Rhapsody of Fire – The Cold Embrace of Fear

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Very quickly after the release of new album The Frozen Tears of Angels epic symphonic metal pioneers Rhapsody of Fire have completed another ambitious release, which had been started during the recording of the album. The Cold Embrace of Fear is a stand-alone 35-minute metal symphony spread over seven tracks which continues their ‘Dark Secret’ saga storyline. The seven tracks are merely divisional “acts”; this is actually a single complete song designed to exhibit the most symphonic and cinematic leanings of the band. The centre-piece is fifteen-minute epic The Ancient Fires of Har-Kuun, which is also the only real heavy metal present until closer Erian’s Lost Secrets. The first three parts, plus track five, are all spoken word (narration once again provided by Sir Christopher Lee), character dialogue, and orchestral scene music, while track six, Neve Rosso Sangue, is a ballad in Italian. Musically this is a masterpiece. The dialogue and voice acting is poor (apart from Lee); all incredibly ham-fisted; but the atmosphere created by the sweeping orchestral parts and genuine attempt to conjure a cinematic feel brilliantly conveys the scale of the story, and could actually be the soundtrack to the movie they clearly so desperately want made. It would be nice if more of the lyrics were in English, but that is just a small problem. This EP is twice as good as what the band achieved on The Frozen Tears of Angels, and with their long-awaited return to the live stage in 2011 perhaps it will get a full airing.

Written by Andy Lye
More: EPs, Power Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Symphonic, Rhapsody of Fire