Italian heavy metal guitarist Luca Turilli's specialty is virtuosic progressive, power, and symphonic metal with elements of world and electronic music. Bands such as Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, and Savatage are primary influences, though he hasn't hesitated to incorporate elements of Rush, Yes, Genesis, and European classical and theatrical music into his sound. His science, metaphysics, psychology, and fantasy-based lyrics fit his many projects, beginning with the long-running symphonic power metal group Rhapsody and its myriad offshoots Rhapsody of Fire, Lucca Turilli's Rhapsody, Luca Turilli's Dreamquest, and Turilli/Lione Rhapsody. He released his debut solo effort, King of the Nordic Twilight, in 1999, with two more solo outings, Prophet of the Last Eclipse and The Infinite Wonders of Creation, arriving in 2002 and 2006 respectively. In 2020 he released an album of cinematic piano music.

Turilli has never exclusively listened to rock. Born in Trieste in 1972, his father was a classical cellist and the influence of European classical music on him was paramount. Turilli -- who has often cited Frédéric Chopin as his favorite classical composer but is also a great admirer of Johann Sebastian Bach, Niccoló Paganini, and Antonio Vivaldi -- studied classical flute and piano as a child. He didn't seriously consider the guitar until he was 16. He was 21 when he formed the band Thundercross in 1993 and he co-founded the Italian metal outfit Rhapsody with keyboardist Alex Staropoli and vocalist Fabio Lione in 1996. Sporting a look and a sound that were right out of the '70s and '80s, Rhapsody was unabashedly retro. Although not as well-known in the United States as they were in Europe, Rhapsody fared well in European markets with Legendary Tales in 1997, Symphony of Enchanted Lands in 1998, Dawn of Victory in 2000, Rain of a Thousand Flames in 2001, and Power of the Dragon Flame in 2002. Turilli launched his solo career with 1999's King of the Nordic Twilight, but recording as a solo artist didn't mean the end of Rhapsody; from 1999 on, he functioned as both a solo artist and Rhapsody's leader. And whether the guitarist was recording with Rhapsody or by himself, his success in Europe demonstrated that there was still an audience for fantasy-forward power metal. Turilli continued to record as a solo artist in 2002, when he unleashed Prophet of the Last Eclipse for Limp Music Product. Rhapsody proved prolific during the same period, issuing no less than half-a-dozen singles and seven albums between 1997 and 2006, culminating in Symphony of Enchanted Lands, Vol 2: The Dark Secret.

Rhapsody was legally forced to change their name in late 2006 for copyright reasons. They adopted the moniker Rhapsody of Fire and continued to record and tour, issuing Triumph or Agony in 2006, The Frozen Tears of Angels in 2010, and The Cold Embrace of Fear: A Dark Romantic Symphony the same year. After 2011's From Chaos to Eternity, the band split (amicably) into two outfits. Turilli's outfit was called Luca Turilli's Rhapsody and issued Ascending to Infinity (2012) and Prometheus: Symphonia Ignis Divinus in 2015. In 2017, Turilli and Lione reunited for a 20th anniversary farewell tour as Turilli/Lione Rhapsody, performing their former band's catalog material. Also included in the lineup for were RoF bandmates Patrice Guers, Alex Holzwarth, and Dominique Leurquin. The tour went so well that the band became a going concern. They wrote new material, and their debut album, Zero Gravity (Rebirth and Evolution), was issued by Nuclear Blast in the summer of 2019. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi