Angra (band)
Encyclopedia
Angra is a Brazilian
metal band from São Paulo, Brazil known for its symphonic interludes, highly technical instrumental playing and Brazilian regional elements.
With this line-up, several of the first band hits were composed, mainly by Rafael Bittencourt and Andre Matos.
The very first song to take form was "Time", which later became part of their first album; Angels Cry, composed by Matos and Bittencourt came short after; "Queen of the Night" was originally "Rainha" and was written by Bittencourt while he played with Marcos Antunes in another band, the song was then revived to integrate Angra's repertoire; and "Carry On" was brought ready to band, composed by Andre Matos. In the beginning of 1992, André Linhares left and guitarist André Hernandes replaced him. In the short time that Hernandes stayed in the band, he changed the existing songs arrangements, giving them body and substance. A lot of his licks were kept by his replacement, Kiko Loureiro. It was during Hernandes' time in the band that "Evil Warning" took shape. A Bittencourt's old song called "Reaching Horizons" was then incorporated to the band. The last work of this line up was on the tribute to Kate Bush
"Wuthering Heights
"
Shortly after guitarist André Hernandes left the band, Kiko Loureiro, who has played with both Antunes and Bittencourt in other bands, joined Angra. After almost an entire year of rehearsal they released the demo Reaching Horizons in 1992 which was received very positively by critics and achieved unexpected success both in Brazil and Europe. It was one of the first releases from Limb Music Products, which later would become one of Europe's premier power metal specialty labels. During the recording sessions for their first album Angels Cry, Marcos Antunes left the band. Sieges Even's drummer Alex Holzwarth was called to finish the album; Ricardo Confessori was later invited to be the new drummer. This change established Angra in its most enduring and prolific form, which lasted from 1993 to 2000. Angels Cry was recorded at Gamma Ray
guitarist Kai Hansen
's studio in Hamburg, Germany. The album included performances by Heavens Gate guitarist Sascha Paeth
as well as Gamma Ray guitarists Kai Hansen and Dirk Schlächter.
The album was released in Brazil in 1993 and featured many classical influences as well as an adventurous cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights". The album was a great success in Angra's native Brazil as well as Japan
where it sold over 100,000 copies. That year Angra dominated the polls of the Brazilian magazine Rock Brigade obtaining awards for Best New Band, Best Album, Best Singer, Best Album Cover and Best Keyboard Player. Due to the album's success in Japan an EP was issued on the Japanese market which included remixed versions of songs from Angels Cry; (Evil Warning, Angels Cry, Carry On and Wuthering Heights). In the following year the album was subsequently released in Europe through Dream Circle, and in France by C.N.R. It went on to be very successful both critically and commercially.
In 1994 Angra opened for AC/DC
in Brazil and was invited to the inaugural Brazilian Monsters of Rock
Festival, sharing stage with KISS
, Black Sabbath
and Slayer
. After the festival, the band embarked on what would be a very successful Brazilian tour, which eventually ended in Europe in 1995. Holy Land - an ambitious project involving huge orchestration, choirs, and Brazilian rhythms - was released in 1996. Once again the production was handled by Sascha Paeth and Charlie Bauerfiend. Holy Land proved even more successful than Angels Cry, and the Japanese Victor release, including the bonus track Queen of the Night, went gold. Angra toured Japan for the first time following the huge success of Holy Land. That same year the EP Freedom Call was released including cover versions of Judas Priest
´s "Painkiller", which was followed by the release of the live album Holy Live, recorded in Paris
in 1996.
In 1998 Angra released the EP Lisbon, followed by the album Fireworks
; both were produced by Chris Tsangarides. Fireworks was a departure from Angra's earlier experimental sound. It focused more on the traditional heavy metal sound, and lacked the classical influences that were apparent in Angels Cry and the Brazilian rhythms that were included in Holy Land. A lengthy world tour was set up in support for the album. Angra made an appearance at the Buenos Aires
´s edition of the Monsters of Rock Festival. The Holy Box was released the same year by Lucretia Records including exclusive acoustic tracks. In 2000 Angra co-headlined shows in Europe with Time Machine and Stratovarius
.
