Review of Rhapsody of Fire - Live In Canada 2005 - The Dark Secret

The concept of a live album from Rhapsody is intriguing. How can they possibly recreate the majesty of those epic studio recordings in the live setting? OK, well, its probably obvious that the orchestrations, sound effects, and additional vocals would be canned, but then the question remains – how well will it all come across? I guess that is all going to depend on what you look for in a live album. If you’re satisfied with note-for-note renditions of your favorite songs in the live setting, this will tickle your pink parts. If you demand a live album capture the energy of the evening from the band and fans, you’ll walk away a little disappointed.

Soundwise, Live in Canada 2005 - The Dark Secret is damn near perfect. Guitars, drums, vocals, keyboards, even all the excess that gets piped in sounds great. Either the venue had very good acoustics or the producers spent a lot of time in the studio fixing this one up. Whether it’s the prerecorded Christopher Lee introduction or the orchestra sections of “Lamento Eroico” or any of guitarist Luca Turilli’s solos, every element is in it’s proper place.

But, as I alluded to above, this album does a poor job of capturing that live energy – and isn’t that the real point of a live album? Yes, there is the between song banter of vocalist Fabio Lionne mixed with the cheers of the crowd, so there is no mistaking that it is indeed a live album. I’m just not getting excited here. A Rhapsody live album should have you flying out of your seat, air guitaring and posing with your fist raised in the air, maybe even the occasional sword fight with whatever item you can grab. But unfortunately, I just continue doing whatever it is I’m doing at the time, wishing that something would come out of the speakers and sweep me up into the grandeur. That’s what a great live album should do, like James Brown’s Revolution of the Mind or Pantera’s Official Live: 101 Proof.

Release Details

Rhapsody of Fire

Live In Canada 2005 - The Dark Secret

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