Angra Album Review - Fireworks the Last Album to Feature Andre Matos on Vocals

Fireworks is the 3^rd studio album by Brazilian power metal band Angra and it is also the last album to have the powerful vocals of Andre Matos. I decided that this album deserves an analysis and review because of the impressive song Speed. There is one version that I have that has the song Rainy Nights.

Fireworks is an album that begins with a full song instead of starting with a short instrumental like the previous two albums did.

The first song Wings of Reality is actually about creatures taking a journey to heal the pain that has been bothering them. They are looking for ways to get stronger and be free of their torment. There is hope that saints will arrive and show these creatures and even humans what the right way is. We must have faith and hope that our lives will improve no matter how bleak things may seem to be. The band brings up this subject for thought. Petrified Eyes is about a warrior that is having dark and negative thoughts because he went to liberate a village only to lose the battle. He wonders if his effort was even worth it. Lisbon is a song about someone that feels lost in their life and in need of guidance and direction. He is asking the Lord to lead the way, the right way to salvation and a sense of inner peace. As this writer sits down listening to this album almost 20 years after its release, he realizes what creativity it has. The band’s first two releases Angel’s Cry and Holy Land were great albums in their own right and had many memorable. Fireworks has two songs, Speed and Rainy Nights are the most memorable songs.

The song Paradise describes what would happen during the time of the ancient Romans when gladiators would fight bravely only to die because of it. The song is trying to say that the life of these people was only a game that it is outrageous that so many people died just for purposes of entertainment. At that time, bravery and courage was admired and the Roman Empire was one of the most powerful empires in world history. However, due to imperial arrogance, greed, and other factors, the Roman Empire met its final demise in the year 476.

Fireworks the title track is not about fireworks per se. It brings attention to the importance of having hope and that love is the key to living a fuller, better life filled with promise and joy. Love is that important quality to have and believe that your life will get better when you have more love in your life. Speed is a classic fast song about how fast time goes by in our lives and it seems that the only way we can stop time is when we die. The song has excellent lead guitar work and is some of the best in the band’s career.

Overall, Fireworks is a weaker album than the band’s first two albums but it is still good. The strongest songs in the album other than the two I mentioned before are Wings of Reality, Petrified Eyes, and Lisbon. Note: as of June 8, 2019 Andre Matos has passed away from this Earth due to a heart attack at the age of 47 and it is obviously a sad death because of how talented he really was particularly on the songs Speed and Rainy Nights. Fireworks was a good way for him to end his career with Angra at the time but obviously few of us knew that he would one day pass away so tragically. Andre Matos may not have been my favorite metal singer but his power and range are two of the qualities that I shall always remember.