The Eighth Mountain

The Eighth Mountain is the twelfth studio album by the Italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody of Fire. It was released on 22 February 2019 via AFM Records.[4][5][6]

The Eighth Mountain
Studio album by
Rhapsody of Fire
Released22 February 2019
RecordedJune–November 2018
StudioGreenman Studios (Arnsberg)
Studio I BNR (Sofia)
GenreSymphonic power metal
Length64:30
LabelAFM Records
ProducerAlex Staropoli
Rhapsody of Fire chronology
Legendary Years
(2017)		 The Eighth Mountain
(2019)
Singles from The Eighth Mountain
  1. "The Legend Goes On"
    Released: 30 November 2018[1]
  2. "Rain of Fury"
    Released: 11 January 2019[2]
  3. "Master of Peace"
    Released: 15 February 2019[3]

The album is the first chapter for a new saga, written by Alex Staropoli and Roby De Micheli, entitled The Nephilim's Empire Saga. It is the first saga not written by Luca Turilli, who had left the band in 2011. It is also the first studio album without vocalist Fabio Lione, and the first without longtime drummer Alex Holzwarth since 1998's Symphony of Enchanted Lands. They were replaced by Giacomo Voli and Manu Lotter respectively, though it would be the only studio album with drummer Manu Lotter.

A music video for "Rain of Fury" was released on 11 January 2019.

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Abyss of Pain"0:48
2."Seven Heroic Deeds"4:47
3."Master of Peace"5:31
4."Rain of Fury"4:09
5."White Wizard"4:56
6."Warrior Heart"4:29
7."The Courage to Forgive"4:54
8."March Against the Tyrant"9:22
9."Clash of Times"4:41
10."The Legend Goes On"4:44
11."The Wind, The Rain and the Moon"5:22
12."Tales of a Hero's Fate"10:47
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Rain of Fury" (Japanese version)4:09
Total length:68:39

Concept

The posthumous narration by the late Christopher Lee at the end of the album explains the concept:

"In ages past, the Nephilim Empire ruled the earth. But they fell from grace. Once their slaves, humanity rose up, and defeated their gods. The Nephilim were purged from the earth and banished to the darkness. For centuries they watched and waited. The Nephilim Empire would one day rise again. And when they rose from the ashes, they formed an alliance with a highly evolved race, known as The Konstrukts. Together, they wiped out every last remnant of Homo sapiens DNA. Despite the genocide, the dream of humanity would rise again. Time flows like a river, but there are many streams. The end of flesh is come before me, for the Empire is filled with violence and hatred. Behold, I will destroy the Empire and those within. I am become death, the destroyer of worlds!"

Reception

The album has received generally positive reviews. Metal Wani gave the album an 8 out of 10 review saying, "On their twelfth full-length record, ‘The Eighth Mountain’, Rhapsody of Fire casts a familiar yet powerful spell that should have fans of epic fantasy metal clamoring for their 20-sided dice."[7]

Joe Geesin of "Get Ready to Rock" gave the album a positive review stating "It’s not as anthemic or progressive as the mid 00s, but that doesn’t stop this being great listen. Heavy yet uplifting, symphonic, conceptual, shred, orchestra and choir. What’s not to love?"[8]

Personnel

All information from the album booklet.[9]

Rhapsody of Fire

Additional personnel

  • Christopher Lee – posthumous narration on track 12
  • Manuel Staropoli – flute, oboe
  • Manuel Tomadin – harpischord
  • Vito Lo Re – orchestra conductor, scoring
  • Bulgarian National Symphony Orchestra – orchestra

Choir

  • Alex Mari, Angelo Guidetti, Beatrice Bini, Chiara Tricarico, Enrico Correggia, Fabio Sambenini, Gabriele Gozzi, Marco Vincini, Monica Marozzi, Niccolò Porcedda, Raffaele Albanese, Stefano Ciceri, Stefano Corradini

Production

  • Karsten Koch – photography
  • Alex Charleux – cover art
  • Sebastian "Seeb" Levermann – engineer, recording, mixing, mastering
  • Marco Straccioni – recording, mixing (orchestra)
  • Maurizio Assenti – layout

Charts
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] 148
French Albums (SNEP)[11] 185
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 22
Italian Albums (FIMI)[13] 88
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 25

References
  1. "RHAPSODY OF FIRE: Lyric Video For New Song 'The Legend Goes On'". Blabbermouth. November 30, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  2. "Video Premiere: RHAPSODY OF FIRE's 'Rain Of Fury'". Blabbermouth. January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  3. "RHAPSODY OF FIRE Releases Lyric Video For New Song 'Master Of Peace'". Blabbermouth. February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  4. "RHAPSODY OF FIRE To Release 'The Eighth Mountain' Album in February". Blabbermouth. November 23, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  5. "RHAPSODY OF FIRE Reveal Details of New Album 'The Eighth Mountain'". BraveWords. November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  6. "Rhapsody Of Fire Reveals New Album "The Eighth Mountain" Details". Metal Underground. November 23, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  7. https://www.metalwa.ni.com/2019/02/review-rhapsody-of-fire-the-eighth-mountain.html
  8. http://getreadytorock.me.uk/blog/2019/01/album-review-rhapsody-of-fire-the-eighth-mountain/
  9. (2019). "The Eighth Mountain liner notes". In The Eighth Mountain [CD booklet]. AFM.
  10. "Ultratop.be – Rhapsody of Fire – The Eighth Mountain" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  11. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 9, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Rhapsody of Fire – The Eighth Mountain" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  13. "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 9 (dal 22.02.2019 al 28.02.2019)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  14. "Swisscharts.com – Rhapsody of Fire – The Eighth Mountain". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
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