During mid 2000 Angra split, parting ways with vocalist Andre Matos and its entire rhythm section, bassist Luis Mariutti
and drummer Ricardo Confessori. After a great deal of speculation concerning the end of the band, remaining guitarists and founders Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt started drafting musicians to preserve the band. Symbols' vocalist Eduardo Falaschi, Paul Di'Anno
's drummer Aquiles Priester and bassist Felipe Andreoli were chosen after what the band called a "rigorous and criterious process involving both technical skills, previous experience and perfect mutual musical understanding".
Rebirth was released in 2001, produced by Dennis Ward. The album was both a critical and commercial success in Brazil and internationally, selling over 100,000 copies worldwide in less than 2 months. The album went gold in Brazil that same year. The EP Hunters and Prey was released in 2002 which included acoustic takes of Rebirth songs, as well as other new material, a cover of "Mama
" by Genesis
, and their first song with lyrics in Portuguese Caça e Caçador (Portuguese for Hunter and Prey). Angra was a featured guest on many mainstream TV shows in Brazil.
Angra would play live in Japan and appeared in The Rock Machine Festival in Spain, the Wacken Open Air event in Germany and The ProgPower
Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, which was their first visit to the USA. Following the tour, various members of the group played as guests in many projects, including the Led Zeppelin
tribute album
The Metal Zeppelin - The Music Remains The Same.
Temple of Shadows
recording sessions started in January 2004 at Mosh Studios in São Paulo. Dennis Ward once again was at the production role. The album guested vocalists Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray), Sabine Edelsbacher (Edenbridge), Hansi Kürsch
(Blind Guardian
) and the Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento
. Temple of Shadow was a concept album
based around a character known as The Shadow Hunter and his saga which is described as "a saga of a crusader knight that ends up disputing the expansionist ideals of the Catholic Church in the eleventh century". Progressive metal influences permeate the album to an extent never seen before on an Angra release, making it sound closer to Dream Theater
and Pain of Salvation
. Expanding from the typical power metal sound, the album incorporates orchestras ("No Pain For The Dead"), flamenco ("The Shadow Hunter"), triple timing ("Wishing Well"), and epic vocal parts often including entire choirs, and not limited from female voices. The record sold over 20,000 copies in the first week in Japan alone, selling close to 50,000 copies in Brazil and over 250.000 worldwide.
The band made a very successful tour in Brazil and an impressive European tour, headlining shows in Southern Europe throughout Spain, Italy, and France in February 2005. For the first time since its creation, the band played at a UK show at The Mean Fiddler in London, supported by DragonForce
, and later joined Finnish band Nightwish
for the Japanese dates in March. The band then went to Taiwan and after, for the first time, they played in the Oceania
continent headlining shows in Australia
. Angra resumed the Brazilian tour and then returned to Europe for the Lorca Roch Festival, Live in Italy and Bull Rock Festival, sharing stages with big heavy metal names like Iron Maiden
and Dream Theater.
Later in 2006, Angra worked once again with producer Dennis Ward on their new album, entitled Aurora Consurgens
, focusing on a non-concept album as Rebirth
was. Instead, they pursued a close relative of the idea, a theme album. The moods and lyrical content of a themed album all follow a specific topic or idea, rather than a story, which are apparent from start to finish. In the case of Aurora Consurgens, the lyrics are about the different mental perturbations such as suicide
, schizophrenia
, sociopathy, bipolar disorder
, etc.
Also in 2006, Fábio Laguna
composed a solo progressive instrumental album called Freakeys along with drummer Aquiles Priester and bassist Felipe Andreoli. In mid 2007, the band took a break due to an unresolved situation with its manager, who was also the owner of the "Angra" mark. As result, other non-resolved situations between the members arose and it ended up with a break for an undetermined amount of time, until a solution was reached.
In 2008, Singer Edu Falaschi was originally reported as saying that Angra "has been terminated", but this was later revealed to be both a misunderstanding and a misreporting of his words. Edu later clarified what was meant by his earlier comments: "Angra is not done; we're taking a break, a pause. The band is going through some difficult management issues, and all of us are doing our best to get back on the road". In 2009, the Official Site was put out of function. Instead, the home page announced that the site was under construction and news would be released soon. In March 2009, the Angra's Official Site announced the return of Ricardo Confessori to the post of drummer of Angra, replacing Aquiles Priester, who left the band to dedicate full force to his band Hangar. Confessori returns to Angra after a nine-years hiatus. The band went out on tour along with another Brazilian band, Sepultura
during 2009.
