Review of the Album "Rain of a Thousand Flames" by the Band Rhapsody of Fire

Italian power metal band Rhapsody of Fire entered new territory musically in 2001 with the release of their 4^th album called Rain of a Thousand Flames. It does tell the Emerald Sword story but only a part of it.

How did they do something different this time as compared to their first three albums? First of all, instead of having their usual 10 songs per album, this album has only seven songs. Which metal band has a habit of doing this? Can you remember? If you cannot remember which band has a tendency to have 6 or 7 song albums it is Sweden’s Opeth. I outgrew this album several years ago due to not wanting to keep it in my collection. It is worth reviewing this album because it is slightly a different album from the band’s first three.

Also, the second difference is that in the first song which is the title track, there is some Latin chanting. Then the thundering drums and Fabio Lione’s powerful vocals take over.

Tears of a Dying Angel features the sound of raindrops that we would hear during a thunderstorm. The story now says that the evil king Akron is making plans to attack a local village and valleys. It is the duty of the warriors to come and help to save the lands. The Emerald Sword shall help the warriors neutralize the evil power of that black king. However, if the Emerald Sword gets in the wrong hands, it can lead to disaster for the villages and towns. This is similar to the power of the Emerald Duck in the Inspector Gadget cartoon series.

Elnor’s Magic Valley is the second instrumental song in this album and this makes two straight songs without the vocals of Fabio Lione which is another thing different in this album. As the fountain’s water can be seen flowing, instruments are being played and the mood is a very festive and joyous atmosphere.

The classically influenced song “The Wizard’s Last Rhymes” is about a powerful serpent that riding through waves and making contact with ships. Once again, the warriors must remember to safeguard the Emerald Sword so that this serpent does not get it and use it to spread his evil plot. Unfortunately, the story says that the fire spread across the sea and the king died but not without being brave to cross the sea so he did not die in vain. There is a bass part before the melodic lead interlude starts. Overall, this album is not a generic power metal album even though the third song drags on for a bit too long. Even so, it is not as good as the band’s first three albums. If you enjoy power metal with more chanting and choir parts, this will be a pretty enjoyable 42 minutes.