progshine Andragonia is a Prog Metal Brazilian band which I was very much into in the beginning of their career. I even went to the release party of their first record Secrets In The Mirror (2010). By the time they had released their second album, Memories (2012), I was a bit away.

Anadragonia’s music in Secrets In The Mirror (2010) follows the path of bands like Symphony X and Dream Theater. In fact, Symphonic X is a very good name to compare them with. Usually they play a very heavy Prog Metal with high pitch vocals like in the tracks ‘Undead’, ‘Shadowmaker’, ‘Secrets In The Mirror’ and ‘Pull The Trigger’.

Somestimes their sound is a bit more Hard Rock with big choruses like in ‘Draining My Heart’. Or the acoustic moments of ‘The Choice’ and ‘In Company Of Silence’. Tracks like ‘Silent Screams’ has Thrash Metal moments and ‘Prison Without Walls is pretty much a simple ballad.

The production is quite good, especially for a debut album. It is so probably because Daniel De Sá (drums) and Thiago Larenttes (guitars) are the producers and they work as producers profissionaly. Also they own the studio where the album was recorded. But the album has some flaws like in the vocals on ‘Life Inside’ and the excessive low ending in ‘The Choice’.

Secretis In The Mirror (2010) is quite a good Prog Metal album and also quite aggressive (maybe because they have 2 guitar players and no keyboards). Though in their second album, Memories (2012), they went more Metal and less Prog (read my review here on the website).

Key tracks: Undead & Secrets In The Mirror

progshine Second album by ANDRAGONIA, brazilian Progressive Metal band. The album was released earlier in April, but now they made it free for download on their website, so I decided to give it a try, cause I already have the first album.

At a first glance they seem to be heavier, more direct, not so Progressive Metal, which is good. 'Jake's Dream' starts and I have the impression of a harsh sound than on the first album Secrets In The Mirror (2010). They didn't lose their Progressive Metal influence, but it seems a bit less predominant here. Which I can't say is a bad thing, the Genre usually goes down the tube of sameness most of the time.

In this album we have some keyboards and programmings by the guitar player Thiago Larenttes, I can say that makes some difference from the first album. But they had gone too far with electronic on the third track 'Betrayed By The Heart', looks interesting, but it didn't worked.

But, music's passing and it actually becomes a little dull, I mean, I lost the interest in the album by 5th song, 'Screaming In Silence'. The 6th, 'Threshold', is interesting again, specially with the 'Spoken Word', narration like vocals. But then 'Touch Of Seduction' kicks in and makes the album dull again. In my opinion just a guitar show off, nothing to do with the album at all. 'Another Time' has nice riffs and a nice bass tone.

To tell you the truth, around 'Ready To Fly', the 10th track, I was ready to stop the album, just didn't do it cause I always finish an album I started, but that tells tons of what I think about the album in the end.

It's not a bad album, but don't appeal to me all in all.