In the beginning of 2010, Angra started to write songs for their upcoming yet unnamed album due out in mid 2010. The album was composed partly at the members' houses and partly at Confessori's ranch, where they rehearsed and improved the arrangements of the new songs. In February, they came into Norcal Studios in São Paulo, to start recordings. The band members made home videos from the writing/recording process and released them to the fans almost weekly.
On July 5 the band unveiled the cover and tracklist of the new album called Aqua. On July 10, the first single "Arising Thunder" was released. On July, 15 a new song, called "Lease of Life", was played for the first time in a Brazilian radio station called 'Kiss FM'. The radio program featured an interview with two members of Angra (Kiko and Edu), followed by a high quality play of the song.
On August 11, Aqua was officially released in Japan and the Aqua Tour begins with pocket shows, being followed by a Brazilian tour through several venues around the country.
In the beginning of 2011, the band made a tour in Europe and the band will play in the Rock in Rio festival in September.
In April 2011, Kiko Loureiro accused Brazilian axé
group Parangolé of plagiarism
. According to the guitarist, the group would have used a guitar riff from Rebirth's "Nova Era" in their 2007 song "Azevixe". In response, Angra fans or people simply supporting the metal band created the Twitter
hashtags #parangolixo and #parangoplágio (portmanteaus of the words "Parangolé" + "lixo" (garbage) and "Parangolé" + "plágio" (plagiarism), respectively). On the other hand, Parangolé fans used the tag #parangolove. All made it to the Trending Topics
.
, was chosen as a guest for the recording sessions and later Ricardo Confessori joined the band for the tour. This was the longest lived Angra line-up. In 2000 Matos, Mariutti and Confessori left the band, eventually grouping together to form the heavy metal band Shaaman
. In 2001 Eduardo Falaschi, Felipe Andreoli and Aquiles Priester joined the band for the release of Rebirth. The band also recruited keyboard players on different occasions but they never received "member" status. In mid 2008, Priester left the band due to differences with other band members and in late 2008, Confessori confirmed his return to take over drums.
Guest musician:
" - " - Information not found
" _ " - Denotes an album that didn't chart or was not released in that country
Brazilian
Brazilian may refer to anything of or relating to Brazil and may also refer directly to:* Brazilian barbecue, known as churrasco* Brazilian football—see Football in Brazil* Brazilian football clubs—see List of football clubs in Brazil...
metal band from São Paulo, Brazil known for its symphonic interludes, highly technical instrumental playing and Brazilian regional elements.
Biography
Angra was formed in 1991 by Santa Marcelina Music College students vocalist Andre Matos, duo guitarist Rafael Bittencourt and André Linhares, and were joined by former Rafael Bittencourt band mate drummer Marcos Antunes, as well as former Firebox bassist and former both Rafael Bittencourt and André Linhares high-school mate Luís Mariutti.With this line-up, several of the first band hits were composed, mainly by Rafael Bittencourt and Andre Matos.
The very first song to take form was "Time", which later became part of their first album; Angels Cry, composed by Matos and Bittencourt came short after; "Queen of the Night" was originally "Rainha" and was written by Bittencourt while he played with Marcos Antunes in another band, the song was then revived to integrate Angra's repertoire; and "Carry On" was brought ready to band, composed by Andre Matos. In the beginning of 1992, André Linhares left and guitarist André Hernandes replaced him. In the short time that Hernandes stayed in the band, he changed the existing songs arrangements, giving them body and substance. A lot of his licks were kept by his replacement, Kiko Loureiro. It was during Hernandes' time in the band that "Evil Warning" took shape. A Bittencourt's old song called "Reaching Horizons" was then incorporated to the band. The last work of this line up was on the tribute to Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
"Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights (song)
"Wuthering Heights" is a song by Kate Bush released as her debut single in January 1978. It became a No.1 hit in the UK singles chart and remains her biggest-selling single. The song appears on her 1978 debut album, The Kick Inside. The B-side of the single was another song by Bush named "Kite" -...
