Rhapsody is a metal outfit composed of
Fabio Lione (vocals),
Luca Turilli (guitar),
Alex Staropoli (keyboards), Alessandro Lotta (bass), and
Alex Holzwarth (drums). The group was formed in Italy in the late '90s by
Turilli and
Staropoli. They recruited Daniele Carbonera to serve as their drummer. The band was already working on a debut, 1997's
Legendary Tales, before they connected with
Lione (known as
Joe Terry during his time in the band
Labyrinth), phoning him from the studio to arrange for him to join them. The band followed up that album with an EP, entitled Emerald Sword, and the album
Symphony of Enchanted Lands the following year. Shortly after the release of
Symphony, Carbonera departed. His replacement was found in the personage of
Holzwarth. They would not release anymore material until 2000 in the form of an EP (Holy Thunderforce) and an album (
Dawn of Victory). In 2001, the group released
Rain of a Thousand Flames and then in 2002,
Power of the Dragon Flame. Symphony of Enchanted Lands, Vol. 2: The Dark Secret appeared in fall 2004; the following year the band was forced to change its name, choosing Rhapsody of Fire, due to copyright issues. ~ Gary Hill