LUCA TURILLI – Prophet Of The Last Eclipse

This can, in a way, be looked at as CD number two from the songwriter genius Luca Turilli this year. Rhapsody’s last is still high up in top 10, regardless of what Zoltan has to say, and there’s not much wrong about Prophet OF THE Last Eclipse either. The recipe is known by now, though I think – just like with the Rhapsody disc – that Luca has put in a few new ingredients; more complex use of synthesizers and more bombast compared to Kings OF THE Nordic Twilight, his first release that was more “in-your-face” metal. “Prophets…” has perhaps more ups and downs than “Kings…”, though there’s no way Luca is running out of ideas and good melodies. With respect, I have been waiting for that to happen, not because I want him to, but simply because it amazes me every time that he so simply can come up with all these great songs. It’s like; why haven’t anyone thought of that melody line before???

Like a friend of mine said about Helloweens’s much disagreed about “Chameleon”; a few songs aren’t that great, but those who are – they are so good I cry myself to sleep every night! Well, I don’t need to cry myself to sleep, but the title track is another loooong epic classic, perhaps the best Luca has done this far. The psychedelic use of synth is very cool, and it suits the music perfectly. But most of all, the very soundtrack-ish themes are incredible, it’s about time Luca realizes his dream; make soundtracks. There are intros and parts on this very record that are so incredibly beautiful that your hair stands up. “Demonheart”, the single, is a pretty straightforward song that easily could have made its way to the debut, and the opener “War Of The Universe” and “The Age Of Mystic Ice” are also worth a mention. On the other hand, “Zaephyr Skies’ Theme” falls hard on the ground in my humble opinion, it’s an atmospheric piece that might be right in its setting. The ballad “Timeless Oceans” is also quickly forgotten, though the great Olaf Hayer does a nice input.

However, the conclusion is: Luca Turilli has not at all run out of ideas (though he releases records just as often as Bush cracks the US stock markets with his speeches), and it’s about time I stop waiting for him to do so.