"
Shortly after guitarist André Hernandes left the band, Kiko Loureiro, who has played with both Antunes and Bittencourt in other bands, joined Angra. After almost an entire year of rehearsal they released the demo Reaching Horizons in 1992 which was received very positively by critics and achieved unexpected success both in Brazil and Europe. It was one of the first releases from Limb Music Products, which later would become one of Europe's premier power metal specialty labels. During the recording sessions for their first album Angels Cry, Marcos Antunes left the band. Sieges Even's drummer Alex Holzwarth was called to finish the album; Ricardo Confessori was later invited to be the new drummer. This change established Angra in its most enduring and prolific form, which lasted from 1993 to 2000. Angels Cry was recorded at Gamma Ray
Gamma Ray (band)
Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent...
guitarist Kai Hansen
Kai Hansen
Kai Michael Hansen is a power metal guitarist and vocalist.Hansen is the founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray, and the co-founder and former member of German metal band Helloween. He is a prominent figure in power metal, and has sold millions of albums worldwide...
's studio in Hamburg, Germany. The album included performances by Heavens Gate guitarist Sascha Paeth
Sascha Paeth
Sascha Paeth is a German guitarist, bassist, musical producer, and mixer known for working with heavy metal bands such as Avantasia, Edguy, Angra, Shaaman, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, After Forever, Epica, et al...
as well as Gamma Ray guitarists Kai Hansen and Dirk Schlächter.
The album was released in Brazil in 1993 and featured many classical influences as well as an adventurous cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights". The album was a great success in Angra's native Brazil as well as Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where it sold over 100,000 copies. That year Angra dominated the polls of the Brazilian magazine Rock Brigade obtaining awards for Best New Band, Best Album, Best Singer, Best Album Cover and Best Keyboard Player. Due to the album's success in Japan an EP was issued on the Japanese market which included remixed versions of songs from Angels Cry; (Evil Warning, Angels Cry, Carry On and Wuthering Heights). In the following year the album was subsequently released in Europe through Dream Circle, and in France by C.N.R. It went on to be very successful both critically and commercially.
In 1994 Angra opened for AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
in Brazil and was invited to the inaugural Brazilian Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
Festival, sharing stage with KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
. After the festival, the band embarked on what would be a very successful Brazilian tour, which eventually ended in Europe in 1995. Holy Land - an ambitious project involving huge orchestration, choirs, and Brazilian rhythms - was released in 1996. Once again the production was handled by Sascha Paeth and Charlie Bauerfiend. Holy Land proved even more successful than Angels Cry, and the Japanese Victor release, including the bonus track Queen of the Night, went gold. Angra toured Japan for the first time following the huge success of Holy Land. That same year the EP Freedom Call was released including cover versions of Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
´s "Painkiller", which was followed by the release of the live album Holy Live, recorded in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1996.
In 1998 Angra released the EP Lisbon, followed by the album Fireworks
Fireworks (Angra album)
Fireworks is the third album by Angra, released in 1998, and the last to feature the original lineup.- Track listing :- Personnel :* Andre Matos - Vocals, Keyboards* Kiko Loureiro - Guitar* Rafael Bittencourt - Guitar* Luis Mariutti - Bass...
; both were produced by Chris Tsangarides. Fireworks was a departure from Angra's earlier experimental sound. It focused more on the traditional heavy metal sound, and lacked the classical influences that were apparent in Angels Cry and the Brazilian rhythms that were included in Holy Land. A lengthy world tour was set up in support for the album. Angra made an appearance at the Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
´s edition of the Monsters of Rock Festival. The Holy Box was released the same year by Lucretia Records including exclusive acoustic tracks. In 2000 Angra co-headlined shows in Europe with Time Machine and Stratovarius
Stratovarius
Stratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...
.
