Ten albums down. This landmark checks a band in some ways—not everybody’s destined to land on Defenders of the Religion in any case. That important high quality, consistency, stays a part of that longevity. And as Angra Steel Man has acknowledged earlier than “Consistency has been laborious to come back by for Angra.” At the least that was till Secret Backyard fell upon the world and took with it these phrases. This contemporary iteration, fronted by Fabio Lione (ex-[(Luca) Turilli(/Lione)’s] Rhapsody [of Fire], Spirits of Hearth) and steered by steadfast co-founder Rafael Bittencourt, has remained simply that with a twist: constant and invigorated. Bittencourt has pushed himself to seize the mic every now and then; Lione has succeeded in curbing his syllable depend and making use of extra edge and snarl. Angra seemingly can’t be stopped, and Cycles of Ache postures itself to increase this reign.
Lione as Angra’s vocal anchor hasn’t ever sounded this pressing. The truth is, I’d enterprise to say that outdoors of his most superb moments with Rhapsody [of Fire], he by no means has. As a lot as time may cause a legacy act to slip into albums of more and more necessary statements—and make no mistake, Cycles of Ache does drift this course—it might too add a obligatory patina to excessive polish voices like Lione’s. Solid with the seasoning of getting screamed his coronary heart out with Angra over the previous 9 years, Lione coats Cycles, born of strife within the band’s homeland, with a consolation, a heat, and an fringe of earned hope. Golden-throated, anthemic prog/energy? He’s bought you on “Experience into the Storm.” Dramatic, hypnotic crooning? Shout “paaiiintiiings within the galleryyyyy of liiiiiiiiiiiife” in useless on “Useless Man on Show.” Digging deep for an operatic duet? Didn’t know he had it in him, however Lione nails a decrease register concord to Avantasia/Epica choir collaborator Amanda Somerville (“Tears of Blood”).
Visitors play an necessary position all through Cycles of Ache, permitting Angra to cautiously shed adherence to their very own conventions. Usually digging into Brazil-inspired tones for foot-shuffling tempos and identity-driven, distinctive sounds in metallic, Angra nonetheless must attempt to sound like a unique Angra. And to do this this go round and stave off the angst current in different tracks, “Faithless Sanctuary” and “Vida Seca” channel a celebratory nature, the latter that includes a seductively joyous Bittencourt harmonizing with Brazilian star Lenine in Portuguese-language resplendence. Equally, “Right here within the Now” options budding, regional chameleon Vanessa Moreno including a brand new age-vibe chant to placate mounting tensions. Tensions and uncertainty have plagued the nation that Angra calls dwelling lately, so all this celebration overflows with an additional serving to of actual emotion, culminating within the triumphant, hovering title observe.
Becoming to the divergence in angle from the previous two information, Angra has turned the engineering enterprise away from gloss-master Jens Bogren. Seeking to the previous, Cycles of Ache sees under-the-hood care from Dennis Ward, who has dealt with Edu Falaschi’s latest solo work and Angra’s Falaschi-era work, together with fan favourite Temple of Shadows and top-ranked Aurora Consurgens. Ward’s manufacturing selections lean towards a impartial palette whereas aiming to give attention to the most important melody in a given occasion, equivalent to hard-panned ferocious guitar leads (“Experience into the Storm,” “Technology Warriors”), boosted growling bass pulses (“Tide of Adjustments” I and II, “Faithless Sanctuary”), blistering solos (“Vida Seca,” “Cycles of Ache.” However in opposition to this peaked-but-flatter canvas, sure verses and bridge builds can really feel related, each to one another and to earlier Angra work (“Useless Man…,” “Gods of the World,” “Technology Warriors”). Every does have the added bombast that lengthy profession can afford—extra dwell orchestration, chiming cymbal prospers, layered hand percussion—which finally separates the tracks sufficient, however in a future time with solely a theme in spirit, Cycles can drag slightly between its grandest declarations (“Vida Seca,” “Cycles…,” “Tears…”).
Angra performs the sport properly, and in 2023, you’d be hard-pressed to search out this stadium-sized model of anthemic prog/energy in finer and brisker presentation than what Cycles of Ache packs in its hour. However, in the identical approach that Ømni stuffed my plate with slightly greater than obligatory, Cycles of Ache has me reaching to loosen my belt by the point the curtains shutter the stage. However while you’re at a buffet stocked with the exuberance that these perennially thrilling Brazilians (and Lione) maintain, it’s laborious to refuse going again for an additional chew.
Score: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Atomic Fire Records
Web sites: angra.net | facebook.com/angraofficialpage
Releases Worldwide: November third, 2023