Prometheus (Symphonia Ignis Divinus)

The eventual schism that resulted in the formation of Luca Turilli's Rhapsody and the termination of his former solo projects and association with his mainstay brand Rhapsody Of Fire could be seen as inevitable, insofar that with the conclusion of the second stream of episodes of the original Emerald Sword saga that some changing of the guard was in the works, especially considering the monumental feat of putting out 14 albums in less than 20 years. One would assume that with a singular vision to reach for, that Turilli's craft would find itself in a state of renewed energy and vigor, and in the case of debut opus Ascending To Infinity, that happened within a generally familiar stylistic context. In many ways, his latest endeavor Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus reflects the same familiarity, though from a different chapter in his extensive career as a symphonic metal composer and with arguably a tad less flair than witnessed three years prior.

On its surface, this album tends to resemble the techno-based character of Turilli's solo magnum opus Prophet Of The Last Eclipse, largely in that it incorporates a fair amount of synthetic sounds to complement his staunch loyalty to traditional 18th and 19th century orchestration. The resulting synthesis of styles also gives way to some potential comparisons to his fairly controversial one album project Dreamquest, though thankfully this does not dovetail with any reduction in speed and intensity that befits a power metal album of the post-Helloween order. Indeed, while his appointed vocalist Alessandro Conti has always had a strong Michael Kiske tinge to his vocal style, he does a fair job of adapting his soaring tenor range to something a bit more operatic than Olaf Hayer's vocal work, though he still doesn't quite come off in as colorful of a fashion as Fabio Lione, which is perhaps for the best given that Luca was trying to put some distance between Rhapsody Of Fire.

It should be stated up front that while anticipation for this album was naturally fairly strong given the success of its predecessor, the matter of promoting it was a bit hit or miss given the songs selected as singles for this album. Indeed, perhaps the most formulaic and predictable song out of the bunch "Rosenkruez (The Rose And The Cross)" ended up being the albums lead off single. It's far from what would be described as a dud, but the recurring electronic synth drones that paint the chorus tend to clash a bit with the sampled Gregorian Chant bits, and the song generally avoids any truly engaging twists and kind of goes through the motions. The album's second single "Prometheus" was a bit better, managing a strong bombastic symphonic backdrop to a fair strong speeder, though the lyrics are extremely convoluted and find Alessandro Conti coming dangerously close to a self-induced state of marble mouth.

Thankfully enough, most of what rounds out the rest of this album proves that first impressions can often be deceiving, and a rock solid combination of fun and catchy power metal interacts with some highly ambitious composition work. On the former end of things is a nice lyrical and musical homage to the 2010 film Black Swan, here titled Il Cigno Nero, featuring a charming piano theme somewhat reminiscent of "Pachelbel's Canon" and married to a nice, cruising drive. Things move a bit closer to an older school Rhapsody Of Fire vain with "Anahata" and "Yggdrasil", the former being of a more animated yet consonant character, while the latter brings in an almost lullaby-like feel and blasts forth into a similarly animated and triumphant state of pomp. Generally the approach isn't quite as lightning fast as when Alex Holzwarth was behind the kit, but it's largely compensated for with ambitious songwriting, and the epic homage to Lord Of The Rings in "One Ring To Rule Them All" recaptures elements of the original film score quite well while maintaining his own unique spin on things.

At this juncture, it's still a safe conclusion that Turilli has kept an edge over his former band mates in Rhapsody Of Fire in that he has maintained his status as a technician while still proving to be a capable songwriter, though there is definitely potential over in the other camp with some fine-tuning and an approach closer to where they were prior to Turilli's exodus. This is arguably the most ambitious thing that Luca Turilli has put together since 2002, though it also comes with some individual weak links that were generally absent from his seminal solo works. It's difficult not to notice the impressive colossus of orchestral brilliance and flashy guitar and keyboard work that adorns "Of Michael the Archangel and Lucifer's Fall Part II: Codex Nemesis", and the cinematic cover of Riot's "Thundersteel" manages to come out about as brilliantly as the original while sounding quite different in the process. It's a bit less consistent than Ascending To Infinity, but it may prove to be a better starting point for newcomers to Luca's work given that it embodies his versatility as a songwriter in a more obvious fashion. It's a telltale sign of a good album when even the mechanical parts of the cyborg have a strongly organic flavor to them.

