The Double Doghouse

hey yall! this week, our album is Power of the Dragonflame, from Rhapsody of Fire!

Power of the Dragonflame is Rhapsody of Fire’s fifth record, and ends the Emerald Sword Saga, which we saw the middle of in Dawn of Victory. in terms of plot, this album picks up basically where Dawn of Victory left off. the release between then and now didnt focus on the main plot, so this record covers the direct aftermath and consequences of the events of Dawn if Victory – the Warrior of Ice rallies the forces of good as the evil sorcerer Akron utilizes the Emerald Sword to open the floodgates of evil, he’s betrayed on the field of battle by Dargor after a moment of mercy, Akron’s demons overrun the forces of good, and as all hope seems lost Dargor has a change of heart and summons ancient gargoyles against Akron’s armies, allowing the Warrior of Ice to pull Akron to their mutual demise.

i think when i was younger, i put a lot of weight into the idea of the plot of these records, and plot-wise, this is fine. given the events of Dawn of Victory, the way evil comes incredibly close to ultimate victory before the 11th hour turnaround is unsurprising. i feel like i probably need to go back to the first two records to actually get some emotional stakes in the Warrior of Ice, but on the whole it’s a pretty solid story, and this album provides a sweeping, epic conclusion.

but speaking of sweeping, i legit think focusing a ton on the plot here is focusing on trimmings and ignoring the real meat of the album. this record is, end to end, stuffed with some blazing, intense, and powerful tracks. right from the start, immediately after In Tenebris ends, Knightrider of Doom has those punchy drums that drop away as it falls towards the chorus and then joins again for the rising tension. Power of the Dragonflame is probably on of the Rhapsody of Fire songs i was most familiar with before sitting down to full record listens – the chorus here is iconic. im pretty sure there was a pretty well-known misheard lyrics video for this, and it still manages in my mind to break away from that and feel like a powerful swell against evil, and i really like the bridge on this one – again im calling attention to the drums, but they feel like hoofbeats of horses racing across a plain or something. the strings at the start of March of the Swordmaster are excellent. When Demons Awake doesnt do as much for me, but they pick it right back up with Agony Is My Name, which has maybe the best chorus on the album. the incredibly cinematic Steelgods of the Last Apocalypse is a pretty good track, and the few tracks in this back stretch are leading towards the twenty minute, three part closer. i’m not the biggest fan of the long, extended closer here (the spoken word parts are a bit tonally inconsistent, in my opinion), but i do gotta admit that there are parts that rip.

on the whole, extremely action-packed album with some surprisingly catchy hooks throughout and a high density of really good symphonic metal bangers.

faves – Knightrider of Doom, Power of the Dragonflame, The March of the Swordmaster, Agony Is My Name, Steelgods of the Last Apocalypse
dislikes –

Power of the Dragonflame – 7/10

i’ll be back next week to listen to God Country, from Chat Pile – in the meantime, please let me know what album you’d like me to review below!