Loved by Helloween fans and detested by originality seekers, this Brazilian power metal band is becoming more and more popular, especially after their entire catalog -- "Angels Cry" (1993, produced by Sascha Paeth), "Holy Land" (1996), "Holy Live" (1996), "Freedom Call" EP (1997), and "Fireworks" (1998) -- has been released in the United States by Nuclear Blast America, as Angra has become one of the world's most successful metal bands. It was formed in 1991 by the former Viper lead singer, Andre Matos, who wanted to incorporate classical sounds into power metal. A "two guitar and keyboard" attack gave Angra its signature sound. Late 90s lineup included Matos, Ricardo Confessori (drums), Kiko Loureiro (guitars), Rafael Bittencourt (guitars), Luis Mariutti (bass), and Fabio Ribeiro (keyboards). But in 2000 four members of Angra left the band. Matos reformed Viper, Mariutti. and Ribeiro started Shaman. Two guitarists of Angra, nevertheless, did not give up and hired a completely new lineup, which, in the summer of 2001 released "Rebirth." Currently the band features Louireiro, Bittencourt, Eduardo Falaschi (vocals), Aquiles Priestler (drums), and Felipe Andreoli (bass). The follow-up, "Temple Of Shadows" (2004/05) was also a success. LATEST NEWS: "Aurora Convergis" (2006) just came out.
HOLY LAND (1996)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "Nothing To Say," "Z.I.T.O."
Not a bad album, but mostly in the folk metal area, with Brazilian sounds and song structures taking some time to sink in. For example, "Carolina IV," a 10-minute epic, full of dancing beats and folky sounds, I despised at first, but now, a couple of years later, I find it more digestible. The album has only two all-out rockers (listed above), so adjust your expectations accordingly. Matos does not sound too bad here (certainly not as bad as he did on a follow-up), but he is still Matos: love him or hate him. It is certainly very versatile, but lacks a bit of punch: the band is starting to show signs of tiredness, which came to the climax on Fireworks, after which the much-welcomed change took place.
FIREWORKS (1998)
RATING: ***
BEST SONGS: "Wings Of Reality," "Metal Icarus"
A pretty decent album, resembling Stratovarius with a prog edge, fast but not very heavy. Andre Matos has a "love/hate" voice, a bit too high and screechy for my tastes. The songs themselves are alright, but sometimes lack the needed edge. "Wings Of Reality" and "Metal Icarus" are very good, and so are "Paradise" and "Mystery Machine." "Petrified Eyes" is more experimental, and I could never get into it. The lyrics are mostly typical for power metal: theme of "flying" comes up quite often. Not too original or rocking, this is still a decent album. Gee, it only took me a year to write this review :))
REBIRTH (2001)
BEST SONGS: "Nova Era," "Heros Of Sand," title track
Now we're talking! My favorite Angra album by a mile, and it only fared better with time. I've never been a big fan of Matos (frankly, I thought he was the whiniest singer in metal since the 80s glam heroes), so Falaschi is a welcomed change. And he sounds great! Good range, decent tone, power, everything. After a short intro the album kicks it in with "Nova Era": an excellent ripping power metal song, with a great melody, an instant classic (in places it reminds me of "Metal Icarus," but tons and tons better). The songwriting clearly went up a level, as songs are punchier, stronger, and not as cliche as before. "Acid Rain," "Heroes Of Sand" (Falaschi really shines here), epic "Unholy War" (reminds me a little of "Carolina IV," but it's not as twisted), great emotional title ballad, "Running Alone" are all very cool. Excellent sound, and the band truly feels "reborn." My version has a bonus track, which is a ballad that's nothing special. Still, worth the price for Falaschi's performance and the above-listed highlights. Oh yeah, and my wife loves it too.
