seemed to thrive. Their edgy brand of melodic metal that featured bold Christian lyrics seemed to garner appreciation from the growing number of fans that eventually pushed their 80's albums to reach Gold and even Platinum state. At one time one of their songs was the most requested videoclip on MTV, beating bands like Motley Crue and Bon Jovi.

So, what contributed to this acceptance when on all counts they just seemed odd? It is my opinion that people, detractors included, ended up respecting the honesty and (some would say innocence) with which these four musicians approached both their music and their mission. The fact of the matter is Stryper really knew how to write a great song, how to arrange an produce it, and how to put a different and refreshing message to it. They knew how to be rock stars and yet remain approachable and accountable.

In the eighties they released increasingly melodic and well produced releases, the greatest seller having been 1987's seminal To Hell With The Devil. But in 1990 they brought yet again chaos to their turf, by releasing a much groovier sounding record with distinctly toned down lyrics entitled Against The Law. Some argue that this is still their best release to date, but most people equated this artistic license to betrayal and guitarist Oz Fox, drummer Robert Sweet and bassist Tim Gains ended up splitting a couple of years after the band's singer and main songwriter Michael Sweet left.

After a long hiatus and when people had just about given up on a reunion, a few one off concerts got the band in touch with each other and their audience and led to the release of a couple of pretty good comeback records entitled Reborn and Murder By Pride (in 2005 an 2009, respectively).

This year, and yet again courting with danger, the band released The Covering, an album of cover songs of mainstream bands that influenced them, from Black Sabbath to Iron Maiden, from Led Zeppelin to Judas Priest. I have heard a few music connoisseurs consider this to be the best rock covers album they have ever heard, an opinion I certainly share (read my full review in this blog by clicking this link).

The future does look bright for the yellow and black boys from Orange county!

I close this celebratory week with a great, heavy song from the band. Thanks for tuning in and here's to one more great year @ Darklands blog!

Stryper - Soldiers Under Command (1985)

Song Of the Day - CLVII - Top 7 Christian Metal bands of the 80’s

Here’s another band whose history is clearly split in two halves. Formed in the mid-eighties by singer Scott Wenzel and guitarist extraordinaire Rex Carrol, Whitecross rose to prominence by their energetic brand of melodic metal, akin to a wilder-guitar version of the band Ratt, but with uncompromising lyrics. Wenzel full-ranged yet slightly nasal voice coupled brilliantly with Carrol’s neoclassical pyrotechnics to produce one of the few Christian Metal acts that was, pound-for-pound, better than most of their mainstream contemporaries.

After 5 excellent albums, however, Rex left to pursue other musical interests and the band’s sound lost a lot of its distinct edge.

Three more albums and a well deserved break later, at the turn of the century and much to the enjoyment of older fans, Rex once again joined up with Scott for occasional yet promising concerts.

To this day, however, the only studio release from this reformed lignup was 2005’s "Nineteen Eighty Seven", an impressive and expanded re-recording of the self-titled debut album that showed that both guys still "have it". Still, fans wait patiently for more... so, in the meantime, I leave you with

Whitecross - When The Clock Strikes (1988)

Song Of the Day - CLVI - Top 7 Christian Metal bands of the 80’s

Ah yes. What we need on this thread is a bit of controversy to stir things up a bit. Vengeance Rising seemed adept at courting with it by being possibly the first growling vocals Christian Thrash Metal band. Though some songs fell into a slower, Stoner metal vibe, these guys mostly ripped through fast, highly aggressive music and bold lyrics like a bat out of hell. Suffice to say this caused discomfort even on more mellow metal listeners, so the less it is said about the feelings of ultra-conservative Christians (who saw Metal as the root of all evil) the better.

But the turmoil wouldn’t stop at the band’s inception: after two very good releases, all of the band members except for the singer left under obscure conditions. The now infamous Roger Martinez (who at the time was a full-time christian pastor) decided to press on and released two more albums with session musicians, only to finally dissolve the band, utterly renounce his faith and sink into a destructive spiral of many years where he seemed to turn on everyone that had any dealings with in the past.

To this day, a lot of people in the Christian Metal community don’t know how to deal with such an abrupt change of heart by someone who was so vocal on his convictions, but regardless of that, Vengeance Rising's four albums remain an historically interesting part of this sub-genre.

Vengeance Rising - Can't Get Out (1990)

Song Of the Day - CLV - Top 7 Christian Metal bands of the 80’s

Four albums is sadly too little to have from a band like Sacred Warrior. Formed in 1985 in Chicago, their debut album "Rebellion", dated 1988, is such a contagious slice of 80’s metal that it still rates as one of my personal favourite releases of the decade. Ray Parra’s vocal delivery has been (quite rightly) compared to Queensryche’s Geoff Tate and, though Sacred Warrior tend to showcase a fair bit more soloing than Tate’s band (courtesy of guitarist Bruce Swift), musically they are not far apart either.

While the band suffered somewhat from irregular production quality across releases (and dubious mix level choices particularly on their sophomore album), the fact of the matter is the band managed to put out a consistently good set of four yearly releases while active.

Occasional get-togethers since disbanding have led to one off concerts but, to this day, talks of a proper reunion with new music being released have remained elusive, which is a crying shame for a band showing such potential.

For your enjoyment, I leave you with my favourite track of their second album "Master's Command", released in 1989.

Sacred Warrior - Evil Lurks

Song Of the Day - CLIV - Top 7 Christian Metal bands of the 80’s

Though they have split up a few years ago, Rez Band (aka Resurrection Band) have probably the greatest legacy and are the most respected outfit among fellow Christian Metal bands. The are many reasons for this: not only are they the true forefathers of Christian Hard Rock, able to keep a stable member roster throughout their 30 years career but their commitment to living a humble life away from the spotlights has proven an inspiration to many to this day.

Having formed way back in 1972 in a commune named "Jesus People USA" located in Chicago, Rez have always tackled not only faith but also social issues (with which they deal daily) with great tact and integrity. These lyrics, put to heavy blues delivered with heartfelt conviction by frontman Glenn Kaiser (who, outside the music realm, is a protestant minister) leave no one indifferent and force the listener to take notice.

Since the 80’s decade was their heaviest and most creative, I just could not leave them out of this collection!

Rez Band - Military Man (Live in 1992, originally from the 1982 album "D.M.Z.")

Song Of the Day - CLIII - Top 7 Christian Metal bands of the 80’s

Of the Christian Metal bands that started in the 80’s, Bride have got to be the most resilient. While others are still active today after regrouping (some of the featured in this collection), I believe Bride are probably the only ones that have been active throughout (though only singer Dale Thompson and axeman brother Troy Thompson remain from the original 1983 lignup). It has not been a consensual journey however, as throughout their 13-plus album career, Bride’s releases have been so stylistically diverse that they have managed to lose as many fans as they gained (though hailing from the US, they are surprisingly big in South America).

I, like many older Bride fans, favour heavily (pun intended) their first three albums, that showcase fairly edgy and complex Heavy-to-Power Metal but there are still great songs to be found on the later, more alternative-sounding offers. In any case, two thing you can’t take away from these guys is their endurance and determination, as well as Dale Thompson’s voice which has to be one of the strongest in the business (check out his screams on the closing choruses of today's song).

The song for today comes from their awesome (albeit thinly produced) sophomore release of 1988 "Live To Die".

Bride - Heroes