FROM CHAOS TO ETERNITY

What did I just listen to? Rhapsody of Fire has always been an anomaly for me. They are the epitome of "geeky" prog metal (as some have called it), and almost seem like a soundtrack to Dungeons and Dragons. I thought I would give them a try, though; because I am certainly a big fan of fantasy.

The thing is: I've heard this all before now. This music sounds just like Symphony X, but with a little more emphasis on keyboards. The pace is extremely fast, and the technical bar is set very high---this isn't easy music to perform. Also, only about half the album is in English. The rest is in Latin (?), I believe.

However, I did find myself enjoying it. In fact, I enjoyed it more than some Symphony X albums, such as "The Odyssey". While much of the album seems like speedy power metal, there is a certain fantasy charm to the whole deal: a great deal of sobriety to the performances. These guys tell us fantastical stories without missing a beat. I think that's pretty dang impressive, as sometimes the story seems a little ridiculous.

The album is certainly good. The production is outstanding, and the music is well done. This isn't totally my cup of tea, but I could definitely see myself revisiting this band every once in a while.