TEMPLE OF SHADOWS (2004/2005)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Spread Your Fire," "The Temple Of Hate," "Winds Of Destination"
This album came out in US in January 2005, hence it is eligible for 2005 "Best Of" lists. Three years have passed since their last outing, and the songwriting trio of Falaschi, Loureiro, and Bittencourt has matured and gelled together. The album tells a story of a certain Templar knight, on a quest for faith and spiritual enlightening. It begins with an astounding front cover: the world-famous icon of St. George slaying the dragon encircled in Hebrew writings is a great idea. The rest of the booklet artwork fits the bill: it is very creative and beautiful (I only wish the Bible quotations were translated from Latin, but, I suppose, our Brazilian Catholic metallers would have a problem with it). The material is strong, with songs like "Angels And Demons" and "Temple Of Hate" (featuring none other than Gamma Ray's Kai Hansen, who has slid off the radars as of late: please, return, Kai!) being typical Angra melodic power metal hits. Unfortunately, the melodies are not quite as interesting or memorable as on Rebirth. For example, beautiful folky melodies that made Angra special in the eyes of many fans are fairly scarce. Frequent tempo changes are, on the other hand, characteristic of Angra, and we have come to expect them from the boys. Unfortunately, sometimes they break the mood, as in the otherwise kick-ass "Winds Of Destination" (the terrific chorus in this song is only done twice -- what a teaser!).
The album starts out in a more straight-forward manner, although it picks up in the second half, with piano and orchestral sounds adding to the variety (especially on the concluding instrumental, "Gate XIII," which recycles some of the melodies used throughout the album). A beautiful acoustic intro to "The Shadow Hunter" must be mentioned specifically: it is great. "No Pain For The Dead" is a lovely ballad; too bad Sabine Edelsbacher's voice is too sugary for me. This is also one of a few places where Falaschi actually sounds good, and that is my main beef with the album. The singing of Falaschi is good in (parts of) "No Pain For The Dead," "Sprouts Of Time," and "Morning Star." That's it. Everywhere else he sounds like his vocal chords are literally being choked. And I have no idea why. On Rebirth his high-pitched youthful enthusiasm was boiling over the edges, and now he sounds like somebody put a stranglehold on him. Where he goes high, he does not sound good either (like in the end of "The Shadow Hunter"). This is very weird, considering the album was produced by Pink Cream 69's Dennis Ward, who knows good vocals. Maybe the current trend of "becoming heavier" found its way into the Falaschi's voice, and it completely not welcomed there, because such choked sound is not a indication of "heaviness." This defect is twice as bad when compared to the awesome singing of both male guest stars: Kai Hansen on "Temple Of Hate" and especially Hansi Kursch on "Winds Of Destination" (Hansi's singing sounds not even so much like Blind Guardian but more like Demons & Wizards). And considering that my like/dislike of the album is directly related to my like/dislike of the vocals, you can easily see why I only gave it four stars.
AURORA CONSURGENS (2006)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "The Voice Commanding You," "Ego Painted Grey," "Abandoned Fate"
"Aurora consurgens" is a alchemical treatise from the 15th century, sometimes attributed
to Thomas Aquinas. From the get-go: Edu makes a giant step towards his singing style on Rebirth.
It's not all the way there, maybe halfway, but it's still a pleasure to hear him sing high in a Bruce
Dickinson manner (I only wish he'd lose the cross... too tacky). The aggression he displayed on ToS is not
reduced, instead he knows when to go high and not choke. As far as music goes, this album is not as progressive
as the predecessor. There are fewer tempo changes and crammed riffs. But there are plenty of surprising
arrangements. Epic "Ego Painted Grey" is the best example: you never know what to expect next. Keyboards,
drum solo, orchestral sounds, guitar solo, special effects: they are all quite unpredictable. Other songs
take a more streamlined approach and rock very well: "The Voice Commanding You," "Salvation Suicide," and
"Window To Nowhere" are pure 1990s melodic speed / power metal, they could have easily been on Angels
Cry. "So Near So Far" has a nice Middle-Eastern sound and a superb acoustic
guitar solo that smoothly transformed into an electric one. "Abandoned Fate" is a very cute
acoustic piece at the conclusion of the album. Falaschi, Loureiro, and Bittencourt are all very talented
musicians and composers. The main problem is that it is unlikely that the band will
ever reach such crests of melody-crafting as those on Rebirth. That sort of "straight to your head" melodies is
very difficult to replicate. Overall, this work will not break any new grounds or win
Angra any new fans, but it's still very enjoyable and melodic.
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