During mid 2000 Angra split, parting ways with vocalist Andre Matos and its entire rhythm section, bassist Luis Mariutti
Luís Mariutti
Luís Mariutti, born March 22, 1971 in São Paulo, Brazil, is a heavy metal bass player, formerly of the power metal bands Angra and Shaaman. Now plays in Henceforth and Andre Matos' solo project.- References :...
and drummer Ricardo Confessori. After a great deal of speculation concerning the end of the band, remaining guitarists and founders Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt started drafting musicians to preserve the band. Symbols' vocalist Eduardo Falaschi, Paul Di'Anno
Paul Di'Anno
Paul Andrews , better known as Paul Di'Anno, is an English singer best known as the first vocalist to record with the iconic heavy metal band Iron Maiden, from 1978 to 1981....
's drummer Aquiles Priester and bassist Felipe Andreoli were chosen after what the band called a "rigorous and criterious process involving both technical skills, previous experience and perfect mutual musical understanding".
Rebirth was released in 2001, produced by Dennis Ward. The album was both a critical and commercial success in Brazil and internationally, selling over 100,000 copies worldwide in less than 2 months. The album went gold in Brazil that same year. The EP Hunters and Prey was released in 2002 which included acoustic takes of Rebirth songs, as well as other new material, a cover of "Mama
Mama (Genesis song)
"Mama" was the first single from Genesis' 1983 self-titled album. It is recognizable for its harsh drum machine introduction composed by Mike Rutherford, which leads into minimalist synthesizer lines in minor keys and finally Phil Collins' reverb-laden voice. It remains the band's biggest...
" by Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
, and their first song with lyrics in Portuguese Caça e Caçador (Portuguese for Hunter and Prey). Angra was a featured guest on many mainstream TV shows in Brazil.
Angra would play live in Japan and appeared in The Rock Machine Festival in Spain, the Wacken Open Air event in Germany and The ProgPower
ProgPower
ProgPower is the name of four progressive and power metal festivals:*ProgPower Europe , held in the Netherlands since 1999*ProgPower USA, held in the United States since 2001...
Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, which was their first visit to the USA. Following the tour, various members of the group played as guests in many projects, including the Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
The Metal Zeppelin - The Music Remains The Same.
Temple of Shadows
Temple of Shadows
Temple of Shadows is a concept album by the power metal band Angra and was released in 2004 by Paradoxx Music in Brazil and SPV label Steamhammer in the rest of the world...
recording sessions started in January 2004 at Mosh Studios in São Paulo. Dennis Ward once again was at the production role. The album guested vocalists Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray), Sabine Edelsbacher (Edenbridge), Hansi Kürsch
Hansi Kürsch
Hans Jürgen Kürsch, better known as Hansi Kürsch is a German musician, the lead vocalist and lyricist of power metal band Blind Guardian. Together with André Olbrich, he is also the principal songwriter for the band. He was also the bassist in Blind Guardian until the 1998 album Nightfall in...
(Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres...
) and the Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento
-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria Nascimento. As a baby, Milton Nascimento was adopted by his mother's former employers: the couple Josino Brito Campos, a banker employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician; and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer...
. Temple of Shadow was a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
based around a character known as The Shadow Hunter and his saga which is described as "a saga of a crusader knight that ends up disputing the expansionist ideals of the Catholic Church in the eleventh century". Progressive metal influences permeate the album to an extent never seen before on an Angra release, making it sound closer to Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
and Pain of Salvation
Pain of Salvation
Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive rock band featuring Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the lyricist, chief composer, guitarist, and lead vocalist. Their sound is characterised by powerful, accentuated guitar work, broad vocal range, abrupt switching between heavy and calm passages, intense...
. Expanding from the typical power metal sound, the album incorporates orchestras ("No Pain For The Dead"), flamenco ("The Shadow Hunter"), triple timing ("Wishing Well"), and epic vocal parts often including entire choirs, and not limited from female voices. The record sold over 20,000 copies in the first week in Japan alone, selling close to 50,000 copies in Brazil and over 250.000 worldwide.
The band made a very successful tour in Brazil and an impressive European tour, headlining shows in Southern Europe throughout Spain, Italy, and France in February 2005. For the first time since its creation, the band played at a UK show at The Mean Fiddler in London, supported by DragonForce
DragonForce
DragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...
, and later joined Finnish band Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
for the Japanese dates in March. The band then went to Taiwan and after, for the first time, they played in the Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
continent headlining shows in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Angra resumed the Brazilian tour and then returned to Europe for the Lorca Roch Festival, Live in Italy and Bull Rock Festival, sharing stages with big heavy metal names like Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
and Dream Theater.
