adg211288 Best Reached Horizons is the first compilation album to be released by Brazilian power metal act Angra. The release covers the band’s whole discography and perhaps comes at an opportune time given that the band’s vocalist Edu Falaschi departed the band earlier in 2012 and having been with the band for over ten years and made four studio albums with them, it’s like the end of an era for the band. Best Reached Horizons contains two discs of material. The first covers the era of the band where André Matos was the vocalist, and the second Edu Falaschi’s era.

Now, personally speaking, being a compilation Best Reached Horizons naturally suffers from the same issue any compilation release faces, namely value for the artist’s existing fans. Big fans of the band will already have most of the material on offer on such a compilation, and may see such releases as a cash-in without considering that there is a very legitimate way that best of releases like Best Reached Horizons are very helpful to some people. People that somehow haven’t yet heard such a prolific act like Angra and want a good introduction to the band’s music need look no further than Best Reached Horizons to get that introduction.

And I was very much in the camp of lacking a proper introduction to the music of Angra when a promo for Best Reached Horizons came my way and after just one listen, made me both wish I’d paid more attention to these guys years ago and want to prioritise looking into their back catalogue properly. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what a good best of release should do.

It helps of course that a pretty killer sample of said catalogue has been compiled for the album. But since it’s guitarist Kiko Loureiro who handled picking the tracks it shouldn’t be in doubt that he’d do the catalogue justice as one of only two members who have played on every album by the band, the other being fellow guitarist Rafael Bittencourt, who provides liner notes for the release of Best Reached Horizons. I can’t say I enjoyed every song presented to the same level, in fact this release suggested to me personally that the Angra full-lengths to start with would be Temple of Shadows (2004), Holy Land (1996) and Angels Cry (1993).

There’s also a cover version of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir presented right at the end of the album. This is the only new offering within the package. I think it’s a decent cover, but it alone doesn’t really make the package worth it for existing fans unless of course they are collectors, in which case the presence of the song is neither here nor there. That’s the problem any best of release faces once again though and of course, as with any best of the album could be rated very differently depending on the perspective taken, but I’ve always upheld the rule that any rating given be based on the music alone, and on that count Best Reached Horizons is a more than satisfactory package.

8.0/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))

dtguitarfan Angra is not only one of the icons of Power Metal, but they are also one of those bands that tread the lines between Power and Prog, enough that they have been accepted as Progressive Metal in some circles. And if I were to pick one album from their collection to say "this is why", Temple of Shadows would be the one I'd pick as evidence. This is a very well rounded album, with a very good dynamic range between acoustic and electric, loud moments and quiet moments, time given to breathe and plenty of "rock out" moments. For myself, I consider this a candidate for Angra's magnum opus - it's a tough choice between this album and "Rebirth", but this is where I feel Angra were at their peak both creatively and as far as showing their musical ability.

UMUR "Angel´s Cry" is the debut full-length album by Brazilian power metal act Angra. The album was recorded at Kai Hansen´s (Helloween, Gamma Ray, Iron Saviour) studio in Hamburg, Germany and produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Sascha Paeth (one part of the prolific producer team Paeth/ Miro who have worked with most of the european power metal elite. Most notably Rhapsody of Fire). It´s noteworthy that the drums on the album are played by Alex Holzwarth (Sieges Even, Rhapsody of Fire) as future drummer Ricardo Confessori was not a member of the band at the time when the band recorded the album even though he is present on the photos in album booklet.

The music is on the album is neo-classical inspired european power metal with a few progressive elements. At least the music is not progressive metal the way I define it. But I guess that´s a matter of definition and it really isn´t important because the high quality of the music overshadows any genre discussion. After listening to "Angel´s Cry" it´s obvious to me that Angra are Helloween worshippers ("Keeper of the Seven Keys part I and II" era). The fast paced double bass drums, the melodic guitars, symphonic keyboards and the memorable, anthemic and melodic vocal lines sung with high pitched voice are all trademarks in the genre. So it´s safe to say that the music on "Angel´s Cry" is not very original. What makes this album stand out from the rest of the pack is the quality of the music though. And it´s very high quality compositions IMO. There´s the fast paced euro power metal tracks like "Carry On", "Time" and "Streets of Tomorrow" but "Angel´s Cry" is actually a rather diverse album which also features tracks like the power ballad "Stand Away" (on a sidenote listen to those extremely high pitched vocal parts. Fantastic IMO), "Never Understand" (the most progressive song on the album) and the symphonic closing track "Lasting Child: I The Parting Words II Renaissance". The Kate Bush track "Wuthering Heights" is also featured in a cover version on the album. The version is true to the original but very well done. The vocal performance by lead vocalist André Matos is nothing short of outstanding on that song. High pitched falsetto. A real treat and a rare treat.

