Despite the problems we had, we created some very good albums. But after 15 years working together, after 10 albums, two great sagas, we decided to try something different.”

Wikimetal (Nando Machado): Hi Alex, this is Nando from Wikimetal, from Brazil, how are you?

Alex Staropoli: Hi, how are you? I was expecting you.

W (NM): Oh, thank you, that's great. So, just to start, what were your main impressions when you created Rhpsody?

AS: It was Luca and I starting to… writing songs immediately, you know, our goal was to create something new and something that we liked. We even analyzed the music market at the time, and we realized that the music we wanted to hear didn't exist yet. So we did what we wanted: create a heavy metal band with influences from classical music and soundtracks. So we were lucky to be able to do what we loved and what was missing in the market, you know. And it was a big challenge, because we were an Italian heavy metal band, you know, so it was very difficult to make the world believe that we could achieve this ultimate goal. We were very lucky and we worked very hard to achieve it.

W (NM): Since you mentioned it, what was the heavy metal and hard rock scene like in Italy in the early 90s?

AS: It was a tragedy. Being a heavy metal band, an Italian heavy metal band, was something… a bad thing, you know. And that's why it was a challenge, it was a struggle. Everyone laughed at us, you know, everyone said, “You'll never make it,” you know. But we worked very hard, and I remember that period as a very stimulating time, Luca and I working together, composing music, and it was fantastic to know that we had something special in our hands, we knew we had something that people could really like, you know. So we invested time and money, we were very young and humble, and we sent demos all over Europe and finally got a contract and released the album “Legendary Tales.” It was a dream, it was fantastic.

W (NM): And how do you see the heavy metal and hard rock scene in Italy today?

AS: Nowadays it's much better. I think there are many, many talented musicians all over the world, and in Italy there are many. Perhaps there's a lack of ideas; it's difficult to propose something new these days, you know, that's difficult, I think. There are many good musicians, but that's not enough anymore; you need to propose something that captures people's interest, something new, something exciting.

W (NM): And changing the subject, Alex, who do you think were the main artists who mixed classical music and rock?

AS: Ah, well, there are many names… I would say bands like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, or Rainbow, they did some really cool stuff, you know, and without those bands there wouldn't be any other bands after that. So I think they did something special and started making rock, metal connected with a kind of cinematic element, music that could put images in your mind, you know. So that was Rhapsody of Fire's goal from the beginning, to do what was traditional, but to do something more, to add soundtracks, you know.

W (NM): Excellent. Changing the subject again, Alex, we have a classic question on our show that we ask everyone we interview. Imagine you're maybe driving your car, listening to your iPod on shuffle, and suddenly a song starts playing that makes you completely lose control. Can you choose that song so we can listen to it on our show right now?

AS: Ah, well…

W (NM): A song that will make you completely lose your mind.

AS: Oh, there are many, but I would say… I would say “Red Sharks” by Crimson Glory.

W (NM): Tell me what you remember about recording with the great Christopher Lee?

AS: Oh, yes, it was fantastic. We were in London and we met him at the studio, we were there waiting for him and he came, he walked into the room and it was incredible, you know, because… Not just because of his physical appearance, because he's very tall and big, you know, he's so big… After five minutes we started talking, talking about music and stuff, and we were very happy to realize that we were on the same level of communication. Then after three days of narration – and it was very emotional, very exciting to hear Christopher Lee narrating the words that Luca wrote, regarding the saga and everything else, it was fantastic – then at the end, he came out of the studio and said, “Yes, yes, this is great, I love it, but everyone wants me to narrate, I want to sing,” he said, you know. His voice was very loud in the studio, you know, and we asked, “Do you really want to sing?”, and he said, “Yes, let's do a song together, I want to sing with Fabio.” It was his idea to sing on a song, and so we did "The Magic of the Wizard's Dream," a song we were going to play live. We did play it live, and everyone went crazy, you know? And the fact that we had the opportunity to have one of the most famous actors in the world singing with us was truly a dream.

 It was a dream to step onto the stage after the intro and see those 5,000 people screaming, from the first row to the last, everyone with their hands in the air, they were making so much noise that I couldn't even hear our own music.”

W (NM): Excellent. So, would you like to choose a song from Rhapsody of Fire that you're very proud of, so we can hear it on our show now?

AS: Oh my God… That’s the hardest question you could ask me. There are so many, many great songs that I like… Let’s play “Dawn of Victory”.

W (NM): Who had the idea to record "The Magic of the Wizard's Dream" in four different languages, and what was that process like?

AS: The idea came from Christopher Lee's idea, you know, because he speaks like twelve languages.

W (NM): Really?

AS: He speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German; he speaks Greek, Russian—he speaks many languages, so he was forcing us to sing the song in many different languages, so we did it in four languages. And I remember Fabio talking every night before this song, explaining that Christopher Lee really liked this song and wanted to sing it in nine different languages, you know… And the process, actually I wasn't there, but Fabio was, and it was very difficult, you know, because Christopher Lee wasn't used to wearing headphones or singing in front of a microphone; he wanted to sing in the middle of the room, in the air, you know, he thought they could magically capture his voice. And so we said, “No, no, you have to use headphones, you have to listen to the music through headphones,” and everything else. So it took a few days, but in the end, the result was great. It's truly an honor to have worked with someone like him.

W (NM): “From Chaos to Eternity” represents the end of an era, the end of a saga. What are the next plans for Rhapsody of Fire in the future? What will the next project be?