Later in 2006, Angra worked once again with producer Dennis Ward on their new album, entitled Aurora Consurgens
Aurora Consurgens (album)
Aurora Consurgens is an album by the power metal band Angra. It was released in October 2006 by Paradoxx Music in Brazil and SPV label Steamhammer in the rest of the world...
, focusing on a non-concept album as Rebirth
Rebirth (Angra album)
Rebirth is the fourth album by Angra, the first since a major restructuring of the band's line-up.-Track listing:#"In Excelsis" - 1:03#"Nova Era" - 4:52...
was. Instead, they pursued a close relative of the idea, a theme album. The moods and lyrical content of a themed album all follow a specific topic or idea, rather than a story, which are apparent from start to finish. In the case of Aurora Consurgens, the lyrics are about the different mental perturbations such as suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, sociopathy, bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, etc.
Also in 2006, Fábio Laguna
Fábio Laguna
Fábio Laguna is a keyboardist most famous for playing with Angra since 2001 and for being a member of Hangar band since 2002. In 2006 he released his last solo album called Freakeys along with members of both bands.-Biography:...
composed a solo progressive instrumental album called Freakeys along with drummer Aquiles Priester and bassist Felipe Andreoli. In mid 2007, the band took a break due to an unresolved situation with its manager, who was also the owner of the "Angra" mark. As result, other non-resolved situations between the members arose and it ended up with a break for an undetermined amount of time, until a solution was reached.
In 2008, Singer Edu Falaschi was originally reported as saying that Angra "has been terminated", but this was later revealed to be both a misunderstanding and a misreporting of his words. Edu later clarified what was meant by his earlier comments: "Angra is not done; we're taking a break, a pause. The band is going through some difficult management issues, and all of us are doing our best to get back on the road". In 2009, the Official Site was put out of function. Instead, the home page announced that the site was under construction and news would be released soon. In March 2009, the Angra's Official Site announced the return of Ricardo Confessori to the post of drummer of Angra, replacing Aquiles Priester, who left the band to dedicate full force to his band Hangar. Confessori returns to Angra after a nine-years hiatus. The band went out on tour along with another Brazilian band, Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
during 2009.
In the beginning of 2010, Angra started to write songs for their upcoming yet unnamed album due out in mid 2010. The album was composed partly at the members' houses and partly at Confessori's ranch, where they rehearsed and improved the arrangements of the new songs. In February, they came into Norcal Studios in São Paulo, to start recordings. The band members made home videos from the writing/recording process and released them to the fans almost weekly.
On July 5 the band unveiled the cover and tracklist of the new album called Aqua. On July 10, the first single "Arising Thunder" was released. On July, 15 a new song, called "Lease of Life", was played for the first time in a Brazilian radio station called 'Kiss FM'. The radio program featured an interview with two members of Angra (Kiko and Edu), followed by a high quality play of the song.
On August 11, Aqua was officially released in Japan and the Aqua Tour begins with pocket shows, being followed by a Brazilian tour through several venues around the country.
In the beginning of 2011, the band made a tour in Europe and the band will play in the Rock in Rio festival in September.
In April 2011, Kiko Loureiro accused Brazilian axé
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
group Parangolé of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
. According to the guitarist, the group would have used a guitar riff from Rebirth's "Nova Era" in their 2007 song "Azevixe". In response, Angra fans or people simply supporting the metal band created the Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
hashtags #parangolixo and #parangoplágio (portmanteaus of the words "Parangolé" + "lixo" (garbage) and "Parangolé" + "plágio" (plagiarism), respectively). On the other hand, Parangolé fans used the tag #parangolove. All made it to the Trending Topics
Trending topic
A trending topic is a word, phrase or topic that is posted multiple times on the social networking and microblogging service Twitter. Trending topics become popular either through a concerted effort by users or because of an event that prompts people to talk about one specific topic...
.
