Epic Metal act RHAPSODY, hailing from the Trieste and Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, started life in 1993 under the name of THUNDERCROSS. Galvanising guitarist LUCA TURILLI's classical heritage, his father being a famous concert cellist, with symphonic Metal made the 1994 THUNDERCROSS demo, fronted by singer Cristiano Adacher, stand out from the crowd. Once RHAPSODY's debut album had burst onto the European musical landscape so many fans and budding musicians took notice of the group's grandiose approach, laden with pomp, lavish keyboard flurries and unashamed romantic fantasy content, that an entirely new genre was engendered.

The THUNDERCROSS 'Land Of Immortals' session hosted tracks that would subsequently evolve into RHAPSODY numbers, 'Invernal Fury' becoming 'Rage Of The Winter' and 'Holy Wind' re-worked into 'Riding The Winds Of Eternity'. The cassette, shaped by Turilli, Adacher, bassist Andrea Furlan, keyboard player Alex Staropoli with Daniele Carbonera on drums, attracted the attention of noted German melodic Rock guru Limb Schnoor. Signing to Schnoor's Limb Music Products company the band soon changed titles to RHAPSODY.

Re-branded as RHAPSODY, and now fronted by ex-LABYRINTH and present day ATHENA vocalist Fabio Lione, the act debuted with the seven track 'Eternal Glory' demo tape in 1995. RHAPSODY's debut album 'Legendary Tales', issued in October 1997, scored the band massive plaudits across the European Metal community. Bass player Andrea Furlan departed prior to its release. Despite RHAPSODY's rising profile Leone still stuck out his vocal position with ATHENA. 'Legendary Tales' defined the Rhapsody sound from the outset, keyboards to the fore, liberal showers of strings and frequent flute and piano passages punctuating a set of songs wallowing in nostalgic, heraldic based mythology. The album also provided an inception point for a sprawling 'Emerald Sword' legend that would pan out over future albums.

RHAPSODY's second album, October 1998's 'Symphony Of Enchanted Lands', which found ex-SINESTHESIA bassist Alessandro Lotta joining, really put the band on the map selling in excess of 100'000 copies in Europe alone, hitting the German national charts as a result. Collector's appetites were satisfied by a 5,000 run stocked with an expanded booklet, a set of six postcards, six stickers, two dragon tattoos, an 'Emerald Sword' pendant and a dragon shaped metal badge. For live work the band was also joined by ex-SIEGES EVEN drummer Alex Holzwarth and former DREAM CHILD guitarist Dominique Leurquin.

LUCA TURILLI issued a highly successful solo album, 'King Of The Nordic Twilight', in 1999. Leone busied himself with an outside project too forming VISION DIVINE for a self titled album in alliance with LABYRINTH guitarist Olaf Thörsen in 2000. Meantime, RHAPSODY committed their version of 'Guardians' to the 2000 HELLOWEEN tribute album 'Keepers Of Jericho'.

Holzwarth united some of his ex-SIEGES EVEN colleagues to found project act LOOKING GLASS SELF in 2000. The drummer was also found sessioning on EDGUY's Tobias Sammet's mammoth AVANTASIA project album the same year. RHAPSODY's third outing, the more guitar orientated 'Dawn Of Victory' emerging in October, furthered the 'Emerald Sword' saga. Limited digipack variants hosted an additional disc of alternate versions and DVD videos. Sales of 'Dawn Of Victory' surpassed its predecessor, ranking higher in Germany and also impacting in Sweden. Switches in the recording roster saw the mysterious "Thunderforce" manning the drum stool, an individual whose anonymity was enforced for “contractual reasons”.

Subsequently, Fabio Lione would guested on the 2001 debut album from Argentinean Symphonic Metal band BETO VASQUEZ INFINITY, a band that often performed RHAPSODY's 'Land Of Immortals' as a cover version at gigs.

RHAPSODY re-emerged in November 2001 with the grandiose 'Rain Of A Thousand Flames' opus. This extended EP release included the track 'Queen Of The Dark Horizons', for which RHAPSODY claimed direct inspiration from Italian progressive rock pioneers GOBLIN's 'Phenomena' soundtrack. Also hosted would be 'The Wizard's Last Rhymes', a re-constructed rendition of Antonin Dvorak's 'New World Symphony'.

