Angra – Cycles Of Pain (2023)
Artist: Angra
Album: Cycles Of Pain
Genre: Progressive Power Metal
Label: Atomic Fire Records
Year Of Release: 2023
Quality: FLAC (image+.cue)
Tracklist:
1. Cyclus Doloris (0:47)
2. Ride into the Storm (6:12)
3. Dead Man on Display (6:06)
4. Tide of Changes – Part I (1:15)
5. Tide of Changes – Part II (5:37)
6. Vida Seca (5:11)
7. Gods of the World (4:43)
8. Cycles of Pain (5:13)
9. Faithless Sanctuary (6:39)
10. Here in the Now (5:54)
11. Generation Warriors (5:08)
12. Tears of Blood (5:35)
Personnel:
– Fabio Lione / vocals
– Rafael Bittencourt / guitars, vocals
– Marcelo Barbosa / guitars
– Felipe Andreoli / bass
– Bruno Valverde / drums
With:
– Fernanda Lira / vocals
– Angel Sberse / vocals
– Karina Menascé / vocals
– Mayara Puertas / vocals
– Vanessa Moreno / vocals (5,10)
– Lenine / vocals (6)
– Amanda Somerville / vocals (12)
– Juliana D’Agostini / piano (12)
One of Brazil’s biggest and most important metal bands, progressive metal juggernauts ANGRA, is back with a new offering. The aptly titled “Cycles of Pain” comes to us 5 years after “Ømni” (2018), and is a real tour-de-force for the band, having been “born from the fire and pain of uncertain times” (to quote from the press release). The band’s tenth album comes out on November 3rd, 2023, via the band’s new label, Atomic Fire Records.
The album is put together in a very traditional fashion starting with more straightforward tracks only to transition to some deep cuts and intriguing stylistic choices in the second part, making it a rather diverse and rich sonic experience. As such, after obligatory the intro, “Cyclus Doloris,” opens the album with overlapping organ sounds and church choirs, the first proper track and aggressive single, “Ride into the Storm,” comes galloping into the speakers with fast-paced rhythms, thrashy guitars, and one to many vibrato notes from Fabio Lione. It offers pretty much everything fans have come to expect from an ANGRA song, namely intricate sections, technical instrumental passages, and a blend of progressive and power metal elements that make it sound modern yet still within the boundaries of the genre. Up next, heavy banger “Dead Man on Display” is a bit more theatrical but still follows in the footsteps of the previous number with more vibrato-based singing, powerful and aggressive guitars, and a progressive backbone of intricate melodies including a well-crafted instrumental moment in the song’s second half.
The 1 minute and 10 seconds acoustic piece “Tides of Changes – Part I” represents the turning point of the album because what follows after this point on is just ANGRA delivering emotionally charged songs that bring about moments of darkness but also allow for some introspection to ruminate on the lyrics. Among these deep and poignant songs “Tide of Changes – Part II” and the title track need special mentioning because of how beautiful and heartfelt are. Therefore, “Tide of Changes – Part II” is a dramatic piece of music with a vocal performance that channels anger and frustration while the backing orchestrations weave in and out of the guitar melodies and pounding drums giving depth and nuance to the compositions. There’s also a small cameo from Vanessa Moreno that harmonizes nicely with Lione before a proggy section leads into a blazing solo. The melancholy title track is a sprawling ballad that has intense orchestrations, nice build-ups, and one massive chorus that is counterbalanced nicely by another fiery solo and an optimistic conclusion about moving on despite hardships. It also features one of Fabio Lione‘s best vocal deliveries I have heard since TURILLI/LIONE RHAPSODY’s 2019 album, “Zero Gravity (Rebirth and Evolution).”
Elsewhere on the album, “Vida Seca” is quite a change of mood and pace opening on Brazilian rhythms and guest vocals from legendary Brazilian artist Lenine before guitars, drums, and bass take charge and metalize these rhythms with gusto and potency. The sleek transition between the relaxed opening moments and the heavy instrumental section halfway through is a testament to the skilled musicianship and honed craftsmanship that have defined ANGRA for decades. In the same vein, “Faithless Sanctuary” has some relaxed Latino rhythms working in its favor while the bass is rumbling in the background and the vocals go from smooth and delicate to powerful and demanding with ease while the progressive instrumental interplay keeps things interesting. The melancholic and introspective track, “Here in the Now,” capitalizes on another cameo from Vanessa Moreno’s beautiful vocalizations while the idiosyncratic drumming and bass lines elevate the atmosphere of this track and complement the yearning vocals. Daring tracks like these three showcase ANGRA’s willingness to try out different things instead of churning out more of the same.
To balance out everything and give weight to the album’s second half, the band weaved some heavier numbers in between the more contemplative and poignant cuts mentioned in the above paragraphs. As such, heavy metal statement “Gods of the World” is direct yet impactful especially around the catchy chorus and melodic guitar moment while offering up both headbanging energy and a thought-provoking social commentary. Power metal offering “Generation Warriors” is a straight-up banger that convinces with meaty guitars, pounding drums, and a vocal delivery that is typical of these types of anthems pertaining to this genre. The closing track is the power metal duet, “Tears of Blood,” which features vocals from Amanda Somerville and piano lines courtesy of Juliana D’Agostini. The operatic back-and-forth between the two leads coupled with the subtle backing orchestrations and sweeping strings makes it feel dramatic and maybe a bit over the top.
All-in-all, “Cycles of Pain” is a multifaceted record that honors ANGRA’s Brazilian heritage with a rich and dynamic soundscape while directly addressing the struggles the band went through either individually or as a collective. This is the type of album that breaks away from the constraints of the progressive/power metal formula with ease because the band has enough skills and confidence to navigate around these boundaries while also delivering anthems and heavier moments to maintain their well-earned status of the metal scene. Fueled by painful life experiences (among which the passing of Andre Matos) and uncertainty, “Cycles of Pain” is surprisingly optimistic, emotional, and diverse yet has some moments of profound depth and philosophical insight.
~ by Andrea Crow
