Rhapsody of Fire was in town last Friday for a redo of the show initially planned in April of 2020, put on ice under the first round of COVID-19 lockdowns. The band is currently in the process of recording a releasing an epic, three-part saga called The Nephilim’s Empire. The original show was supposed to support the release of the first part, titled The Eighth Mountain (2019, AFM Records), and this show supported the second release Glory for Salvation (2021, AFM).
A heavy lineup supported the Italian metal monsters: Italy’s Wind Rose, Florida’s Seven Kingdoms and Montéal’s own Uriel.
With a 7 PM early start, Uriel gave a very good performance of their symphonic metal, the mix of classical instruments and heavy guitars giving a blistering start to the evening. As early opening acts tend to go, they were plagued with sound issues and a trickling crowd but managed to give the crowd the energy needed to start their Friday night.
Seven Kingdoms then took a Montreal stage for the second time this year after opening for Powerwolf at MTelus on February 24th. Both these shows supported their excellent new release, Zenith (2022, Napalm Records), from which they pulled most of their setlist. They usually pepper a few jokes and references in their lyrics and shows, including Diamond Handed – A ham-fisted reference to certain stock investors of the last few years. Their 16 years of stage experience definitely show for every song. Seven Kingdoms closed out their set with In the Walls, the eponymous classic from their 2016 EP.
Wind Rose came on stage in their impressive costumes, impersonating the mightiest dwarves from your favourite fantasy stories for their second-ever Canadian (the first being in Quebec City) performance. The band, active since 2009, got their shot at international fame with their cover of Youtube channel The Yobscast’s hit Diggy Diggy Hole, and followed up beautifully with the album it figures on, Wintersaga (2019, Napalm) and the follow-up Warfront (2022, Napalm). Their songs can’t always be described as high energy, but the powerful three-voice vocal choruses and harmonies more than make up for it. The crowd wasn’t only here for the memes – The crowd answered beautifully to the energy the band was giving out through their whole set, including the classic To Erebor from their first album, the excellent Army of Stone, Fellows of the Hammer and Together we Rise from their latest offering, and the excellent Drunken Dwarves and Mine Mine Mine! from Wintersaga. They closed their thunderous set with Diggy Diggy Hole, of course. Power metal can be a hit-or-miss live, but Wind Rose leaves it all on stage and gives to the crowd exactly what they expect.
Rhapsody of Fire closed out the evening the best way they could: Missing the only remaining original member and keyboardist, Alex Staropoli, due to visa issues, they stepped on stage with Roberto de Micheli, Alessandro Sala, Giacomo Voli and Paolo Marchesich – a lineup that is musically competent but lacked the definite presence to lead the crowd to any enchanted lands. It might be because I have become the bitter metalhead I promised myself I would never grow to be. Still, between having no original members on stage and pulling most of their setlist from their latest albums, the set felt more like an enthusiastic young band inspired by the glory days of Rhapsody instead of the Rhapsody of Fire that was expected on stage. Staropoli was replaced by harmonization and prerecordings, further adding to the hollow feel of the band on stage.
They opened their set with their classic playback of a Christopher Lee song and launched into I’ll Be Your Hero, Chains of Destiny, and The Legend Goes On from the Nephilim’s Empire saga before going into Unholy Warcry from the second part of Symphony of the Enchanted Lands (2004, SPV), the last album to be released under the name Rhapsody and giving the crowd a flash of hope of more classics to come, which only led up to most of the rest of the set that left the audience out of it, right before they closed out the first part of the set with the classic Dawn of Victory, and wowing with an encore of Reign of Terror, Wisdom of the Kings and Emerald Sword. As I said before, power metal can be a hit or a miss, but unfortunately, Rhapsody of Fire fell short.
Review – Philippe Gauthier
Photos – Ryan Rumpel
