In case you guys aren't aware, Angra officially reunited a couple months ago (last march if I'm not mistaken). They reunited with Ricardo Confessori, their former drummer (from the Andre Matos times) after the departure of Aquiles Priester. They're now back on the road, after a 3-year hiatus, with some gigs scheduled in Brazil and Portugal. And I'm excited to say I'm going to see them live for the very first time next week.
I've started listening to Angra in 2004, I think. By the time Rebirth was a hot album among power/melodic metal fans, and I got really addicted to it. Then 2005 came and with it Temple Of Shadows, which is, in my opinion, one of their very best albums.
I really like Rafael Bittencourt and Kiko Loureiro, they're really skilled and talented. Make sure to check out their solo albums (Kiko Loureiro's No Gravity and Rafael Bittencourt's Brainworms Part 1, you can skip Universo Inverso unless you're in the mood for non-metal music) if you like Angra.
I think Andre Matos was a much better singer than Edu Falaschi. Edu isn't a bad singer at all, I don't think he's got a good range, though. And of course, Andre Matos set the bar way too high.
I think their best album is Fireworks, followed by Temple Of Shadows and maybe Rebirth or Angels Cry. My favourite tracks include Time, The Shadow Hunter, Rebirth, Speed, Nova Era, Deep Blue, Running Alone, Rainy Nights and many others...
I think their latest album, Aurora Consurgens, which was released in 2006, blows big time. It's a break away from their melodic roots, features a much more aggressive style, and I just can't stand it. When it was released, I was mildly interested in Breaking Ties, but that's pretty much it. Salvation: Suicide is also halfway decent.
I have hopes they'll once again start producing awesome music. I really miss the typical, almost academic Brazilian music influence from the Holy Land times, as well as the highly melodic stuff they used to produce until the 2006 release. I'm excited about Confessori being back on board, Shaaman (now apparently called Shaman, but whatever, it's not the same band anymore) is going nowhere without Andre Matos and Aquiles Priester, although a really fantastic drummer, which added a lot of energy to the post-Andre Matos lineup, apparently wasn't a very nice person, judging by some stuff he said about Angra when they were going through trouble.
I think it's possible that Edu Falaschi will now present a better live performance, after a lot of experience in Almah. But I hope he'll go back to singing the way he used to sing in ToS. One critical problem for him is that he just can't reach the notes that Andre Matos reaches without breaking a sweat. I think they might want to go with simpler vocal lines for their upcoming albums, and I just hope he reverts to ToS mode. Also I'd like to see Rafael Bittencourt maybe taking the vocal duties in some songs, he's got a really beautiful voice, as can be perceived in his solo projects.
I'm excited about all this, I think the future is bright for Angra. Brazil, despite having a significant number of power/melodic metal fans, doesn't have many decent bands. Most metal bands around here play other genres... We're starved, and Angra being back on the road is huge news for us.
So what do you guys think about their music, what are your favorite songs, what you dislike about them (I could do without the usual "they suck" comments seen on the DragonForce threads, though), etc.? And who's coming to next weekend concert in Sao Paulo? Any ideas on what might be in the set list (I honestly hope they don't play anything from Aurora Consurgens!), other than the usual suspects (Lisbon, Carry On, ...)?
I'm one of the few Angra-fans who actually prefers Falaschi. I think Matos' voice is just too whiny. Some might even say, well, gay, but not me! He does have great range though. I've never seen them live so I can't judge Edu on that, but he seemed more than ok on their DVD from Rebirth-tour.
