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Angra | |
|---|---|
 Angra performing in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1991–present[a] |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | angra |
Angra is a Brazilianpower metal band formed in 1991. They have released ten regular studio albums, sixEPs, and seven live CD/DVDs to date. Led by Rafael Bittencourt, the band has gained a degree of popularity in Japan and Europe.[1]
On 2 April 2015, guitaristKiko Loureiro left Angra to join American thrash metal bandMegadeth.
Angra was formed in November 1991[2] by formerViper vocalistAndre Matos and guitarists Rafael Bittencourt and André Linhares, in a collaboration with music promoter andRock Brigade magazine owner Antônio "Toninho" Pirani. The trio was joined by drummer Marco Antunes, a former bandmate of Bittencourt's, and bassist André Lichewitz - quickly replaced by Luis Mariutti. Bittencourt and Matos were the primary songwriters in the band's early days.
Early in 1992, Linhares left the band and was replaced by André Hernandes, who quit in the same year to be replaced by Kiko Loureiro. With Loureiro in the line-up, Angra recorded their first demo tapeReaching Horizons, which was released in 1993 through the German label Limb Music. Among the tracks, "Queen of the Night", originally titled "Rainha" ("Queen"), had been previously composed for Bittencourt and Antunes' previous band; and "Evil Warning" was written during Hernandes' brief stint as guitarist.
During the recording sessions for their first albumAngels Cry, Marcos Antunes left the band.[3] A number of session drummers, includingAlex Holzwarth were used to finish the album. Ricardo Confessori was later installed as a permanent replacement. This line-up change established a stable line-up and lasted from 1993 to 2000.Angels Cry was recorded atGamma Ray guitaristKai Hansen's studio in Hamburg, Germany. Besides Hansen, the album included guest performances byHeavens Gate guitaristSascha Paeth andDirk Schlächter.
The album was released in Brazil in 1993 through Eldorado Records and contained a number of classical influences as well as a cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights". The album had some success both in Brazil as well as Japan.[4] The band were managed by Antonio Pirani, also editor ofRock Brigade magazine.[5] Due to the album's success in Japan, theEvil Warning EP was released in 1994 throughVictor, which included remixed versions of songs "Evil Warning", "Angels Cry", "Carry On" and "Wuthering Heights". In the following year the album was made available in Germany through Dream Circle, and in France byCNR Music.
In 1996, Angra opened forAC/DC in Brazil and was invited to the inaugural BrazilianMonsters of Rock Festival. Following the festival, the band embarked on a Brazilian tour, with further dates in Europe in 1995.Holy Land - an ambitious project involving orchestration, choirs, and Brazilian rhythms - was released in 1996. The production was handled by Sascha Paeth and Charlie Bauerfiend.Holy Land proved successful and the Japanese Victor release, which included the bonus track "Queen of the Night", went gold.[4] The band toured Japan for the first time following the album's success, while in France the single "Make Believe" was released. That same year the EPFreedom Call was released, containing cover versions ofJudas Priest´s "Painkiller". After the tour in support of the album, the band released a six-track live albumHoly Live, recorded in Paris in 1996.The Holy Box was released in 1998 by Lucretia Records (Italy), which included seven acoustic tracks.
In 1998, the band released the singleLisbon, followed by the albumFireworks, produced by Chris Tsangarides.Fireworks was a departure from Angra's earlier experimental sound, focusing more on a neo-classical metal sound and lacking the Brazilian rhythms that were included inHoly Land. The album was the first for theSteamhammer label and appeared in North America throughCentury Media. A lengthy world tour was set up in support for the album. The band appeared at theBuenos Aires edition of Monsters of Rock,[6] while they co-headlined shows in Europe with Time Machine andStratovarius in 1999.Bruce Dickinson made a guest appearance during the Paris show,[7] while the band also performed at the Wacken Open Air festival.[8]
In August 2000, Angra split, parting ways with vocalist Andre Matos who took bassist Luis Mariutti and drummer Ricardo Confessori with him.[9] In March 2001, the two remaining members, Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt, announced the new line-up that included Symbols' vocalistEdu Falaschi, drummerAquiles Priester (Hangar) and bassistFelipe Andreoli (Karma).
This line-up began recording instantly and the albumRebirth was released in 2001, produced byDennis Ward. The album was both a critical and commercial success in Brazil and internationally, selling over 100,000 copies worldwide.[10] The album went gold in Brazil that same year.[11] The EPHunters and Prey was released in 2002 which included acoustic takes of Rebirth songs, as well as other new material, a cover of "Mama" byGenesis, and their first song with lyrics in Portuguese, "Caça e Caçador" ("Hunter and Prey").
Angra would play live in Japan, appearing in Rock Machine in Spain,Wacken Open Air in Germany andProgPower in Atlanta, Georgia, which was their first visit to the United States. Following the tour, the band submitted their version ofKashmir to the compilationThe Music Remains The Same (A Metal Tribute to Led Zeppelin).
Temple of Shadows recording sessions started in January 2004 at Mosh Studios in São Paulo, once again produced by Dennis Ward. The album featured guest vocalistsKai Hansen (Gamma Ray), Sabine Edelsbacher (Edenbridge),Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) and BrazilianMúsica popular brasileira legendMilton Nascimento. Temple of Shadows was aconcept album based around a character known asThe Shadow Hunter, a crusader knight disputing the expansionist ideals of the Catholic Church in the eleventh century.
