FREEDOM CALL

The only interesting track on this EP is the strong title track. The rest are a couple of early tracks that mostly would appeal to hardcore fans and another couple of good tracks but already available on earlier releases. There is also a a Judas Priest cover, Painkiller, that adds nothing to the original, apart from the vocal performance (Andre Mato's voice is in far better shape than Rob Halford's) it's just a carbon-copy.

When I first knew about this EP, I thought "OK, another Angra's EP, nothing to expect, not too much!" Well, I was wrong! The first "Freedom Call" introduces a prog-metal climate mixing guitar riffs and clean tones with orquestrations. The second one "Queen of the night" shows ANGRA's unique musical performance using "oriental themes" in a very very prog atmosphere. Reaching horizons is a semi-acoustic ballad that touch our feelings and has a historical value because is the first song composed by ANGRA (on the begging of the band) and was released only in this EP. So, still there´s some guys that insist ANGRA isn't a prog-metal band. Theses first three songs has proved to me the opposite.

On the nostalgic side of things.

André Matos is a musician who has a lot of taste in doing nostalgic moody rock pieces. Even in the heavy phrases, he brings out some dark feeling and a lot of strong emotions through his songs, and that's what you will find in this EP, some kind of an extended version of the mythic Holy Land, an impressive album. Matos is kind of the Kevin Moore enigmatic "depressive" moody person, but his songwriting is wonderful.

The songs are remixed/edited and there are new ones as well. For me, The Queen of the Night is the song of the album. While I like more the LP version, this one is very dynamic and fresh, and it retains the good amount of sense and soul that Angra manage to have during that early days.

The new songs are Freedom Call, a good and strong song, very in the route of regular Angra. The other is Reaching Horizons, a beautiful ballad with great arrangements, without being outstanding, the song is good enough to flows through the album in a nice dark and mellow grove.

The other three songs are remixed, modified versions of songs already published. Nothing wrong with them, but nothing new or brilliant as well. Sure the fans of this era of Angra will be glad to rock out with Painkiller or aloud themselves to flow with the moody Deep Blue.

This is a good introduction to Angra, but the real worth material is in their formal studio albums Holy Land and Angels Cry. 3 stars for the good quality of the songs, but nothing really outstanding in the overall.

Interesting Ep from Angra, Brazilian Prog Metal band. This Ep present 6 songs, 5 originals and 1 is a Judas Priest cover ("Painkiller").

The stat is with title-track, "Freedom Call", a good melodic Power metal song with good arrangements. "Queen Of The Night" is presented here in a remixed version. This song is good as example of Neoclassical/Power Metal but in truth is one of the Prog metal songs more close to Classic Metal. Interesting keyboards and guitars. "Reaching Horizins" is the second new song. This is a great power ballad, a typical ballad for an AOR band. The final result is a great ballad a la Scorpions or Uriah Heep! "Stand Away" is here in an orchestral version. The power is greater than the original version but the magic is not constantly high (only in the chorus is equal to the power). The final result is, incredible, similar to a Deep Purple's song! "Painkiller" is the cover of Judas Priest's evergreen/ anthem but this version is more Hard Rock because without the aggressivity of the originsl version... Prog etal isn't Power Speed trash and André Matos is not Rob Halford as Ricardo Confessori is not Scott Travis (something that feels too... It is not even comparable!) "Deep Blue", here in an edit version, is the last song of this Ep. This song is another power ballad with neoclassical elements and it is a good end for this Ep.

In my opinion this one of the more high peaks of Angra. But, in consideration that it is an Ep, I think that is good more as introduction to Angra.