TEMPLE OF SHADOWS

Well, this band is more on power metal than on prog, even though there are prog passages / styles I can find throughout this album. I know the band quite late, i.e. when they released "Rebirth" album. I was hooked to "Rebirth" album. I have also watched the video of the band's "Rebirth Live" - what a great and exciting concert! With this new album, the band demonstrates their abilities to compose great and cohesive album. No wonder, this band is one of top notch bands in metal arena. It's as excellent as other bands such as Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, Nightwish, Helloween, Rhapsody, Kamelot, Adagio, Andromeda,etc.

I do enjoy this album as I enjoy "Rebirth". But, I think this album is better and has proven that the band is more mature in their music. It has better songwriting, tighter structure with many variation of styles and tempos; and it has great guitar riffs.

This album is highly recommended for those of you who enjoy with speed and heavy part of rock music. For those who have never heard any of the above mentioned bands, you might be struggling to adjust your ears with the speedy double pedal bass drum sound. That was my first experience with this kind of music. My suggestion is: please clear the double pedal drum sound from your mind. You might hear a beautiful and melodic music.

Some tracks in this album have some flavors of prog music such as "Waiting Silence", "Wishing Well" (reminds me to Kansas music especially in "Leftoverture" album), "The Temple of Hate" (great keyboard piece during interlude) and "The Shadow Hunter". "The Shadow Hunter" is really a great track with stunning acoustic guitar fills.

"Wings of Destination" is really the best track (to my personal taste). It starts of with violin-like sound followed by great riffs and flows nicely in cohesive way. The quieter part at approx min 2:25 is accentuated with piano and vocal ine. It's very melodic. Bravo Angra!! "Sprouts of Time" is track that surprised me as I never heard the band has ever performed this kind of music dominated with percussion and piano works. It moves to faster tempo with the kind of Angra music. "Late Redemption" is another great track with prog element. There is a passage that reminds me to Pain of Slavation music.

An excellent album. GW, Indonesia.

Whenever I get into an album that seems at the time like the best thing ever, I feel lost as to how I could ever describe in words how it is that it’s so great without going overboard and detracting from its goodness. And with this album that is exactly the case. For at least two weeks after this CD came through my door I just could not bear to go for more than a few hours without reaching for it. Yet I was afraid of listening to it too much lest I have it permanently stuck in my head and losing all sleep. At times this was actually a problem. But I can’t help having such an emotional connection to an album if throughout there are uplifting melodies that are emotional in the best way possible, but also technical and progressive moments as well as the quintessential Angra power metal sound.

To top off the musical excellence, the album follows the rough storyline of a man back in the 11th century or earlier who is questioning his role in the Catholic Church, questioning their morals and going on to form his own short-lived religion. The songs don’t follow the storyline in order apart from the beginning and end, but it’s not hard to piece it together. This is a rare form of anti-Christianity for metal, but being from what can be a strongly Catholic country, it’s not too likely that they’d get away with Satanism if they wanted to have a universal appeal. That’s not to say that Catholics won’t be offended by this album, or that there’s no positive religious/spiritual elements, but the impression left is that the listener thinks for themselves, or something like that. Onto the obligatory track-by-track guide:

01 – Deus Le Volt: The obligatory intro track, but one that leads into the next track with an exciting crescendo. Pretty standard stuff, but if executed well then what’s to complain about?

02 – Spread Your Fire: It’s the essential gung-ho opening track (barring the intro in this case) that we all love. Vocal harmonies have that power metal fists in the air awesomeness to them, as do the layered backing vocals giving a very operatic male choir effect. Rhapsody fans should be satisfied. The big shame about things like that is that they’d not be able to fully re-create that live, as good a live act as they are. If you like your guitar solos there’s a wonderfully wanky middle section where they go off on a tangent that’s not too far out of context with the song, but then anybody with that musical skill won’t go off on too much of a tangent anyway. There’s also a female soprano in there for good measure too.

03 – Angels and Demons: Another gloriously happy tune, but with a moderately prog- like sounding 7/8 time signature at the beginning.

04 – Waiting Silence: The mood takes a different turn here, and they’ve used a different rhythm and tempo to fit it, along with some mean chords. The song is in a mid- tempo rythm and contains also some prog-styled parts in the instrumental passages, which is a real great thing. The guitar solo is great on here!

