Holy Land is a 1996 metal 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...

 by Angra

Angra (band)

Angra is a Brazilian metal band from São Paulo, Brazil known for its symphonic interludes, highly technical instrumental playing and Brazilian regional elements.- Biography :...

. Its theme is centered around the Brazilian land

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 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. Title track "Holy Land" contains many indigenous

Indigenous peoples in Brazil

The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...

 and folkloric

Folklore

Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...

 influences taken from Brazilian music, but also includes classical arrangements symbolizing Europe at the time.

The opening CD track "Crossing" features a mass led by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...

. The following songs tell of life in the "holy land" prior to its colonization by the Portuguese and subsequent changes Brazil underwent upon their arrival.

"Carolina IV" features a brief arrangement of "Bebê" by Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal

Hermeto Pascoal

Hermeto Pascoal is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a greatly beloved musical figure in the history of Brazilian music, known for his abilities at orchestration and improvisation, as well as being a record producer and...

.

Track listing

Personnel

Angra

• Andre Matos
  André Matos
  André Coelho Matos born September 14, 1971 in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the oldest son of photographer Pedro Henrique Matos and Sonia Maria Coelho. André Matos was the former vocalist, pianist and composer for the power metal bands Viper, Angra and Shaaman. Since October 2006 Andre Matos has been...
  
   – lead vocals
  Singing
  Singing 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...
  
  , piano
  Piano
  The 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...
  
  , keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A 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...
  
   and organ
  Organ (music)
  The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
  
  
• Kiko Loureiro
  Kiko Loureiro
  Kiko Loureiro is a Brazilian Heavy metal guitarist who has worked with bands such as Angra, Silent Moon, and Blezqi Zatzas....
  
   – guitars, backing vocals
  Backing vocalist
  A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
  
   and additional percussion on "Holy Land"
• Rafael Bittencourt
  Rafael Bittencourt
  Rafael Bittencourt is a Brazilian guitarist, composer and co-founder of the band Angra.-Biography:With a very broad formation, Bittencourt studied with the best guitar teachers in Brazil and other countries...
  
   – guitars, backing vocals
  Backing vocalist
  A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
  
   additional percussion on "Holy Land"
• Luís 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 :...
  
   – bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Ricardo Confessori
  Ricardo Confessori
  Ricardo Confessori is a Brazilian drummer and member of the Brazilian power metal band Angra.After leaving the Brazilian thrash metal band Korzus, Confessori was invited for assume the post of drummer of Angra, after the recording of the album Angels Cry, whose drums was recorded by Alex...
  
   – drums
  Drum kit
  A 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 ....
  
  , percussion on "Holy Land"

External links

• www.progarchives.com/