RITUAL

Shaman (now Shaaman), is the band born from the ashes of the former Angra formation. When the band split-up André Matos, Ricardo Confessori and Luis Mariutti formed Shaman with Hugo Mariutti on the guitars while Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt found new members and continued with Angra. This is one of the best metal debuts i ever heard. The sound quality is awesome and so is the production that was made by Sascha Paeth (Rhapsody, Avantasia). Die-hard prog rock fans may not find this album so good like metal fans may find. I was expecting an Angra copy in this album but it really surprised me when faced the originality and creativity of this unique work. This doesn't sound like any power, heavy or prog metal you may know. Matos and it's friends uses in this album less brazilian music influence and more world music influence. "Distant Thunder", "Here I Am" and "For Tommorrow" can satisfy the needs of any power metal fan in the world while "Time Will Come" and "Fairy Tale" take charge of the touching emotional part. "Fairy Tale" was soundtrack of a very famous brazilian tv novel, fact that made this song be known by the masses and making the band even best known than bands with years on the road. This album showed us that the former members of Angra still have much more to give us.

This is not a progressive masterpiece cause it have just a few progressive elements, but this is an excelent addition to the collection of anyone who likes good music.

9/10