RHAPSODY Reject Rumors Their Debut Album Was Recorded By Another Band

Italian power metallers RHAPSODY spoke to Metal Temple magazine as part of their promotional press tour a couple of months ago, for their latest release, "Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret". During the interview, Alex Staropoli (keyboards) and Fabio Lione (vocals) put an end to the rumor that had existed since their very first album (1997's "Legendary Tales") that SIEGES EVEN (former band of RHAPSODY's drummer, Alexander Holzwarth) had actually recorded that debut album instead of RHAPSODY themselves. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

Metal Temple: I want to ask you something else now. There was a rumor four or five years ago that said that your first album, "Legendary Tales", was written and performed in the studio by SIEGES EVEN.

Staropoli: [Laughs] "I never heard this rumor before."

Metal Temple: This rumor was based on the fact that you took Alex Holzwarth as your new drummer and on the fact that you didn't go on tour that period. I think that the people who said these things are maybe jealous of you. What do you have to say about these people?

Staropoli: "No, we did not go on tour because we wanted to release an album after one year, immediately. So we had to start working immediately and so we did, so that 'Symphony of Enchanted Lands' was almost composed after 'Legendary Tales'."

Lione: "We also have to say the truth that Limb, our old record label, was not so must interested in 'live' things. So the band was almost unknown."

Staropoli: "This is not really true, because RHAPSODY, Luca and me — the basic formation that was in the beginning of RHAPSODY — we never played live. Limb did not force us to play live because they knew that we were not a live band."

Lione: "Limb was a label that did not care so much about live performances."

Metal Temple: Yes, but what do you have to say about the people who say all these bad things about you?

Staropoli: "We don't care."

Lione: "When people talk, they do exactly the opposite thing than what they want, because if they talk bad they want to keep in a bad light the band, but they talk. And when they talk, the name of the band is still in the people's ears and they do worse. Alex Hozwarth was also on the first album of ANGRA. So what does that mean? That he did their album too?"

Staropoli: "I understand that 'Legendary Tales' was a big shock for many people. And that’s so because it was so new, it was so special."

Lione: "We just did our best and we expected nothing from 'Legendary Tales' because it was our first album. So, we did our best and I remember Limb one evening while we were out having dinner, they said ’OK, guys, if we sell seven or eight thousand copies it will be good’."

Staropoli: "We sold seventy thousand copies!" [Laughs]

Read the entire interview with Alex Staropoli and Fabio Lione by clicking here.