Angra are a great band in the power metal vein, with a heavy injection of prog rock. I own the limited edition pack of this cd - which means it comes in a tall and thin cardboard case, with a bonus live cd (3 tracks), a poster and a brochure with information on Angra's history and a list of the songs on this cd. Nice packaging, and limited edition, but a bitch to store!
The track listing in particular is quite amusing, as it reads like a menu:
"Crossing: It's the album's intro track. A tropical atmosphere is mixed with a Renaissance religious musical climate."
Which makes me laugh.
Brief history: Angra formed in the early 90s, stealing Andre from the now-turned-punk band Viper. Their first album was "Angel's Cry". They are from Brazil, and the story of this CD is about the discovery of the South American sub continent.
It begins with "Crossing", in which bird cries intermingle with this haunting instrumental before leading in to the rockier "Nothing to Say" - which according to the
The next song is the haunting "Silence and Distance" which is something of a ballard, with a nicely orcheastral build. Matos' smooth, rich voice croons to me.
Into the longest track, "Carolina IV" with a ten minute duration and changeable style.
"Holy Land" brings in some Brazilian and African vibes. Catchy and melodic. Likewise is "The Shaman", which includes authentic Indian insertions from the beginning of the century (doesn't specify which century, I'm thinking the early 1900s?).
"Make Believe" has a much rockier vibe, guided by the 70s sounds.
It has a video too
It is a very strange video, with rather saturated colours. I remember jumping with glee when I first heard it on MTV, back in the day when we had real Music Television that played Heavy Metal.
We rock it up with the somewhat heavier "Z.I.TO," before mellowing into the classical ballad of "Deep Blue" with its fine orchaestral moments, until finally concluding with the short, but lovely, acoustic "Lullaby for Lucifer", complete with seabirds.
Then, delightfully - a bonus track - "Queen of the Night" in which Matos displays the quirk to his vocals and builds to a bold chorus.
Andre Matos always sounds like he's smiling, and I can imagine he is having a grand time, strutting about performing his tunes (while wearing leather pants and an open shirt, yes please). His voice is not quite as rich or sexy as early Kiske, but has a youthful exuberance which I find quite charming. Overall, this cd is a fine blend of progressive rock intermingled with slower tunes, and with something of a hint at the band's South American heritage.
Bonus Acoustic CD - three tracks:
The intros and other talky bits are all in Portugese - in which I learn that Angra is pronounced "On-Gra". First track is "Angel's Cry", which I love. It has a catchy beat and an even catchier chorus. I love the bit in the centre where it picks up the pace and the audience start clapping along. How I wish I could be there! The acoustic touch is nice too, makes it sound that bit more tribal. And you've gotta laugh when he goes "ariba-ey-ey". Ah, these guys are having a fine old time, with changes in tempo, a fairly tribal sound and then back into the soaring symphonic chorus.**
After that, we are treated to "Chea de Saudade", which is a classic Bossa Nova song - a fusion of samba and jazz.
Then, to the disappointment of the crowd, we reach the grand finale - "Never Understand". Matos's voice swoops and soars through the verses and into the chorus. Like "Angel's Cry" this is a song to clap along with. The acoustic elements allow a lot of scope for Matos's rather soaring voice and also seem to permit the other members of the band to have some fun with more traditional instruments. It's playful and appealing.
I rate this album 9/10.
* A while three years younger. Heh. And no, I cannot remember the source of that quote, some old metal magazine I'd be willing to bet.
** The original version, from the album with the same name is pretty wicked too, but I think I prefer the playfulness of the acoustic version.
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