A few weeks ago we woke up to devastating news for Power Metal fans: The iconic Italian band Rhapsody said goodbye forever. Coinciding with the band's 20th anniversary, they decided that the best way to celebrate was with a farewell world tour with the band's original lineup.
Taking advantage of that Rhapsody He will be in Mexico as part of this goodbye tour, we talked with the singer Fabio Lione about his present and future plans.
It has already been more than clear that Rhapsody has a huge influence from classical composers and various books, but which bands within the metal scene have marked them?
Bueno, si nos enfocamos unicamente al metal… creo que debería mencionar sin dudas a Queensryche, Crimson Glory , Iron Maiden, Helloween, Manowar y muchísimos más que que no tengo en mente en estos momentos. También debo decir que nos gusta bastante la música pop italiana de antes, el folk y solo algunas bandas modernas.
Rhapsody is a band with a huge track record and millions of fans around the world, when did they realize that they could really make a living from making music?
Mmmm… Creo que fue después de que lanzamiento de lo que fue nuestro segundo disco. Ahí fue cuando nos dimos cuenta que podríamos vivir haciendo lo que nos gusta, pues recibió grandes reacciones y pudimos hacer grandes cosas, muchas giras y cosas así.
Do you have alternate jobs in addition to your participation with the band?
Not! We are fortunate that all of us dedicate ourselves mainly to everything related to music, producing records, doing concerts or collaborations.
¿Crees que la banda se ha mantenido apegada a su “power metal tradicional” o ha buscado una identidad distinta en otros géneros?
Bueno, la verdad es que no creo que podamos hablar de un “power metal tradicional” cuando nos referimos a Rhapsody. Esta banda crea música con su propio sello particular. Dentro de nuestros discos tenemos muchas canciones con muchísimos estilos distintos, muchos más que cualquier otra banda de power metal creo yo. Si escuchas nuestros discos podrás encontrar canciones agresivas, rápidas, lentas, celtic metal, folk, power, symphonic, temas progresivos, momentos pop u operisticos, música clásica, etcétera. Para serte since. no recuerdo esto en ninguna otra banda de power metal, la verdad.
Por si eso fuera poco, nosotros hemos escrito canciones en italiano, en inglés, en latín… así que yo veo una combinación de una gran cantidad de elementos en la música y la historia de Rhapsody.
If you had to give advice to a band that is just beginning, what would it be?
Siempre tratar de hacer lo que te gusta, de crear algo único… o al menos con un toque personal.
After finishing this farewell tour, Luca already made it clear that he will continue to dedicate himself entirely to his own Rhapsody, what is the next step in your career and in your life?
My next project still involves Luca, as we are seriously considering the idea of releasing a commemorative DVD of this farewell and 20th anniversary tour, therefore we will be recording several shows. As most of you may know, this is our last tour with the original Rhapsody lineup, we want to do something special for both ourselves and our fans.
Luca is focused on his own band and will release a new album with them soon. Also, I know he has a new project that I'm sure will surprise many people.
Y bueno, yo creo que tendré que trabajar en un álbum en solitario [risas]. También tengo una banda nueva llamada Eternal Idol, con quienes ya tengo algunos conciertos agendados -de hecho acabamos de regresar de España, donde dimos 4 shows. Nuestro primer disco ‘The Unrevealed Secret’ está teniendo una muy buena recepción y la disquera [Frontier Records] está muy feliz. La banda está creciendo mucho.
Then I have to go back to Angra to work on a new album and some concerts to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary. We are currently writing songs for this new album and we hope to release it at the end of the year.
También voy a sacar un disco con mi amigo Alessandro Conti -quien es cantante de Luca Tirulli´s Rhapsody, algunos sabrán que yo se lo presenté a Luca hace algunos años… estoy seguro que la gente gustará del trabajo que estamos haciendo juntos.
So well, both Luca and I will give a lot to talk about soon. The other members of the band also have projects, for example Alexander Holzwarth has a band called Serious Black.
And how is the creation of that DVD going?
It goes very well! It is a release that we really want to make and we are sure that our fans will appreciate it a lot. Taking this DVD out of goodbye makes perfect sense. What better time than when the band says goodbye and celebrating 20 years of career?
Why choose this moment to say goodbye?
We will celebrate 20 years of the band's history. All the members of the band believe that it is the right time to move and do different things with our careers. At least it's what Luca and I want.
On the eve of your goodbye as a band, what is your legacy? Do you hope to create inspiration?
Eso esperamos, por eso es que siempre intentamos ofrecer algo único a nuestros fans. Tengo la esperanza de que nuestra música sea de ayuda para aquellos que la escuchen para tener inspiración, tener nuevas ideas y crear nuevas bandas… ayudarlos a lograr grandes cosas.
What do you have prepared for the shows that are scheduled in Mexico in a couple of months?
So far, we have 3 confirmed shows in Mexico [CDMX, Guadalajara and Monterrey], and we are very excited because we always have good times with our fans there. I always remember that they start singing as if it were the anthem of a soccer team [laughs] I love it!
Mexicans are very passionate and the band feels their warmth and devotion. See you soon at this last party!