05 – Wishing Well: It’s seen as a great crime in some metal circles to create an uplifting anthemic ballad, and if you hate those, steer well clear of this song. If you love them, then stop reading this and download it now. I count myself to the 2nd group and this is a great tune and contains an catchy refrain which may stuck in your head for longer!

06 – The Temple Of Hate: At first I was thinking that Edu was trying to sound evil or devilish in some way here, but on further inspection of the sleeve notes it is Kai Hansen of Helloween fame who guests on this song. What has to be heard is the abrasive ‘aah’s at the end of this song where it slows down. Just so metal, much like early ‘90s Judas Priest.

07 – The Shadow Hunter: A slightly subdued sounding epic with some great classical guitar work at the beginning, showing their Brazilian roots much like at other times in this album. “God has no mind, has no heart, has no body has no soul, and no resemblance of you” is just so blunt, and in one sense daring, but it’s sung with such conviction and I can’t help but feel with it.

08 – No Pain for the Dead: A sorrowful track that’s not without an awesome chorus, and also features the enchanting voice of Sabine from Edenbridge who also features on Track 2. Very emotional piece, which deserves named as a definitive highlight on the record.

09 – Winds of Destination: Again I was a complete moron here and wondered for ages why it is that Edu is managing to pull of a Hansi Kürsch (from Blind Guardian) impression so well. Yes, he guests on this song, and his voice works really well with Angra’s sound. There are various middle sections here that might try a few peoples’ patience, but certainly not mine. The male choir at the end wraps things up in a brilliantly pompous way.

10 – Sprouts of Time: This is where the Brazilian rhythmic elements really come into play, with Edu’s voice lowering for this one. A nice chord progression in the chorus as there is in every song.

11 – Morning Star: A sort of epic that doesn’t have lots of very different sections like most epics do, it’s more of an extended song. The rhythm guitar at the beginning is very much like that of Steve Vai in terms of atmospherics, which can be heard at times throughout.

12 – Late Redemption: A sombre ending track with some Portuguese male vocals sung in low octaves. This bit is where the main character in the story dies and is offered late redemption, hence the title.

13 – Gate XII: Since the album has been so awesome it just wouldn’t be half as good if it didn’t have an instrumental for the orchestra at the end. It’s a rough medley based on the songs. It clicks with the emotions like a good film score does, so this is like an ending credits song for a film. The main motif from Morning Star triumphantly crashes to an end, followed by a short, calm acoustic motif of Winds of Destination. The End. What an end!

Being one of those epic/awesome albums, this left an impression on me like a great film does. It’s not often that a metal album should ‘move’ me, to use the correct word, as the main reason I listen to metal is for the technical excellence rather than the sort of feelings it might invoke. Not that there’s any lack of that in this album...

I can’t guarantee that any of the songs will blow you away on first listen, but with patience you may well have a soft spot for them. You might not agree that this is the best of the best in terms of Progressive Power Metal albums, but as for albums of any genre, this stands very high. This is one of Angra's best records and the most mature so far. A masterpiece in metal terms and highly recommended for power/prog metal fans and also open-minded prog-heads!

album rating: 9/10 points = 90 % on MPV scale = 5/5 stars

point-system: 0 - 3 points = 1 star / 3.5 - 5.5 points = 2 stars / 6 - 7 points = 3 stars / 7.5 - 8.5 points = 4 stars / 9 - 10 points = 5 stars

Sixty six minutes of missing time. I don't find this to be a particularly good release. In the booklet, the band states that the following is a concept album about a knight named Shadow. I really didn't pick up on the concept by just reading the lyrics or listening to the album. When I listen to this album it doesn't really make an impression on me.

The album is more Power Metal than Progressive Metal, but even for Power Metal standards, I don't find anything particularly good about this album.

The vocals are bad for a Power Metal standard, so natrually they aren't any better for Prog stands. Edu Falaschi doesn't show a diverse range or a natrual tone of voice. The vocals are much more of a distraction than an addition to the music. He's not off key, but he's much more dissonant than most vocalists are of this genre. Not a very good vocal performance.

The guitars can shread, but other than the short Spainish motifs, there isn't much diversity on this album. It's distorted guitar tones almost start to finsih, the tone gets quite repeatative. The harmonies are particularly boring and fail to excite or intrest the listener.

The bass is nice where it gets it's moments, but it's inconsistent throughout the album. I can't exactly say I liked the perfomance, but I can't say it was bad either.

The drums are fast, and that is all I have to say about them.

