A Review of the Album "Angels Cry" by Brazilian Power Metal Band Angra

Angra is a Brazilian power metal band that has been around since 1991. Angra is known as a symphonic metal band. They are superior to bands such as Rhapsody of Fire and Skylark. Although Sepultura has most probably received most of the publicity and fame among Brazilian heavy metal bands, Angra has been the more consistent band of the two. Angels Cry is one of their best releases and features the awesome Andre Matos (R.I.P. 2019). His vocals have passion and power that you have to hear to believe it. The band also has two guitar players. They are Rafael Bittencourt and Kiko Loureiro. Luis Mariutti is the bassist for this album. The album has guest drummers Alex Holzwarth and Thomas Nack handling the drum duties. We revisit this album over 5 years after the death of the one and only Andre Matos.

1. Unfinished Allegro (instrumental)
2. Carry On
3. Time
4. Angels Cry
5. Stand Away
6. Never Understand
7. Wuthering Heights (original song performed by Kate Bush)
8. Streets of Tomorrow
9. Evil Warning
10. Lasting Child

The album starts off with “Unfinished Allegro” which is a nice classically influenced short instrumental. But the listener has no chance to really relax as it goes into the next song called “Carry On.” Immediately, the drumming lets you know that this is going to be a power metal song. Andre Matos ends the song in awesome fashion as he is able to extend his voice to a really high pitch and make it sound good without straining himself. The next song called “Time” talks about a person that is searching for the meaning of life. He or she wants to live it over again because they have enjoyed it so much.

Angels Cry is the title track of the album and begins with some fast drumming and some nice guitar playing. In the middle of the song, there is some singing that sounds like Andre is chanting. In the song, you can really notice the passion and the power with which Andre sings with. There is also a cover of the Kate Bush song “Wuthering Heights” that is performed by Angra. Andre Matos shows us that he is more than capable of singing this song and it shows his vocal prowess. You have to hear it to believe it. The weakest point of this album is the song called “Never Understand.” It has some good guitar solos and Andre’s voice is fine but the quality of the song is just not that good. Other outstanding tracks on this album include “Streets of Tomorrow” and “Evil Warning” which has always been my personal favorite. It contains just about every kind of great musical quality you could look for in a song. There are good vocals, a nice keyboard type sound, and some classically influenced playing. The song lyrically is trying to point out that it is time to believe in the dream that we have seen. Is the world really as dirty and as mean as the song suggests?

Overall, the album proves to be a solid one and is a step in the right direction for the band. Although Andre Matos is no longer part of the band, listeners will appreciate the true power, passion, and range of his voice. This album has few flaws in it and it is well worth it for any fan of heavy metal in general.