Rhapsody of Fire - The Cold Embrace of Fear

Rhapsody of Fire starts off their “Dark Romantic Symphony” in a really un-Rhapsody of Fire way.  Both “Act I” and “Act II” are cinematic moments of characters traversing mountains and pondering another epic voyage.  All you get is some voice acting and sound effects.  No massive orchestra swelling into some savage Symphonic Speed Metal madness. 

Thankfully you get to the bombastic bliss of the EP on the third track.  “Act III: The Ancient Fires of Har-Kuun” jettisons the previous filler and is 15-minutes of trademark Epic Symphonic Hollywood Metal.  You get classy acoustic guitars, grand choruses pulsating keyboards, soaring orchestras, various tempo shifts, dueling shred guitars and more of those powerful riffs that returned on spectacular The Frozen Tears of Angels.  The track is well thought out and keeps Rhapsody of Fire on their renewed winning streak.

“Act IV: The Betrayal” has some nice orchestral moments, but by and large the track is simply an audio drama with narrators (including Christopher Lee) and voice actors.  “Act V: Neve Rosso Sangue” is a rather classy ballad full of baroque moments and some haunting backing vocals.  The song segues into “Act VI: Erian’s Lost Secret,” which brings back the  Metal.  Built on a very Manowar-styled pulsating riff, vocalist Fabio Leone carries the majority of the track with his varied approach. Only towards the end of the song do the musicians pick up the pace and give the song a much needed jolt. 

The EP winds down with more audio drama.  Some of the keyboards seem to rip off John Carpenter’s Halloween theme at times but the majority of the music is a recap of the themes we have already heard.  Christopher Lee’s deep voice gives the narration a very sinister mood and the howling choir even gets a bit eerie finally putting the dark in this Dark Symphony. 

The Cold Embrace of Fear is Rhapsody of Fire at their most cinematic as outside of three songs, the entire EP is based on voice actors conveying yet another chapter in their second chapter of the Emerald Sword Saga.  The EP is clearly meant as an interlude between The Frozen Tears of Angels and their next album.  But only one track, “Act III: The Ancient Fires of Har-Kuun,” needs to be heard.  Its 15-minutes of Rhapsody of Fire at their best.  The rest of The Cold Embrace of Fear is remarkable only because the band finally nailed creating a truly cinematic mood on an album.  Unfortunately, there is just too much of it and after a few listens, fans will trim the fat and just spin the third track. 

Release Date: October 15, 2010
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Act I: The Passage
     of Nair-Kaan
2.  Act II: Dark Mystic Vision
3.  Act III: The Ancient Fires
     of Har-Kuun
4.  Act IV: The Betrayal
5.  Act V: Neve Rosso Sangue
6.  Act VI: Erian’s Lost Secret
7.  Act VII: The Angels’
     Dark Revelation

Total playing time:  35:44

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Reviewer: Rottenbucher

January 21, 2011