The production is typical for a larger budget album. The sound isn't bad, but it isn't exactly innovative. There isn't an aspect of the sound that makes me want to be like "yeah I want to listen to that Angra album. The production isn't great, but it isn't exactly poor. it is boring.

Well this band has something that catches my ears. What a powerful album in every way. Those two guitar players choose right when they got into the band those 3 new musicians. Very talented musicians, specially the drummer. Great album, and I like very much the voice of Edu Falaschi, it fits very well in the music of Angra.

Some tracks are here super: Angels and Demons, Waiting Silence, Wishing Well, Late Redemption (very interesting the voice in Portuguese). All in all a good album, the prestation of the guest musicians are outstanting. You must listen to this one because they worth it, one of the biggest bands around in prog music, no doubt. Great band. 4 stars for Temple of Shadows.

I remember when Andre Matos left Angra, people thought the magic was gone, but they couldn´t have been more wrong! Edu Falaschi is in my opinion the greatest prog metal vocalist of them all. His singing on this album is phenomenal!

The first three songs on this album are more in the power metal vein, but after that it gets really progressive. If anyone has doubts about Angra being listed under the Prog Metal genre, they have to hear this album.

It is a concept album about organized religion through the centuries (All the lyrics are written by Rafael Bittencourt) Sabine Edelsbacher of Edenbridge gets to sing a duet with Edu Falaschi on "No pain for the dead" which is truly magnificent. Brazilian legend Milton Naascimento can also be heard on this album. In fact, there are a few Brazilian musical styles in between some of the songs which makes the songs even more interesting.

The twin guitars of Bittencourt and Loureiro work so well together, moving from one speaker and then going together in unison. Lightning fast guitar work is heard from Kiko Loureiro. The playing is extremely tight and fast on the first songs that one could think they are listening to Sonata Arctica, but after a while it slows down a bit. The greatest surprise on this album is Edu Falaschi´s vocals, the man sounds incedible on this release.

I would say this is the strongest Prog Metal album of this century!!

Poor Iron Maiden imitation or Dream Theater clone?

I managed to get a special edition of Temple Of Shadows that came with a bonus DVD. I got it just after I had bought "Holy Land" and "Angel's cry" that came on a double disc edition.

Anyone who did already read my review on "Holy Land" or "Angel's cry" knows I am not particularly a fan of Angra. To me it all seems like abundance of metal with a huge lack of prog. On the bonus DVD they even do some weak imitation of IRON MAIDEN' s Number Of The Beast. Well, I do like MAIDEN, but I definitely DO NOT like Angra. This is it for me! After having listened to their highest acclaimed work on PA I simply can say I will never buy another Angra album again. If you want to get into Prog Metal try Green Carnation, Opeth, Pain Of Salvation or Riverside, but forget about bands like Angra or Dream Theater!

"Temple Of Shadows" is a concept album about an 11th century Crusader who is questioning his faith. There are several guest vocalists including Kai from GAMMA RAY and Hansi from BLIND GUARDIAN. Once again we get a Power-Metal style mixed with some Prog-Metal and lots of orchestral intrusions. They are intrusions to me (haha). Not a fan of the ballads either or the double bass drumming. While i'm on a roll here where is the bass ? Having said all that this is probably the best ANGRA album i've heard, yes there is lots to like here.

"Deus Le Volt!" is a short intro of orchestration and piano. "Spread The Fire" hits the ground running but too much double bass drumming here for my tastes. Vocals and guitar shine. "Angels And Demons" is more of the same really only better. The guitar cries out 1 1/2 minutes in followed by riffs then a guitar solo. Nice. "Waiting Silence" has a cool intro but the highlight for me on this one is the vocals. "Wishing Well" is lighter with strummed guitar. A power ballad I guess you could say. "The Temple Of Hate" features Kai on vocals and is uptempo with the drums out in front. And there's that orchestral vibe again. "The Shadow Hunter" opens with intricate guitar and percussion. It's a nice change actually. It kicks in some before a minute and vocals follow as contrasts continue. "No Pain For The Dead" is mellow with reserved vocals. It does kick in powerfully as the contrasts continue. Strings too.