There can be no doubt whatsoever regarding Luca Turilli's amazing compositional talent. Surely over the past twenty years, with Rhapsody and Rhapsody of Fire, the Italian has utterly excelled all competition. Yeah, he went a bit wild sometimes, with his foray into gothic metal in Dreamquest, and his slightly experimental "Infinite Wonders of Creation". But good ol' Luca is truly a mainstay of the symphonic metal community, and an integral one at that. Now, with his newly established (and not-at-all confusingly-named) Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - the virtuoso appears to have found where his calling lies. All over social media and music-zines, Luca has been emphasising just how excited and optimistic he is for the release of all this new material; making sure we don't forget that it's CINEMATIC and BOMBASTIC and EPIC. As much as I'd love to cringe at his enthusiasm, I'm afraid he could not be more correct in those claims.

If there's one word I'd use to describe "Prometheus" (or, to give its full title, "Prometheus: Symphonia Ignis Divinus" - god, this guy loves his latin!) - it would be 'colossal'. Every voice, every instrument, every ambient interlude has been inflated to enormous size. The melodies sweep with grandiose nobility, the accompaniments carry plenty of weight, the choir & orchestra are massive, and the production is utterly astonishing. Even at its most sparse moments, "Prometheus" still probably has at least 3 instruments playing if you listen closely. So when the full symphonic orchestra, choir and power metal band are all giving it hell simultaneously, I simply cannot fathom the complication that must go into tracking this beast. How does it sound SO clear? How can I hear each individual voice/instrument? How come I can distinctly detect what each element is adding to the overall sound? Magic. Simple as.

The orchestra is definitely a main focal point of this album. "Ascending to Infinity" displayed Luca's desire to expand the use of the orchestra. This included the use of more experimental timbres, whilst employing the more traditional techniques in a braver way. On "Prometheus", this has expanded even further. Not only is Luca being more courageous with the conventional instruments (especially percussion - the xylophone gets a few stand out moments here and there!), but the integration of electronic backbeats and synthesizers has become more fluid and organic. It's a truly admirable talent to combine the dulcet tones of the baroque harpsichord and flute, with the buzzsaw-esque synth pads, in a musically logical way! Third track, "Rosenkreuz" is a perfect example of this flawless coercion.

That's not to say the band behind the gigantic orchestral barrage aren't performing to their highest standard - because they are kicking ass like never before! Alessandro Conti's vocals may be slightly lower in the mix this time round (probably to blend in with the choirs), but he still soars among the clouds with his magical counter-tenor cry. Patrice Guer's bass is granted some much-deserved air to breathe. Considering this guy often performs virtuoistic bass solos live, it's definitely the right move. Though it's saddening to see long-time drummer Alex Holzwarth absent, his successor, Alex Landenburg, is just as talented behind the kit and could almost pass for the great man himself.

Structurally, this album is a mammoth journey. Kicking off with the compulsory 3-minute choral intro "Nova Genesis: Ad Splendorem Angeli Triumphantis" (told you this guy loves his latin), we are taken across dozens of varied, dynamic and multi-cultural landscapes. The bright, ethereal space of "Il Cigno Nero" and "Anahata" reminds one of the best moments of Luca's "Prophets of the Last Eclipse" album. "King Solomon and the 72 Names of God" whisks us off to ancient Israel with its middle-eastern melodies and instrumentation. "Yggdrasil" is a Nordic voyage - a homage to the world of our viking forbears. And "One Ring to Rule Them All" is the inevitable Lord of the Rings song we Rhapsody fans had been waiting decades for! Now you see how Luca can justify his self-branding as 'cinematic' and 'hollywood' metal.

