ASCENDING TO INFINITY is an ambitious album and varies musically & lyrically. “Before, as there was a fantasy saga to respect, the music and the lyrics were built around that tale exclusively and there was no real possibility to write about different things, although in the last RHAPSODY OF FIRE albums, I had the chance to add a lot of modern elements already,” Luca explains. “Writing the text of some songs, I used - in many cases - the narrative technique of ‘symbolism,’ hiding deeper meanings behind the apparent simplicity of some words and sentences. This limited ‘field of expression’ was also one of the reasons why through the years I felt the need to start a solo parallel career and to release different albums speaking about different topics. But now, for the new RHAPSODY, there are no artistic boundaries anymore and there is not a fantasy saga to respect musically & lyrically. That’s also the reason why from now on there is no need for me to express myself in a different band and that’s why in August of 2011, when we announced the new adventure of our RHAPSODY band, in the same news I officially announced to have definitely ended my solo career as LUCA TURILLI, to be finally able to dedicate myself, heart and soul, to RHAPSODY only!” He expands on concepts of the new album: “Every song is a little excerpt of my soul. Every title and its lyrical and musical content is the gate and an emotional passage to another world. QUANTUM X, ASCENDING TO INFINITY and DARK FATE OF ATLANTIS, for example, are connected together as they are part of a concept related with the theories of the multiversum, the secrets of the Kabbalah and the genetics of human beings. Again, I love to use the narrative technique of ‘symbolism’ and ‘double meaning’ passages while facing the texts of the songs. For example, writing EXCALIBUR, I didn‘t really intend to speak about the famous tale of Arthur, but instead about the symbolic valor of that mystical weapon and the spiritual meaning given to it through the ages. Then I personally consider OF MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL AND LUCIFER’S FALL as one of the best songs I ever wrote. I love its modern cinematic touch. The deep meaning of the lyrics really touches my soul. It happened many times that I found myself crying while listening to the music and thinking of the meaning of those words at the same time essentially because it is an emotional journey through the heart of the universe and includes scientific, esoteric, and religious aspects. There are a lot of Latin lyrics, like in my best tradition, and some of them were taken or inspired by the ‘Apocalypse’ of St. John.”

Two tour agencies are actually working for the band and a worldwide headlining tour will start in the fall of 2012. It is just the first step of the new RHAPSODY’s artistic journey and recently something really important happened in relation with it. “We tried it but we understood quickly that it would have been really impossible to have our friend and drummer ALEX HOLZWARTH playing for both RHAPSODY and RHAPSODY OF FIRE. In these conditions there is simply no way to go on and so we agreed that the best is to keep the two bands completely independent from each other. That’s why we found the only solution possible. Alex Holzwarth will go on playing for RHAPSODY OF FIRE and this makes sense because also as his brother is playing in that band too. From our side, after thanking Alex for all the wonderful moments shared together and to have recorded the new album showing once more all his great technical skill, we started looking around and trying to find a special person that could have taken his important place. Well, we can tell you that we found that person and he is surely special, very special… honestly one of the best drummers around that we had the chance to listen to!” affirms enthusiastic Luca. “We are really proud to announce that the new drummer and permanent band member of RHAPSODY will be ALEX LANDENBURG (ex ANNIHILATOR, STRATOVARIUS). We are honored to have Alex with us, we admire his unique talent and we are sure we will have a lot of fun together, in the years to come, on the stages of the whole world!”

“Honestly, the addition of Alex to our family is something really amazing from the perspectives of the band. Now we are looking forward to presenting the new RHAPSODY music and to play these epic songs in our future concerts” states new lead vocalist Alessandro Conti. Guitarist Dominique Leurquin pledges: “In our future shows, we want to offer the best RHAPSODY experience possible, therefore we’ll insist both on the musical and the visual aspect of the show, to offer to our fans some cinematic nights to remember!” Bassist Patrice Guers adds: “Be prepared for the ASCENDING OF INFINITY worldwide tour. We’ll play the new songs, the old ones, and on top there will also be a couple of surprises from the solo albums of Luca. We feel to be a real family and great companions of the path of this new adventure, ready to spread our energy around the world for each one of you out there!” Luca shares this important message with all RHAPSODY fans from around the world: “Respect and love to you and your families. Enjoy the miracle of life and most important of all… STAY CINEMATIC!”

TRACKLIST CD:

1 - Quantum X 2:20
2 - Ascending To Infinity 6:05
3 - Dante's Inferno 4:56
4 - Excalibur 8:12
5 - Tormento E Passione 4:50
6 - Dark Fate Of Atlantis 6:30
7 - Luna 4:18
8 - Clash Of The Titans 3:52
9 - Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall 16:15

BONUS TRACK:
10 - March Of Time 5:40

BONUS DVD:
(16:9 PAL · PCM Stereo · DVD-5 ·
Region all · approx 85 min.)

“DARK FATE OF ATLANTIS”
-video clip
-making of the video

INTERVIEWS:

- Sebastian Roeder
- Luca Turilli
- Alessandro Conti
- Dominique Leurquin
- Patrice Guers
- Alex Holzwarth

LINE-UP:

Alessandro Conti – Vocals
Luca Turilli – Lead Guitars and Keyboards
Dominique Leurquin – Lead and Rhythm Guitars
Patrice Guers – Bass
Alex Landenburg– Drums