Rhapsody of Fire

Formed by guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli, Rhapsody of Fire is an Italian band who pioneered the symphonic power metal subgenre by using massive classical orchestration and choirs alongside rock instrumentation. Formerly known as Rhapsody, Rhapsody of Fire was created as a quintet during the late '90s. Provocatively, their first four albums -- 1997's Legendary Tales, 1998's Symphony of Enchanted Lands, 2000's Dawn of Victory, and 2002's Power of the Dragonflame -- were all part of a conceptually linked, mythical song cycle dubbed The Emerald Sword Saga th...