AS: Ah, well, first of all I decided to bring Rhapsody of Fire back to the stage, to start touring again, because we basically have two new band members, Oliver Holzwarth and Roberto De Micheli, who is a great friend of mine, and we've played together before, me, Luca Turili and Roberto De Micheli, we played together in the beginning, before Rhapsody started, you know, so I've known him for 20 years. And Roberto was Luca's colleague, they started playing guitar together, so that's why I brought him into the band, you know, he's a really cool guy. So that's the reason why I decided to start touring again, to introduce the new band members and to show the world that Rhapsody of Fire is still going strong, an established band. And we played in Europe, now we're playing in North America, in Latin America, and soon we'll be back in Europe to do more shows. After that, we're going to start working on new music. I have some ideas in my head, and I've already spoken with Fabio, and we really want to do something incredible, something special, something unique, because it's a very important step for Rhapsody of Fire. What kind of music, what kind of studio album are we going to make? So the next plan after these last shows is to sit down and write music.

W (NM): I know you guys still have a very good relationship with Luca? How exactly did his departure from the band happen? Is it true that you're still very good friends? And is it true that the band almost broke up after he left?

AS: No, no. The thing is, he didn't leave, we – Luca and I – decided to split up, separate, you know, so nobody left any band. He decided to create his own and I decided to create mine, keeping the name, keeping Fabio and Alex Holzwarth, and he went to do his own thing, so we just separated amicably, you know. And yes, we live in the same city, we've known each other since we were very young, so even though we don't work together anymore, we remain good friends, we still have a lot of respect for each other. So friendship wasn't the problem here, the problem was managing to continue working in a stimulating way, me, him and Fabio, the three of us together, it was very difficult to work in this last period, you know. Sometimes, when you don't feel like working together, you can still create good music, because this kind of pressure, this kind of problem can sometimes lead you to create music, and that was the case with previous albums. Despite the problems we had, we created very good albums. But after 15 years working together, after 10 albums, two major sagas, we decided to try something different.

W (NM): And you've been to Brazil once, what do you know about Brazilian music?

AS: About Brazilian music? Not much. I have to tell the truth. I don't listen to much music in the end, besides Rhapsody and some soundtracks. I don't want to be influenced by any other music, especially during this period, which is very important to me, as I want to create new music. So it's important for me to stay clean and not listen to heavy metal or other bands that could, perhaps even unconsciously, influence me. Anyway, I love Brazil, I love the feeling we have when we're there, it's a place I'd definitely like to spend my holidays. That was the feeling I had last time when I came to São Paulo, I thought, "My God, I'd like to stay two, three weeks here, just stay here," because the energy in the air was so special, and the people are very special too. And we're Italian, so we're Latinos and we're similar. We're really looking forward to playing for this audience, which is perhaps one of the best audiences in the world.

W (NM): Do you think Latinos are different from other people in the world?

AS: Well, every country is different, you know, every country has its own specialties. But for sure, I would say… I remember when we played there, in 2001, for the first time, in São Paulo, we had 5,000 people, and it was a dream. It was a dream to step onto the stage after the intro and see those 5,000 people screaming, from the first row to the last, everyone with their hands up, they were making so much noise that I couldn't even hear our own music on stage, you know. That's something that gives me chills just thinking about it, and that was more than eleven years ago, you know… and without that memory, we want to go back and play in Brazil. We know how crazy the fans are, it's fantastic. It's a really good feeling to step onto the stage and have that reaction, you know, you play better, you play with more energy, it's really cool.

Everyone laughed at us, everyone said you'd never make it, you know. But we worked really hard.”

W (NM): That's great, Alex. Before we finish, I'd like to thank you so much for your time. I hope you have a great time in Brazil, and whatever you release or need from us, we'll be here to support Rhapsody of Fire always, OK?

AS: Thank you. That's the feeling we have, you know, we really feel that you're supporting the band. And that's why we're going to work to make the best music possible. Many people told me during the tour, "Please don't stop making music, please continue," and that's fantastic. It gives us a lot of energy to keep going and get better and better, so... I hope you'll come to the show on Saturday, right?

W (NM): Yes, of course. We'll be there on Saturday. And before we finish, let me ask one last question.

Like this .

W (NM): What would you say to a boy of, say, 13 or 14 years old, who is starting to play the keyboard, for example, or studying music, and wants to become a rock 'n' roll star or become a member of a band? What would you say to that boy?

AS: Well, it's important to have a goal to achieve, that's for sure. So it's great if boys that age already have a vision, you know, want to achieve something, that's important. But I think it's important, first of all, to have fun, enjoy the music you play, and study your instrument a little, you know, it's good, it's great, it's very good. And to have an end goal, you know, and surround yourself with positive people and people who have the same ideas, you know, people who speak the same language as you, so that you can really grow in the future. And maybe in four, six years you'll be able to achieve your goal. Maybe you'll never be famous, but at least you'll be doing something you really enjoy. Just don't think too much about the future, think about the present and have fun in the present, that's also important. It makes no sense to be depressed now, waiting to be famous in ten or twenty years, it's important to have fun today and enjoy today, you know, enjoy playing with your band, and then, if success comes, that's great.

W (NM): That's great, Mr. Alex Staropoli, thank you very much and count on Wikimetal to promote and support Rhapsody of Fire. We'll be there at the show, and we'll see you here in Brazil.

AS: Yes, thank you, thank you for having me, for giving me the chance to talk to you, and to all the Brazilian fans: thank you very much and see you very soon.

W (NM): It was a pleasure, thank you.

AS: Thank you.

W (NM): Grazie.

AS: Until then. Bye.

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