Homepage: Shaman Official Website
| Ritual (2002) | |||
|
|||
| Shaman formed as a result of the split of the "classic" Angra lineup. Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt continued with the name Angra, while Andre Matos, Luis Mariutti, and Ricardo Confessori left to form Shaman, with Luis's brother Hugo filling in the guitarist slot. So therefore, one might expect Shaman to sound like Angra. However, it quickly becomes apparently that Shaman is quite different from Angra (either new or old). Shaman is much less steeped in the Neo-Classical tradition that Angra adheres to, and in the same time adds progressive and world/ethnic influences to their sound. The instrumental track "Ancient Winds" is less an intro (like "In Excelsis" or "Unfinished Allegro") and more a fully realized song. A very majestic piece, with classic and New Age influences. The next track "Here I Am", starts with pure crushing riffs and then with a fine melodic veneer. Then Andre jumps in with the vocals, and here's the first surprise. Andre is using a lower range and a more aggressive vocal style (a slight growl) than his previous works in Angra and Virgo. The song also has a cool instrumental section that flows through a soprano, Andre's piano, and Hugo's guitar. Next up is the song "Distant Thunder" is another good track, starting with a Queen-ish intro, then alternates between heavy riffs and melodic passages, and follows by the catching chorus. The fourth track, "For Tomorrow", was one of the original demos finished in 2002, but it has changed quite a bit. It starts acoustically, with first a Peruvian intro followed by quiet acoustic guitars, but then builds into a acoustic-with-electric bridge (somewhat reminiscent of "Silence and Distance" on Holy Land). "Time Will Come" is also another demo but has changed little. It's another rocker that sounds a little bit from Angels Cry (except for the bagpipe (!) solo in the middle). The track "Over Your Head" has some progressive tendencies, plus a cool Middle Eastern violin solo courtesy of Marcus Viana and a keyboard solo with Derek Sherinian. "Fairy Tale" is one of the most emotionally charged songs in the album. It reminds me of "Stand Away" on Angels Cry, but even more powerful as Andre goes between whisper in quiet and wailing in symphonic sections. Lured into a trance created by the ending of "Fairy Tale", the rock riffs of "Blind Spell" rouses the listener with a bang. Brazilian percussion makes an appearance before the guitar solo, which flows onto another guest keyboard solo (this one from famous Brazilian prog-key player Fabio Ribeiro). Now we've come to the title track, "Ritual". With a name like that, you'd think it harkens back to Holy Land, but instead it has a very progressive sound with cool keyboard melodies. The last track, "Pride", is the most "80's" metal of all the songs (but in a good way), with guest vocal from Tobias Sammet of Edguy and Avantasia fame and guest guitar solo from none other than Sascha Paeth, guitar-wizard and super-producer. This makes a great end to a great album. I'd have to say that this is my favorite release of 2002. Honestly
I was worried that I wasn't going to like "Ritual", but it has actually
more than surpassed my expectations. Definitely a gem.
| |||