Members
Angra's first line-up was formed in 1991 with Andre Matos, Rafael Bittencourt, André Linhares, Luís Mariutti and Marco Antunes. By 1992 Linhares was replaced by Andre Hernades (which, by 2010, is playing guitar in Andre Matos' solo band). Soon Hernandes was also replaced, this time by Kiko Loureiro. They recorded their first demo album Reaching Horizons, which was followed by Marco Antunes leaving the band in 1992 just prior to the recording of their first album Angels Cry. Alex Holzwarth, Rhapsody of FireRhapsody of Fire
Rhapsody of Fire is an Italian symphonic power metal band led by Alex Staropoli. Since forming in 1993, the band has released eight studio albums, one live album, two EPs, and a live DVD...
, was chosen as a guest for the recording sessions and later Ricardo Confessori joined the band for the tour. This was the longest lived Angra line-up. In 2000 Matos, Mariutti and Confessori left the band, eventually grouping together to form the heavy metal band Shaaman
Shaaman
Shaman or Shaaman is a Brazilian heavy metal/power metal band assembled in 2000 by three musicians who left the band Angra - Andre Matos, Luis Mariutti and Ricardo Confessori...
. In 2001 Eduardo Falaschi, Felipe Andreoli and Aquiles Priester joined the band for the release of Rebirth. The band also recruited keyboard players on different occasions but they never received "member" status. In mid 2008, Priester left the band due to differences with other band members and in late 2008, Confessori confirmed his return to take over drums.
Current members
- Eduardo Falaschi – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(2001–present) - Rafael Bittencourt – guitarsElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, backing vocals (1991–present) - Kiko Loureiro – guitars, backing vocals (1992–present)
- Felipe Andreoli – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals (2001–present) - Ricardo Confessori – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1993–2000; 2009–present)
Guest musician:
- Daniel dos Santos – live keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(2009–present)
Former members
- Andre Matos – vocals, studio and additional live keyboards, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(1991–2000) - Aquiles Priester – drums (2001–2008)
- André Hernandes – guitar (1992)
- André Linhares – guitar (1991)
- Luís Mariutti – bass guitar (1991–2000)
- Marcos Antunes – drums (1991–1992)
Guest musicians
- Leck Filho – live keyboards, backing vocals (1993–1998)
- Fábio Ribeiro – live keyboards (1993; 1999)
- Alex HolzwarthAlex HolzwarthAlex Holzwarth was born on 4 October 1968 in Landshut, Germany and is a professional drummer, and current member of italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody of Fire. He is also the brother of the band's bassist Oliver Holzwarth....
– drums, guest for the recordings of Angels Cry (1993) - Fábio Laguna – live keyboards (2001–2008)
- Kai HansenKai HansenKai Michael Hansen is a power metal guitarist and vocalist.Hansen is the founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray, and the co-founder and former member of German metal band Helloween. He is a prominent figure in power metal, and has sold millions of albums worldwide...
– vocals for Temple of Shadows album (2004) - Hansi KürschHansi KürschHans Jürgen Kürsch, better known as Hansi Kürsch is a German musician, the lead vocalist and lyricist of power metal band Blind Guardian. Together with André Olbrich, he is also the principal songwriter for the band. He was also the bassist in Blind Guardian until the 1998 album Nightfall in...
– vocals for Temple of Shadows album (2004) - Sabine Edelsbacher – vocals for Temple of Shadows album (2004)
- Milton NascimentoMilton Nascimento-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria Nascimento. As a baby, Milton Nascimento was adopted by his mother's former employers: the couple Josino Brito Campos, a banker employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician; and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer...