The band toured Brazil and Europe, headlining shows in Southern Europe throughout Spain, Italy, and France in February 2005. For the first time since its creation, the band played at a UK show at The Mean Fiddler in London, supported byDragonForce, and later joined Finnish bandNightwish for the Japanese dates in March. The band then went to Taiwan and after, for the first time, they played inOceania, headlining shows in Australia. Angra resumed the Brazilian tour and then returned to Europe for the Lorca Roch Festival, Live in Italy and Bull Rock Festival, sharing stages with big heavy metal names likeIron Maiden.
Later in 2006, Angra worked once again with producer Dennis Ward on their new album, entitledAurora Consurgens, focusing on a non-concept album asRebirth was. Instead, they pursued a close relative of the idea, atheme album. Also in 2006,Fábio Laguna composed a solo progressive instrumental album calledFreakeys along with drummer Aquiles Priester and bassist Felipe Andreoli. In mid-2007, the band took a break due to an unresolved situation with its manager, who was also the owner of the Angra brand. As result, other non-resolved situations between the members arose, culminating in an indefinite hiatus until a solution was reached.
In 2008, singer Edu Falaschi was originally reported as saying that Angra "has been terminated," but this was later revealed to be both a misunderstanding and a misreporting of his words. Edu later clarified what was meant by his earlier comments: "Angra is not done; we're taking a break, a pause. The band is going through some difficult management issues, and all of us are doing our best to get back on the road."[12] In 2009, the band's official site was taken down. Instead, the home page announced that the site was under construction and news would be released soon. In March 2009, the band's official site announced the return of drummer Ricardo Confessori after a 9-year hiatus to Angra, replacing Aquiles Priester, who left the band to dedicate full force to his band Hangar. The band went out on tour along with fellow Brazilian bandSepultura during 2009.
In the beginning of 2010, Angra started writing songs for their upcoming yet unnamed album due out in mid-2010.[13] The album was composed partly at the members' houses and partly at Confessori's ranch, where they rehearsed and improved the arrangements of the new songs. In February, they came into Norcal Studios in São Paulo, to start recordings. The band members made home videos from the writing/recording process and released them to the fans almost weekly.
On July 5, the band unveiled the cover and track list of the new album, namedAqua. On July 10, the first single "Arising Thunder" was released. On July, 15 a new song, called "Lease of Life", was played for the first time on Brazilian radio stationKiss FM. The radio program featured an interview with Loureiro and Falaschi, followed by a high quality play of the song. On August 11,Aqua was officially released in Japan and the Aqua Tour began with a series of pocket shows, being followed by a Brazilian tour through several venues around the country.
On May 23, 2012, Edu Falaschi issued an open letter in which he announced his departure from Angra.[14] Despite not explaining why, he said he would focus on his future projects, includingAlmah.[14] Management of the band approached Matos for a possible return, but he declined.[15]Fabio Lione (ex-Labyrinth,Rhapsody of Fire) became the third vocalist for the band.
In 2014, drummer Ricardo Confessori announced he would end his second tenure with the band. He was later replaced by 23-year-old Bruno Valverde.[16]
In November 2014, the band announced their eighth studio album,Secret Garden, that was released on December 17 in Japan and on January 16, 2015, in Brazil and Europe.[17] On September 19, 2015, Angra performed atRock in Rio with special guestsDoro Pesch andDee Snider. A third, surprise guest was also announced mid-show: lead guitaristMarcelo Barbosa, who was revealed as Loureiro's touring replacement after the latter had joinedMegadeth earlier in the year.[18] The band released their ninth studio album,ØMNI, on February 16, 2018, worldwide.
Former vocalistAndre Matos died on 8 June 2019. A heart attack was cited as the cause.[19]
In 2021, the band released a graphic novel based on the history of the albumTemple of Shadows, called "O Templo das Sombras".[20]
In November 2023 Angra released their tenth album,Cycles of Pain. It was their first album with theAtomic Fire label.
On September 2, 2024, the band announced that they would take a touring and recording hiatus after finishing the tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their albumTemple of Shadows in March 2025.[21] However, the band will reunite for the Bangers Open Air festival on April 26, 2026, with the return of their 2001–2008 lineup that includes guitaristKiko Loureiro, drummerAquiles Priester, and vocalistEdu Falaschi. This will also be the band's final performance withFabio Lione whose departure from the band was announced on November 23.[22]
Their musical style has been described aspower metal,[1][23]progressive metal,[1][24] andneoclassical metal.[1]
| Studio album | Vocal | Guitars | Bass | Drums | Keyboards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angels Cry (1993) | André Matos | Rafael Bittencourt /Kiko Loureiro | Luis Mariutti | Alex Holzwarth | André Matos |
| Holy Land (1996) | Ricardo Confessori | ||||
| Fireworks (1998) | |||||
| Rebirth (2001) | Edu Falaschi | Felipe Andreoli | Aquiles Priester | Günter Werno | |
| Temple of Shadows (2004) | Fábio Laguna | ||||
| Aurora Consurgens (2006) | Kiko Loureiro / Fabrizio Di Sarno | ||||
| Aqua (2010) | Ricardo Confessori | Fabrizio Di Sarno / Nei Medeiros / Felipe Grytz / Maria Ilmoniemi | |||
| Secret Garden (2014) | Fabio Lione / Rafael Bittencourt | Bruno Valverde | Alessio Lucatti / Nei Medeiros / André Alvinzi / Kaspar Dahlqvist / Mattias Hjelm / Maria Ilmoniemi | ||
| ØMNI(2018) | Rafael Bittencourt /Marcelo Barbosa | Alessio Lucatti / Nei Medeiros | |||
| Cycles of Pain (2023) | Fabio Lione | Nei Medeiros / Roger Lima / Antonio Teoli |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
