Formed in 1993 as Thundercross, and then changed name to Rhapsody in 1995. They were forced to change their name again, this time to Rhapsody of Fire, due to copyright problems on 14th of July of 2006.

Before Cristiano Adacher's arrival, Luca Turilli was also the singer of the band.

Thunderforce played drums from "Dawn of Victory" to "Power of the Dragonflame," but for contractual obligations his real identity could not be revealed. There was also speculation that 'Thunderforce' did not actually exist and that the drums on these albums were programmed, but the band always denied this.

Alex Holzwarth, who played drums in live shows, figured in the official line-up on the CDs. Holzwarth has played all drums since "The Dark Secret" EP.

Dominique Leurquin played live with Rhapsody from February 2000 until 2011, and later also performed the rhythm guitar parts on albums, but was only ever considered a 'special guest' of the band.

Rhapsody's baroque recorder parts have always been played by Alex Staropoli's brother, Manuel Staropoli. On Rhapsody's earlier releases, songs often contained narration by Sir Jay Lansford. Starting with "The Dark Secret" EP, professional actors, ntably including film veteran Christopher Lee, have been used instead. Lee has also performed as co-vocalist on a few B-sides.

Rhapsody's management team included Manowar's Joey DeMaio after they signed to his Magic Circle Music label, but they were later involved in a long-running legal dispute that brought all band activity to a halt between 2007 and 2009.

Luca Turilli and Patrice Guers left Rhapsody of Fire on good terms in 2011, and announced in November 2011 that they would continue as Luca Turilli's Rhapsody along with Dominique Leurquin. Both versions claim the entire band history up until the split as their own. Alex Holzwarth was initially a member of both bands but left Luca Turilli's Rhapsody after the recording of their first album.

Nuclear Blast dropped Rhapsody of Fire after the split and continued with Luca Turilli's Rhapsody only. After one year, in December 2012 the band then signed to the German label AFM Records.

Participated (as "Rhapsody") with song "Guardians" on first part "The Keepers of Jericho - A Tribute to Helloween" Compilation released by Arise Records.