93. Eternal Idol - 'Renaissance'

Regular followers of this list will be aware of my deep love of Italian Power Metal auteurs Rhapsody (of Fire). Regular readers will be also be aware that there is a bit of a Soap Opera about the band, with multiple versions of Rhapsody existing simultaneously. Fabio Lione, though not the original singer, was vocalist in the classic line-up. When the band split in two in 2011, he initially stayed with the ...of Fire version, but jumped ship in 2015 to join the other version (confusedly called Luca Turilli's Rhapsody). He has also kept himself busy with a slew of side projects, of which this is one. Eternal Idol are more gothic and less symphonic than Rhapsody. There is still more melody and widescreen choruses than you can shake a stick at, but the general feel is less up-beat and more insular. He also, highly successfully, shares vocals with newcomer Claudia Layline. The contrast between their voices really works and there is definite chemistry here. Their exchanges are wrought with emotion and passion. Anything that describes itself as baroque metal is going to be ridiculous, but that doesn’t stop it being great fun