Rhapsody Of Fire
Gimle, Roskilde - 2024
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
Rhapsody Of Fire was back in Gimle the year after their triumphant show at Epic Fest on this very stage, now on their own headlining tour. They had brought a good pair of support bands with them, but this was still very much their own turn to rise or fall - which would it be?
“How do you say ‘thank you’ in Danish?
(tak!)
Ok, and what would be the response to this?
(selv tak!)
Tak, Roskilde!
(selv tak!)
That’s the most Danish thing I’ve ever heard!”
- Giacomo Voli (vocals)
As custom would have it, the show opened with a speech from the mighty Christopher Lee, this time hearkening back 20 years to the Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret album and it’s opening track, The Dark Secret.
This was, of course, followed by the band entering the stage and going straight into Unholy Warcry. Can I just say, this is how you open a power metal show! Epicness, Christopher Lee, speed, power, and an absolute banger of a song! We were off to a good start, and felt we were resting in safe hands. Following this up with the much newer I’ll Be Your Hero gave us not only a quick introduction to both the old and new era of the band, but also gave Voli the chance to show off his amazing voice.
Looking over the rest of the band, I noticed that Alessandro Sala was sitting this one out, having Danilo Arisi replacing him on the bass. Apparently Sala was tied up with secret experiments in his lab, but Arisi proved well up to the task and not only played but performed well with the band. As an example, he gave a good dance arm in arm with Roberto De Micheli when they played The March Of The Swordmaster.
If one critique is to be raised, it would be the excessive use of backtracked music and choirs. Rhapsody Of Fire was in no way the worst offender of the night, but it was still highly noticeable, which was a shame for the live feeling. There was a time when it made sense, in The Magic Of The Wizard’s Dream, where Christopher Lee’s vocal lines were delivered by himself through the magic of audio recordings, and another time when it was lucky to be there, in Challenge The Wind, where Voli dropped the mic somewhere in the security pit - while the crew was searching for it with flashlight in hand, the song didn’t stop and thanks to the backtrack, we still got to hear parts of the lyrics! Other than that, I think it’s fair to say that live music is a different medium to album music, and that it’s more impressive and entertaining to see what the musicians can pull off by themselves when on stage. Voli’s shrieky vocals in Reign Of Terror was a perfect example of this - I guess he did it at the Epic Fest show as well, but I had completely forgotten about it since then.
“So you can sing. You can keep the rhythm. But can you dance?!”
- Voli (vocals)
While there were a lot of fans present at this gig, Gimle wasn’t exactly sold out, which was a shame. The crowd also seemed somewhat calmer than expected. Sure, there was a lot of singing along to the lyrics, both when invited to do so and not, and the cheers and response to the band was loud and proud between songs, but still people were mostly standing still, swaying a little and nodding their heads respectfully. Of course they were called upon to sing a lot, as Voli did all a competent frontman does to engage his audience. he even went so far as to call for a pit for Dawn Of Victory, and when he was indeed rewarded with a well-sized circle pit, he left the stage to join in the fun on the floor - while still singing, mind you!
The crowd also added some extra feeling to The Magic Of The Wizard’s Dream, as many pulled out their phones and used the flashlight to add to the already tight lightshow.
I must say, this is the second time Rhapsody Of Fire impress me on this stage, and I’m all for it! Admittedly, the Epic Fest show from last year was a hard one to top, and while we weren’t quite at that level this time, it was still a highly enjoyable concert that I’m happy to have witnessed. Can we have a round three, please?
Setlist:
The Dark Secret
Unholy Warcry
I’ll Be Your Hero
Chains Of Destiny
The March Of The Swordmaster
Challenge The Wind
March Against The Tyrant
A New Saga Begins
Diamond Claws
The Magic Of The Wizard’s Dream
Dawn Of Victory
Reign Of Terror
Kreel’s Magic Staff
Land Of Immortals
Emerald Sword
“How do you say ‘thank you’ in Danish?
(tak!)
Ok, and what would be the response to this?
(selv tak!)
Tak, Roskilde!
(selv tak!)
That’s the most Danish thing I’ve ever heard!”
- Giacomo Voli (vocals)
As custom would have it, the show opened with a speech from the mighty Christopher Lee, this time hearkening back 20 years to the Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret album and it’s opening track, The Dark Secret.
This was, of course, followed by the band entering the stage and going straight into Unholy Warcry. Can I just say, this is how you open a power metal show! Epicness, Christopher Lee, speed, power, and an absolute banger of a song! We were off to a good start, and felt we were resting in safe hands. Following this up with the much newer I’ll Be Your Hero gave us not only a quick introduction to both the old and new era of the band, but also gave Voli the chance to show off his amazing voice.
Looking over the rest of the band, I noticed that Alessandro Sala was sitting this one out, having Danilo Arisi replacing him on the bass. Apparently Sala was tied up with secret experiments in his lab, but Arisi proved well up to the task and not only played but performed well with the band. As an example, he gave a good dance arm in arm with Roberto De Micheli when they played The March Of The Swordmaster.
If one critique is to be raised, it would be the excessive use of backtracked music and choirs. Rhapsody Of Fire was in no way the worst offender of the night, but it was still highly noticeable, which was a shame for the live feeling. There was a time when it made sense, in The Magic Of The Wizard’s Dream, where Christopher Lee’s vocal lines were delivered by himself through the magic of audio recordings, and another time when it was lucky to be there, in Challenge The Wind, where Voli dropped the mic somewhere in the security pit - while the crew was searching for it with flashlight in hand, the song didn’t stop and thanks to the backtrack, we still got to hear parts of the lyrics! Other than that, I think it’s fair to say that live music is a different medium to album music, and that it’s more impressive and entertaining to see what the musicians can pull off by themselves when on stage. Voli’s shrieky vocals in Reign Of Terror was a perfect example of this - I guess he did it at the Epic Fest show as well, but I had completely forgotten about it since then.
“So you can sing. You can keep the rhythm. But can you dance?!”
- Voli (vocals)
While there were a lot of fans present at this gig, Gimle wasn’t exactly sold out, which was a shame. The crowd also seemed somewhat calmer than expected. Sure, there was a lot of singing along to the lyrics, both when invited to do so and not, and the cheers and response to the band was loud and proud between songs, but still people were mostly standing still, swaying a little and nodding their heads respectfully. Of course they were called upon to sing a lot, as Voli did all a competent frontman does to engage his audience. he even went so far as to call for a pit for Dawn Of Victory, and when he was indeed rewarded with a well-sized circle pit, he left the stage to join in the fun on the floor - while still singing, mind you!
The crowd also added some extra feeling to The Magic Of The Wizard’s Dream, as many pulled out their phones and used the flashlight to add to the already tight lightshow.
I must say, this is the second time Rhapsody Of Fire impress me on this stage, and I’m all for it! Admittedly, the Epic Fest show from last year was a hard one to top, and while we weren’t quite at that level this time, it was still a highly enjoyable concert that I’m happy to have witnessed. Can we have a round three, please?
Setlist:
The Dark Secret
Unholy Warcry
I’ll Be Your Hero
Chains Of Destiny
The March Of The Swordmaster
Challenge The Wind
March Against The Tyrant
A New Saga Begins
Diamond Claws
The Magic Of The Wizard’s Dream
Dawn Of Victory
Reign Of Terror
Kreel’s Magic Staff
Land Of Immortals
Emerald Sword
Rhapsody Of Fire