– vocals for Temple of Shadows album (2004)
Studio albums
| Released | Title | Label | Brazilian charts | French charts | Japanese charts | US charts | Sales | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Angels Cry | JVC Japan | - | _ | 17 | - | 700 000 | Gold (JP) |
| 1996 | Holy Land Holy Land (album) Holy Land is a 1996 metal concept album by Angra. Its theme is centered around the Brazilian land by the time it was discovered in the 16th century, as depicted in the art surrounding the album release. Once fully opened, the cover illustration turns out to be an old 15th-century map... |
Eldorado | - | _ | 17 | - | 500 000 | Gold (JP) |
| 1998 | Fireworks Fireworks (Angra album) Fireworks is the third album by Angra, released in 1998, and the last to feature the original lineup.- Track listing :- Personnel :* Andre Matos - Vocals, Keyboards* Kiko Loureiro - Guitar* Rafael Bittencourt - Guitar* Luis Mariutti - Bass... |
Paradoxx Music | - | 41 | 15 | - | 500 000 | - |
| 2001 | Rebirth Rebirth (Angra album) Rebirth is the fourth album by Angra, the first since a major restructuring of the band's line-up.-Track listing:#"In Excelsis" - 1:03#"Nova Era" - 4:52... |
- | 74 | 18 | - | 1.100.000 | Gold (JP) Gold (BR) Gold (GER) |
|
| 2004 | Temple of Shadows Temple of Shadows Temple of Shadows is a concept album by the power metal band Angra and was released in 2004 by Paradoxx Music in Brazil and SPV label Steamhammer in the rest of the world... |
SPV | 10 | 110 | 22 | - | 500 000 | Gold (JP) Gold (BR) |
| 2006 | Aurora Consurgens Aurora Consurgens (album) Aurora Consurgens is an album by the power metal band Angra. It was released in October 2006 by Paradoxx Music in Brazil and SPV label Steamhammer in the rest of the world... |
Paradoxx/SPV | 14 | 154 | 17 | 400 | 150 000 | Gold |
| 2010 | Aqua Aqua (Angra album) - Standard version :- Disc 1 :- Disc 2 :- Side one :- Side two :- Side three :- Side four :- Personnel :* Eduardo Falaschi - Vocals* Kiko Loureiro - Guitar* Rafael Bittencourt - Guitar... |
SPV/JVC Japan | 11 | 147 | 22 | - |
" - " - Information not found
" _ " - Denotes an album that didn't chart or was not released in that country
Extended plays (EPs)
- Evil Warning (1994)
- Live Acoustic at FNAC (1995)
- Freedom CallFreedom Call (EP)Freedom Call is an EP by the heavy metal band Angra.-Track listing:#"Freedom Call"#"Queen of the Night" #"Reaching Horizons" #"Stand Away" #"Painkiller"...
(1996) - Acoustic... And more (1998)
- Hunters and PreyHunters and PreyHunters and Prey is an EP by the Power metal band Angra.-Track listing:# "Live and Learn" - 4:12# "Bleeding Heart" - 4:04# "Hunters and Prey" - 6:29...
(2002) #85 Japanese charts
Live albums
- Holy LiveHoly LiveHoly Live is a live album by Brazilian heavy metal band Angra. It was recorded in Paris in 1996. According to the band, only six tracks were of sufficient quality to be released...
(1997) #87 Japanese albums charts - Rebirth World Tour – Live in São Paulo (CD & DVD, 2002) #78 Japanese charts (CD); #156 Japanese charts (DVD)
Singles
- "Make Believe" (1996)
- "Lisbon" (1998)
- "Rainy Nights" (1998)
- "Acid Rain" (2001) (demo version)
- "Wishing Well" (2004) #85 Brazilian charts
- "The Course of Nature" (2006) (free download only)
- "Arising Thunder" (2010) (free download only)
Video clips
- "Carry OnCarry On (Angra song)"Carry On" is a song by the Brazilian power metal band Angra.It is their hit amongst fans and is played live since its recording.It is present in the Rebirth World Tour live album and DVD, in the Holy Live EP and was remixed in the single "Evil Warning" and in the re-release of the album. It is...
" (1993) - "Time" (1993)
- "Make Believe" (1996)
- "Lisbon" (1999)
- "Rebirth" (2001)
- "Pra Frente Brasil" (2002)
- "Waiting Silence" (2004)
- "Wishing WellWishing Well"Wishing Well" is a song of Sananda Maitreya for the album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, and hit number one on both the Soul Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 on ....
" (2004) - "The Course of Nature" (2006)
- "Lease of Life" (2010)
VHS and DVDs
- Rebirth World Tour – Live in Rio de Janeiro (VHS, 2002)
- Rebirth World Tour – Live in São Paulo (DVD & VHS, 2002)
External links
- Angra Official Site
- Angra at MyspaceMyspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Angra at Encyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives is a website which lists bands from various forms of heavy metal music...
- Angra at Metal Storm