CD Review: Luca Turilli - Prophet of the Last Eclipse

Luca Turilli, with or without his band Rhapsody, plays music you will either love or hate. Playing operatic pomp-metal that makes Queen sound like XTC, his music goes way beyond over the top and comes out the other side. Multiple choirs and orchestral instrumentation swell the band's sound, and typical lyrics are so Dungeons and Dragons you can hear the polyhedral dice rolling.

Prophet of the Last Eclipse is Luca's second solo album, following on from 1999's "Kings of the Nordic Twilight" and four albums by Rhapsody. (It came out in 2002; either I missed it the first time round, or the distributors had been very slow getting it into the shops)

"Prophet", like "Kings" and most of Rhapsody's albums, is another concept album. The concept is more than a little corny, lyrically he's gone into outer space this time. But this isn't really the sort of music you listen to for the words. Song titles like "The Age of Mystic Ice" and "Rider of the Astral Fire" should give you the idea. All the trademark sounds are there; sweeping choral parts from four different choirs, fragments of Latin, and symphonic sweeps interrupted by bursts of speed metal. Compared with previous Rhapsody and Luca Turilli solo releases there's noticeably less guitar on this one, with more focus on the choral and orchestral parts. Again we have an appearance by the Icelandic soprano Rannveig Sif Sigurdardottir (Now there's a name to conjure with).

As before, parts of the album are so cinematic I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Luca starts writing film scores; the instrumental "Zaephyr Skies Theme" certainly sounds like the theme from one of the heroic fantasy films that will surely be made in the wake of the success of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings.

Overall, a Threat Rating of 4, does +2 damage vs. minimalist indie fans.