"Winds Of Destination" features Hansi helping out on vocals. A heavy drum onslaught to start as vocals come in around a minute. It then settles as cello and piano come in. Kicks back in around 4 1/2 minutes. "Sprouts Of Time" is mellow with piano, percussion and reserved vocals. It does get fuller but i'm not a fan. "Morning Star" is probably my favourite. I really like the drum style here. Excellent guitar after a minute followed by synths. Vocals before 2 minutes then it gets heavy. Love the riffs after 4 minutes.The guitar rips it up before 5 minutes. Unfortunately it's orchestral to end it. "Late Redemption" opens with acoustic guitar and violin as vocals join in. It does get fuller as contrasts continue. "Gate XIII" is pure orchestration and i'm surprised I like it but I really do. Go figure.

Anyway this is a band I admire for their talents, but their style is what keeps me from embracing them. 3.5 stars.

On Temple of Shadows, Angra present a skilled combination of Iron Maiden-influenced power metal and Queensryche-influenced progressive metal. If forced to assign it to one particular category I'd say it's more like prog-influenced power metal than powered-up prog metal, though even this doesn't tell the whole of the story, with some traditional Brazilian music from their homeland working its way into the mix here and there.

Eduardo Falaschi embodies the band's fusion style, reminiscent as he is of the best of Bruce Dickinson or Operation: Mindcrime-era Geoff Tate, and he's joined by a small cast of guest vocalists who are used tastefully to heighten the drama of the album. The band as a whole show expert judgement in playing to the strengths of both power and progressive metal whilst avoiding the pitfalls of both genres; the power metal side to them stops the prog side getting excessively pompous and technical for technicality's sake, whilst their prog side means that where some power metal bands would just cheese out Angra always manage to pull off a surprise which keeps the listener guessing. In short, it's the best of both worlds with the worst of neither.

One of the reasons TEMPLE OF SHADOWS is such a highlight in the discography of Brazilian power metal band ANGRA is because this is the album where they seriously began to incorporate progressive influences into their already powerful take on highly energetic melodic metal. They also create a behemoth of a concept album tackling the issue of a saga of a crusader knight known as The Shadow Hunter who fights against the ideals of the Catholic Church in the 11th century. The album is as energetic as any Dragonforce album but incorporates a gazillion influences like an early Dream Theater release would. The result is a diverse sounding album that takes progressive rock ideas and marries them with power metal and adds native Brazilians sounds and lots more.

Diverse influences can be found in tracks like "Wishing Well" which has a neo-prog feel to it especially in the intro reminding me a bit of Marillion. "Shadow Hunter" has flamenco and a strong Spanish feel to it. Symphonic intros and interludes are plentiful beginning with the very first track but it takes little time at all for the powerful crunch of the melodic march of thundering guitars to signify the triumph of the tasty tunes taking full form. This is an album that I like quite a bit but not to the extent that many others seem to. I find this an exciting ride up to about the last few tracks when I feel the album should have ended. The intensity of the album seems to fizzle out around then and a bunch mellow ballads are not a great way to end this album. In comparison to other successful concept albums this one does not blend the songs together as brilliantly as I think they should considering the subject matter. Nitpickiness aside, this is a great progressive power metal ride.

The awkward transition from the André Matos era is over; Brazil's power metal masters are trying on a new mantle--one that really fits them well: with their usual impressive display of compositional eclecticism and skill they have made a stab a the "prog theater" realm--an operatic concept album that explores multiple musical styles within a stage theater-like format all the while retaining their metal foundations--and it works! It's good! And this doesn't even give credit for the incredibly high level of musicianship exhibited by all of the band members!

1. "Deus Le Volt!" (0:52) nice cinematic intro to ?

2. "Spread Your Fire" (4:25) rapid fire metal with lead guitar shredding that makes way for gruff Survivor-like aggressive lead vocal with antiphonal choral background vocals. Interesting. Keyboard work makes it seem as if there is an orchestra involved as well. Operatic female vocal helping out in the third minute before Hammy-speed instrumental passage ensues. Great musicianship. While I appreciate the compositional skill and technical and support prowess necessary to pull this off, I'm not sure I like the music. (8.667/10)

3. "Angels And Demons" (4:11) take a simple Thin Lizzy song and speed up all instrumental tracks by five and you'll get a song like this. Eduardo Falaschi's voice is sounding a little old (or strained). Technically quite impressive. (8.667/10)

4. "Waiting Silence" (4:55) excellent 1980s heavy metal brought into the 21st Century. Again, Eduardo's voice is sounding like he's really pressing to get his tone and volume. Nice 1980s chords and melodies. Impressive solos. (8.75/10)

5. "Wishing Well" (4:00) acoustic guitars, synth and Tommy Shaw-like vocal give this opening a very STYX like feel. Even when it hits full stride it has a classic rock feel. (8.75/10)