The musicianship on the album is excellent. The guitar playing by Kiko Loureiro is melodic yet powerful but the prize does go to André Matos. He is an outstanding vocalist who masters his style to perfection. He doesn´t invent anything new but he´s got a great voice and a brilliant technique.

The production is very strong allthough the drum sound could have been a bit more powerful at times.

"Angel´s Cry" is one of the few euro power metal albums I´ve listened to in a long time which has impressed me. I´m rather enthusiatic about the album and it fully deserves a 4 star rating. It´s too bad it took me so many years before I finally gave it a try. Very recommendable to fans of euro power metal IMO. It´s as kitch and cheesy as most other albums in the genre but if that doesn´t matter to you this might excite you as much as it excites me.

Pelata I have to admit I have never been a big fan of Angra. Mainly, I think, because of the vocals. Andre Matos was never my cup of tea. I will say, however, that Fireworks had some more-than-promising moments on it. Because of this I was not very enthusiastic about hearing Rebirth. Even in the face of friends of mine who were praising the album highly, I remained skeptical. I am the first to admit when I'm wrong, so, I'm wrong.

This album is a whole new Angra! Partly due, at least, to the addition of new vocalist Edu Falashi. This guy has an outstanding voice; Clean, powerful and full of emotion. The songs as well seem to have a renewed vigor and fire about them. This now is a band that could potentially give Symphony X a run for their money in the symphonic metal field. There is so much energy and power on Rebirth that it could truly be considered a debut album. What I mean is that the band sounds hungry again. "Acid Rain" is a big, strong track with a good mid-tempo drive and excellent melody. The drumming of Aquiles Priester is fluid and flawless! His tasteful licks add a fantastic texture to this and the rest of the songs on the album. The syncopation on the pre-chorus is a perfect pre-cursor to the double kick-drums on the chorus. Edu absolutely shines on the chorus, too. No lead credit is given, so I am unsure whether it is Kiko Loureiro or Rafael Bittencourt providing the stunning lead work, but regardless it is a super high point of this already stellar track. The 8-minute "Unholy Wars" begins with some tribal chanting and percussion as the matching guitar rhythm slowly rises in the mix. This is one of the tracks on the album where you are positive this is not just another power metal album. After the rhythmic feel is carried for a few bars, the band comes crashing through the door with a high-speed metal riff. This epic is the centerpiece of the record as its grabbing melodies coupled with the band's spot-on playing will have your jaw on the floor. "Judgement Day" begins with a driving drum patter before the aggressive riff takes over. There is a piano overlay on the intro that is simply perfect. A typical synth overlay would have been too predictable. A great example of the band establishing their own sound.

It's hard to stop here, but this review is getting a bit lengthy. From the beautiful strains of the title track, to the symphonic grandeur of "Nova Era," Rebirth is a record no power metal fan will want to be without. Angra's Rebirth combines tradition with ambition and walks away completely successful.

Conor Fynes 'Arising Thunder' - Angra (Single)

I have said many times before that the strength of a single is based on how much it entices one to check out the entire album that it pitches. Having barely listened to any of the work that the Brazillian power metal band Angra has released prior to this, there was no existing bias towards the group that would hype me for the upcoming album 'Aqua' or detract me against checking it out. For all intents and purposes, I was a free agent, until 'Arising Thunder' stoked me to the point of being excited for the release of this album.

To anyone that has not heard much power metal in their time, it is a very speedy and melodic form of metal music that many simply brush off for its abundance of fantasy-related lyrics and cheesiness. To anyone that is familiar with the metal genre, this music takes the good, technically challenging and intelligent parts of power metal and does away with alot of the silly things that turn alot of people off of this style of music.

First off, things are very technical here, especially with the guitar work. Neoclassically influenced, shred and melodic passages of lead guitar are exchanged, all over a blistering rhythm section. The vocals are very typical for the genre, but singer Edu Falaschi distinguishes himself over many of his peers with his powerful vibrato. While the vocals and more 'traditional' song sections are good, the vocal lines are not as memorable as one might hope. The real appeal here is in all of the great guitar work and brilliant instrumentation. If the rest of 'Aqua' is this good, I predict we will have a new landmark in the power metal genre by the end of 2010.