FIREWORKS

The last record with singer & mastermind André Matos, bass player Luis Mariutti and drummer Ricardo Confessori (all together now at SHAMAN). It was ripped in some metal magazines and press, but I think it's a great melodic power metal album, with hunting riffs, brilliant solos and songs that won't go out of my head after I have listened it. Well, "Fireworks" isn't such a progressive (not meant as the word for what stand progressive in general, but I mean the innovation of the instrumental arrangements, there are different ways how to describe and interpretate progressive), well out-balanced milestone like the previous record "Holy Land", but holds up the flag as great metal release.

The strength of the record is beside the brilliant guitar work and once more great vocals, the wonderful, sometimes sleepy melodies, which are included between the heavy and fast parts, listenable in highlights like "Wings Of Reality", "Petrified Eyes", the beautiful half-ballad "Lisbon" or the uptempo-hymn "Metal Icarus". There are two songs, which are faves of mine, the title track with it's nice refrain and the fine, heavenly melodic smasher "Gentle Change". The most critics to this in my oppinion superb release were nailed at the production on "Fireworks". Well, it's a big production, a bombastic sound-wall, but sometimes a bit unclean (drums). I personally couldn't imagine that album with a different sound, it's perfect for what it is IMO, only the drums could be a bit more powerful, so "Fireworks" get's a point off in the B-note. Not that this could pull down the quality of the single songs on the album that much though.

All in all "Fireworks" is a must-have for fans of Angra and is recommended to people, who are interested in some excellent progressive/power metal.

album rating: 8/10 points = 82 % on MPV scale = 4/5 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

The Best Angra's Albun! Good Keys Passages, and "NO SAMBA"(This is the best part!). Paradise and Metal Icarus are good Melodic Metal songs, but there better bands in Brazil like Sigma 5, Akashic, Sinrise and Metal Jam.

The follow up of the arguably masterpiece "Holy Land" is a kind of disappointment. Most of the songs are derivative power metal yet in my opinion stronger than those from the Angel's Fall album. Nice tracks are Wings of Reality, Speed (which shows some Dream Theater influence) and the highlights in my opinion are the gorgeous Gentle Change, which wouldn't have been out of place in their previous album and the very progressive title track. By the way, this would be the last full-length release with this line-up.

I discovered Fireworks when I was sixteen year old. It is still one of my favourite albums. It is without any suspicion the best album of Angra. Angra was at this time an exceptionnal band. Andre Matos, the vocalist, has an incredible voice. Luis Mariutti is an excellent "speed metal" bassist. Ricardo Confessori is a very good drummer. The two guitarists are also uncredible. Fireworks is the heaviest album of Angra but this is not a "heavy metal". There is always a beautiful melodies. I especially like "Petrified Eyes", "Metal Icarus", "Paradise", "Extreme Dream" and "Speed". I've never heard something like that.

Seeing that their previous studio albums "Angels Cry" and "Holy Land" have been magnificent, the less that we could expect from the next Angra's opus was a great album. Unfortunately, "Fireworks" is not much of an album. Some of the songs are really good but the whole thing sounds strange. You see, it's good music but it's not like "usual Angra music". Thus, songs such as 'Lisbon' or 'Wings Of Reality' are great but the whole release is mediocre compared to their masterpiece "Holy Land".

"Fireworks" was the last of the Brazilian band recordings before they split, and if their split was purely bounded to personal problems, maybe the lack of imagination, which was the force of their music, was also due to a bad working atmosphere in the band. Anyway, "Fireworks" sounds less influenced by classical music and is finally not a bad album. Even if 'Lisbon', 'Wings Of reality' or 'Petrified Eyes' are good pieces of music, you could listen a thousand times to "Fireworks", you'll never find the beauty you can find in "Holy Land".

Of course, some people would say that their music has to progress but I don't really like the way it has progressed on this album. Listening to "Fireworks", I have had hopes that it was just a false step on Angra's discography. Unfortunately, the following events and the split of the band have ruined my hopes. For now...

"Fireworks" is ANGRA's attempt for doing metal album with a strong sense of hard rock music. Fans of classic rock music like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin or Uriah Heep would find it familiar with the style of music Angra plays in "Fireworks". For me personally despite I like hard rock music, it's the voice quality of Andre Matos that really sounds unique for me. I can hear clearly through the opening track "Wings Of Reality" (5:55) where his charisma overlays the whole song in a whole. The song has an excellent composition especially with the insertion of orchestration throughout the passage of the song.

Through the second track "Petrified Eyes" (6:05), the band performs bluesy ambient at the opening with guitar solo followed with power metal music with powerful voice of Matos. "Lisbon" (5:13) cools down the music with a flavor of classical overture at the intro through keyboard sound. The keyboard sound carries forward as main rhythm until vocal enters and the song turns into a ballad style. As the name implies "Metal Icarus" (6:24) brings metal elements thicker in this track with attractive guitar loops followed with heavy guitar solo and fast tempo music as indicated by the double bass pedal drumming.

The relatively long track "Paradise"(7:38) kicks off with distorted guitar solo at the opening followed with hard rock style music. The intro reminds me back to the opening of Roger Daltrey's "Under a Raging Moon" even though it's totally different. The music is almost hard rock style with medium tempo. While the next track "Mystery Machine" (4:12) brings metal back into the music as it is characterized through the guitar riffs produced throughout this track.

The album title track "Fireworks" (6:21) is again another hard rock music with medium tempo. "Extreme Dream" (4:17) is a power metal music with heavy guitar riffs and dynamic drumming. Again, I like how Matos sings in this track. "Gentle Change" (5:26) is probably the only track that has different style than the other as it has a bit of Brazilian style through the percussion work. "Speed" (5:57) concludes the track in power metal vein with fast tempo and rough guitar riffs.

Overall, this album has a good composition, neat songwriting and good performance. Keep on proggin' ..!

DragonForce "Inhuman Rampage World Tour" Live in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 19, 2007.