From the chaotic choirs of the intro, to the final eerie fade-out of the 5-chapter sequel to "Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall" - "Prometheus" is captivating, entrancing and utterly magical. Luca Turilli has been pushing the boundaries of metal for a long while, but it's amazing how he still continues to do so. I highly recommend the digipak version of this album, for the 'cinematic' version of Riot's "Thundersteel" is something you will not want to miss out on! Surely I cannot praise this man and his work any more - it's tiring! Any contender for 'album of the year' will have to try VERY hard to beat Luca Turilli. Yes, I'm looking at YOU, Mr. Staripoli!

"Alpha ignis, signum astralis.
Flamma omega, Multiversalis!
Alpha ignis, signum astralis.
Donum eius...Prometheus!!"

If we’ve learned anything from the split in the Rhapsody of Fire camp, it could all come down to that old Mr. Garrison phrase: “I think we all know where the talent in that family went!” When both groups released their respective works not long after the fracture, I found that “Ascending to Infinity” was a far better and closer representation of that old sympho/classical metal approach that the old guard held mastery of (proving that Mr. Turilli was that neoclassical lifeblood back then) while “Dark Wings of Steel” was a middle-of-the-road melodic power metal record that ran too much of a risk of blending in with the rest of the style’s ocean were it not for that little bit of the touch of old (I’d mention Fabio on lead vocals, but given how much and often HE gets around with similarly-themed bands, well…). At that point I knew which version of the band to put my chips, so to speak, and the wait from “first” album to next was one that proved quite taxing to sit through as it all wore on. I/we knew it was coming, it was only a matter of time…

After blitzing by with a noodling fury with the first offering, LT's R has returned with a serious sense of purpose and bout of confidence in which the MUSIC is the one doing the talking over the skills of the band itself. Such an action enables the end results to breathe more fully and completely, and as such it makes for a deep and enriching experience. Simply put, “Prometheus…” is stunning, expressive, majestic and even heart-breaking. What it lacks in intensity and wild abandon it more than makes up for by being an almost full-on symphonically-driven entity that relies strongly on compositional depth and an almost otherworldly appeal above all else. If ever the listener wanted, or needed, a big example of the cinema-level scope Luca has envisioned for his group’s main focus since the beginning, I can’t think of a better one to give unto ye. For me, this is a far grander collective work than “Ascending…” by way of its sheer density and stronger sense of identity; the music feels more organic, more actualized, and fans and onlookers alike will find it very hard to not be swept away with its force. There were moments where it got to be so much that I had to stop and catch my breath, so taken in by it as I was. I know that sounds like I’m selling it higher than I should, but I haven’t felt this overwhelmed by an album since Pathfinder’s “Beyond the Space, Beyond the Time” brought me to my knees.

The general tone of the album is seriously dramatic with inklings of whimsy, wonder, treachery and a pinch of fun (the folksy lead section during the third act of “One Ring to Rule Them All” could lead one to do a jig around the campfire). Equal parts impactful and formidable, there’s still some metal to be had beneath the oceans of orchestra, keyboards and choirs in order to keep within the same genre-based parameters as before, but in all honesty you’ll find more going on with the string-and-voice-based segments beyond the ripping guitars and pattering drums (though the lead vocals and solos, both guitar- and synth-oriented, smoke and enchant in their own rights); in fact, take much of the layered symphonics out of the picture and the end result tends to sound remarkably thinner and of lesser stock. Still good, yes, but that lack of dynamics tends to temporarily hurt the end result. Some would make the assessment that this kind of situation would make the album worse for wear as a result (after all, a lack of “metalness” is something to ensure a band’s name is dragged through to mud with many folks out there), but that’s really their loss…Rhapsody as a whole always seemed to rely solely on cultivated opaque atmospherics over riffs and distortion, even way back when, so if nothing else one could consider this the next logical creative step in the band’s own genre-based development. Go in with that understanding and your face WILL be blown clean off. I promise you that.

All in all “Prometheus…” is a wonderfully crafted album that offers nothing short of pure astonishment. Deeper reaching and expansive than “Ascending to Infinity”, maybe even the past few pre-split Rhapsody albums (in its own respect…), I’ve yet to come across another album this year that has bestowed such unequivocal joy and glory. Doff your hat, take your seat and let the symphony take you away…