Luca Turilli Demonheart
By
Eden Capwell,
Contributor
Friday, March 28, 2003 @ 0:40 AM
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This is the first solo EP from Rhapsody guitarist/composer, Luca Turilli. Now, I freely admit that some of this type of music is not my thing. I tend to favor the “brutal” chunk over orchestrated metal. But, I have an open mind -- I’ll give it a try. I pretty much cried the first time I listened to this: Bored-To-Tears crying that is. I wanted it to stop! But, duty calls, I volunteered. So here we go kids.
Epic song arrangement with many breakdowns and tempo changes. Drumming is standard fare, favoring a faster approach than is used in most prog-metal. Frequent use of the galloping method, with no double bass. It sounds like an electronic drum kit, with some standard snares thrown on top of them in the mixing. Keyboards are used, mostly in the intros and outro’s, (Yes, that’s a word. I made it up, it fits, and I’m keeping it. Okay, I stole it from someone else.) and to reproduce some techno type sounds. The melodies created by the keyboards are for the most part sugary sweet. Guitar riffing, well, it’s there, but I can’t find much to say about it. Some good leads go ripping through some of the songs, and that’s welcome. However, it’s pretty lackluster if you ask me. Vocals are a fair mix of I would say, Bruce Dickinson when not forcing it and Messiah of Candlemass. It’s a nice voice -- dude has a definite range, and not afraid to use it. It’s simply his method for the chorus melodies come off unbelievably. Bass is inaudible. An orchestra was used, you can hear some of the instruments, but I can’t name them. Anyway, this is EPIC CHEESE. The song arrangement and perfection has sacrificed any originality. It is far to restrained, there is nothing elastic on here -- nothing gives.
1. “Demonheart” -- The chorus line is extremely cheesy.
2. “Prophet of the Last Eclipse” -- again, cheesy prog.
3. “Rondeau in C Minor” -- Instrumental that sounds very medieval.
4. “Black Realms' Majesty” -- Almost hymn-like.
5. “King of the Nordic Twilight” -- Heavy keys, sugary, galloping prog.
6. “I'm Alive” -- and I wish I was dead right here. The intro is this really big sounding fairy dust sprinkling, angels singing the lords praises, and then it hits! Full vocal range, and powerful delivery for the first time on the disc. Still doesn’t save this disc from being an abysmal bomb.
* ¾
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