Rhapsody
Eternal Glory

April 2010
Released: 1995, LMP/Empire
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: JP

Since we have reviewed just about everything else Rhapsody has ever done on this site, we might as well review the debut EP from 1995 to complete the catalogue. I thought we could give the band some attention in anticipation of the new, full-length, Rhapsody In Fire album, FROZEN TEARS OF ANGELS due late April.



ETERNAL GLORY was recorded in early 1995 and was issued in limited quantity on cassette only and has never been issued (to the best of my knowledge) on CD. I recall reading a very glowing review of this 7 song EP, back in 1996 in the pages of Sentinel Steel magazine. The review was so strong I made a mental note that one day I would own a copy of the tape. Well, I finally tracked one down at a reasonable price and it is quite the little gem. It’s a nice tape, full colour, a pro-production J-card with pictures and lyrics; the band looks so young! Clocking in at 35 minutes, six of the seven cuts later made it in different forms on to the first two Rhapsody albums. The songs are all recorded with Christiano Adacher on vocals and there are differences in all the songs from the versions that later appeared on the albums. The production is very good for an indie band and Empire/ LMP wisely took the band under their wing eventually released the first-ever record on Limb Records label, namely Rhapsody’s full-length debut. (LMP 001!) I don’t really consider ETERNAL GLORY a ‘demo’ because it is so well done and you could actually buy it back in the day.



It’s neat to hear the origins of this now legendary band and to hear that the hype about this EP really was truly deserved, as the band developed a sound that countless others drew inspiration from. Musically all the elements that brought them fame later on are present in their primal form. The symphonic elements, guitar-keyboard interplay, tons of solos, sound-effects, epic arrangements and film-score style are all here. Recall this was back in 1995 before the massive, global resurgence of Power Metal that persists even to this day. Only a handful of ‘new’ lesser known bands were active in those days, Kamelot, Symphony X, Heaven’s Gate etc, and all of this was pre-Hammerfall and pre-Sonata Arctica! Rhapsody really were pioneers and ETERNAL GLORY is a little slice of history to see where it all began.