6. "The Temple Of Hate" (5:13) back to the Thin Lizzy school of hyperdrive. Don't like the 1980s drum sound. How those musicians retain control and synchrony when spewing out notes that fast I'll never know. (8.75/10)

7. "The Shadow Hunter" (8:04) after a very impressive acoustic guitar intro this fully Latin song turns Probably the most impressive construct on the album for its dynamics and stylistic range. That pervasive Latin flare has a lot to do with its magic--that and the more humane drumming and percussion. There are even some Yes-like moments (the multi-voice fifth minute). Great sense of melody from the guitarist--even during his solos. My second favorite song on the album. (13.5/15)

8. "No Pain For The Dead" (5:05) more awesome acoustic guitar--this time doubled up with two instruments. Eduardo tries a very gentle, stage-like ballad vocal approach until the heavy metal chords and walls of sound enter and push him into his usual gristful-belting manner. Once the music settles down, it returns to a very Broadway/theatric style--and so does Eduardo's voice style. Great cello and masterful synth strings passage preps us for the entrance of the gorgeous voice of Sabine Edelsbacher in a performance that yet again affirms the band's Broadway/theatric approach. Another top three song for me. (9/10)

9. "Winds Of Destination" (6:56) cello introduces the pace and galloping theme that follows. Impressive Metallica-like jaunt precedes and supports guest Hansi Kürsch and Eduardo's vocal duet. In the second minute, after the first verse, the music devolves into a piano-based classical section. Again, the theatricity of the live stage comes to mind here. Nice vocal here. At 3:48 we shift again onto the autostrada--this one not quite as wild and unbound as previous songs, more like a healthy drive in your convertable sports car through the Italian countryside. After some more impressive guitar shredding the music shifts into a higher gear at 5:58 in order to build toward a finish of choral vocal crescendo. (13.25/15)

10. "Sprouts Of Time" (5:09) weird, out of place song, that seems to, once again, seem to come from some kind of theatrical production--you know: how a character in the play steps to the side to sing a solo aside while the band's music takes on a whole different style not heard anywhere else in the play. It's a great song even if it does sound and feel as if we're getting to the end--or at least the dénouement of one of the characters or themes in the plot. (9/10)

11. "Morning Star" (7:39) yet another style explore! This is truly impressive! The band seem capable--even masterful--at taking on any and all musical styles. This one is a more pedestrian, laid back style --a musical style that I really like--at least that is until 2:28 when the metal power chords join in--once again transforming Eduardo into a metal singer, not just a professional stage theater performer. Nice interlude in the fourth minute to remind us of the song's pedestrian roots, but then we are transported again into a Thin Lizzy world of dizzying metal skill and instrumental prowess. Again, I am so impressed with the attention to melody within the composition and performance of these parts. If every part of every metal song could sound like this I'd be a fan. The awesome key change at 6:20 is marred a bit by Eduardo's thinning voice in those high notes. My favorite long song on the album. (14/15)

12. "Late Redemption" (4:55) gorgeous classical guitar with "strings" and the voice of Brazilian music legend Milton Nascimento leading the ghost-like background voices and first chorus. Edu's vocal performance exudes his respect for both this style of music as well as his singing cohort. Interesting rhythm percussion at the end of the second minute before the song breaks out into a heavy theme for a different chorus. From here out it's metal music at its most orchestral. Excellent! What an ingenious song construct! Mega kudos to the band for its conception and execution! My favorite piece of prog theater on the album. (10/10)

13. "Gate XIII" (5:04) an orchestral piece that sounds like an overture to a quest-themed musical or even an opera. Quite lovely. My guess is that composer and arranger Rafael Bittencourt has classical theatre dreams or leanings. (10/10)

Total Time: 66:28

Very impressive speed and technical skills on display throughout this album--even in Eduardo's "old" sounding theatric voice. But this is not always the type of music that my spirit desires. I do, however, love the concept of religious doubt and answer seeking explored in the story--especially in that it is set in the early Inquisition era.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of theatric symphonic metal; a well-produced album of impressive musicianship. This is probably a masterpiece in the world of metal worship. It is also exactly the kind of album I would put forward as an example to all aspiring progressive rock musicians for what is possible: an example of the heights of planning, composition, arrangement, execution, and production that music is capable of--and not just prog metal or metal but all progressive rock music. Truly a wonderful body of songs.