The following month it would be announced that bassist Alessandro Lotta, going on to join Finnish Progressive Metal band WINGDOM, had been replaced by Patrice Guers, a man boasting credits with the PATRICK RONDAT band and CONSORTIUM PROJECT. RHAPSODY drummer Alex Holzwarth acted as a stand in for the first nine shows of KAMELOT's January 2002 European dates. Regular KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo took back the reins for their Offenbach gig.

The fourth and concluding chapter of the 'Emerald Sword' saga, 'Power Of The Dragonflame', arrived in March 2002 to offer a darker, sinister production capped by the twenty minute monolith 'Gargoyles, Angels Of Darkness'. Once again the group utilised guest vocalists and massed choirs, embellishing this aspect of their sound to a greater degree with the inclusion of baroque singer Bridget Fogle. RHAPSODY would continue with touring in Europe with an April schedule packaged alongside ANGEL DUST and AT VANCE.

The band would reveal plans for two working projects, one entitled 'Rhapsody In Black' and the other a J.R.R. Tolkien inspired 'Lord Of The Rings' piece. However, by June RHAPSODY had scotched both ideas, apparently deeming 'Rhapsody In Black' as not in keeping with the band's 'positive' image. During August BLIND GUARDIAN pulled in the services of RHAPSODY drummer Alex Holzwarth for Brazilian dates, regular drummer Thomas Stauch suffering from a tendon infection. Holzwarth also donated his services to Greek Electro-Metal band DOL AMMAD, appearing on their debut 'Star Tales' record.

The band scored a major coup for recording of their 2004 album, the 'Symphony Of Enchanted Lands Part 2 - The Dark Secret' opus being crafted in four different studios across Europe. In addition the band had ended their long relationship with Limb Records and signed with Magic Circle Music (the label founded by Joey Demaio of MANOWAR) and secured distribution with SPV.  Donating narrative texts would be none other than veteran actor Christopher Lee, world famous for his roles as Count Dracula and the evil Sauron in the "Lord Of The Rings' trilogy. His daughter Christina also contributed, marking the first father and daughter had worked together professionally. This portion of the album would be produced by Joey DeMaio of MANOWAR. Also on hand to give the record an additional sense of the epic would be the entire Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra from the Czech Republic as well as a 50 piece choir.

In November, RHAPSODY re-entered the recording studio with Christopher Lee once again to re-record the song 'The Magic Of The Wizard's Dream'. The new version of the song would be produced in four different languages, English, German, French and Italian, and featured a duet by Lee, a noted bass/baritone vocalist in his own right and fluent in no less than twelve languages, and Fabio Lione. A promotional video for the song, filmed director Neil Johnson, featured a 40-piece orchestra and a 20-piece choir.

US dates in North America witnessed a touring partnership with MANOWAR. In July Christopher Lee would narrate the track 'Unholy Warcry' live on stage for RHAPSODY's appearance at the MANOWAR headlined 'Earthshaker' festival in Germany. The band then teamed up with MANOWAR and HOLYHELL for US dates commencing 2nd June in Cleveland, Ohio. This same combination of road partners accompanied RHAPSODY on the 'Demons, Dragons And Warriors' tour into Europe in the Spring of 2006.  A date during a Canadian show in Montreal on June 14 of 2005 was recorded for a live album, 'Live In Canada 2005- The Dark Secret' and the subsequent release came out in early of 2006. 

In a surprise move, citing "copyright and trademark issues", RHAPSODY evolved into RHAPSODY OF FIRE in July. Things continued to look dark for RHAPSODY OF FIRE over the next few years.  In September of 2006 the band released their next album, 'Triumph Or Agony' which generated lukewarm reviews.  It charted moderately in Europe but did not gain the critical acclaim or sales generated during the Limb Records years.  A live DVD was released in July of 2007 to little fanfare  and a planned December 2007 tour of South American was cancelled because of 'legal reasons'.  A new set of legal troubles cropped up when in June of 2008, the band announced a lawsuit and  'a hard legal fight' with Magic Circle Music.  Very little news has emerged from the band in the past months.