HOLY LAND

An album for those who are into DREAM THEATER or heavy metal prog style. Really, this album is more heavy than prog, but has its good moments. "Carolina IV" is the best piece. There are some ethnic additions, some classical music touches and players are cohesive... Do you think it isn't enough to consider progressive an album? Maybe, but this is a "love it or hate it" style.

The very first time I've listened "Holy Land" I felt a bit confused. It was softer than their debut, there were many slow songs and ballads. After being left in the shelf for a long time and after listening to it more carefully I realized how magnificent this album is. It is the same Angra who brought us "Angels Cry", still power metal, still the classical arrangements, but with a more mature sound. With "Holy Land", Angra tries to make a tribute to their homeland. This could be a concept album, but don’t get upset about it, I know, concept albums seem to be the same in power metal, but this is no about the traditional knights and maidens story… have you ever listened to a concept album about sailors and explorers? Maybe there isn’t a solid tale throughout the album, but you can see the same line followed in the lyrics. And to introduce the listeners to the core of the songs and the album, Angra has explored new terrains by mixing metal with some Latin rhythms and instruments in a way that can be slightly noticed. I guess this is the strongest point in Holy Land, making it a special album in the catalogue of every metal fan.

Each song in Holy Land is different and has its moments. On the vocal side, Matos makes a greater job than in Angles Cry, while his compositions are one of the best. The guitars don’t sound like Carry On or Evil Warning, they are more rhythm-oriented, there are less melodic riffs but Kiko and Rafael have worked too hard on the solos, breaking in different forms and in the perfect moment of each song. One of the best solos of the album is the one on "Z.I.T.O.", although this and "Nothing to Say" are the only songs that follow the musical line of the past album. A special tune is "Holy Land", slow song with a main piano melody so catchy and memorable. "Make Believe" is one of the ballads of the albums, but I would say that is more a classic rock ballad than a metal ballad, so it gives another taste to the album, closing with a powerful solo I like a lot. And I must mention the “epic” song of this album: "Carolina IV", with an intro full of Latin percussions and with some kind of variations all over the song, including Latin sounds, metal lines and classical interludes. This is one of the progressive songs and you must pay attention on the bass on this one.

It’s difficult to catalogue metal bands actually, and with Holy Land, Angra is one of those bands awaiting for that “style-label” because they have created their own style that at best can be described as symphonic power/prog metal with latin influences. For prog people Holy Land can be perfect for listening to Angra for the first time, but I’d prefer listening to Angels Cry first, so you can appreciate the evolution of these guys and know why they are one of the most important metal bands on these days. Holy Land is possibly their best, while most influential and complete sounding album in their catalogue.

album rating: 9.5/10 points = 94 % on MPV scale = 5/5 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

I knew this band very late after they produced many albums. To be precise, I only knew them when they released "Rebirth" album. At the same time I heard another band SHAMAN that was formed by Angra's previous lead singer Andre Matos. I loved those two albums. I did not really explore much about this band until I got their live video "Rebirth Tour" and also latest album "Temple of Shadows" - an excellent album. I was then in an intense correspondence with my prog mate, Marc, from the US. I was kind like reminded by him through his email saying that "Holy Land" is one of his favorite album (top 10?). I was surprised with this fact as I knew that Marc is about at the same age with me and my perception about Angra was that its music would favor younger generation only. At least, I knew this band from my metal mates down here in my country. They are much younger than me.

Phew .finally, with extended hands from my friend down here, David the metal man who proudly watched NAPALM DEATH live in Jakarta this weekend, I got this album on loan basis from him last week. And, I don't want to miss this opportunity to finally enjoy track by track offered by this band. My first reaction at first spin? It blew me away man ..!! Well, at least the powerful vocal quality of Andre Matos and speedy and skillful guitar play by Kiko have made me amazed with this album. Also, this one offers many styles and relatively complex structure with great orchestrations while maintaining their roots in power metal vein. I think, this album deserves detail review. [Am sure you don't have time to read this long review, better you skip it and GET THE CD! Highly Recommended!]

The album opens with bird sounds, heavy rains with some chanting in Crossing (1:55) that sets the pace of the album wonderfully. Heavy guitar riffs, bass lines and drumming suddenly enters the music that remarks the start of Nothing To Say (6:20). Nice orchestrations give more texture to the music just before the vocal line enters the music. It's clear now, how powerful Andre Matos' voice. He brings the music in power metal vein with catchy melodies, excellent riffs and frequent tempo changes. Guitar solos are stunning - especially when they are combined with great orchestration. I love the ending part where all instruments play together with orchestration at the back with fast tempo rhythm section. It's an excellent track! [**** ½ ].

Silence and Distance (5:34) opens with voice line accompanied with piano sounds in mellow style. Light orchestra fills in the music at the back to enrich the music. Drums and guitars enter the music with bass lines and brass section that bring the vocal into higher register notes in medium tempo style. In some segments, there are great combination of piano, music riffs and orchestra. Right after first guitar solo, the music enters into a nice harmony produced by orchestra and brass section in power metal style. The music ends with vocal and piano work with the same style as opening part. [****]

Carolina IV (10:33) starts with a sort of latin music dominated by percussion and vocals. It reminds me to "The Acid Rain" of Rebirth album. Well, I think the latter was heavily influenced by this track as this one was released earlier. The music turns into different style with increasing vocal and continuous music in medium tempo. It then returns back to opening music style. At approx min [2:40] the music turns differently, moves into speed metal music with very fast tempo and high register notes in vocal line. The orchestra plays important role to accentuate the song. This song offers various styles and forms with frequent tempo changes. It qualifies being a truly prog tune if we look at these dimensions. I have to admit that at first I got trouble in digesting the music of this tune. [**** ½ ].

Holy Land (6:26) starts uniquely with funny vocal line and piano work augmented with percussion. The music then flows in medium tempo style with increasing vocal and accentuated with woodwind-like sound. Piano still maintains its happy mood play followed with great orchestra. Melody-wise this song is a bit awkward at first listen but it would grow firmly after couple of spins more. The ending part with oboe-like sound and happy mood music rhythm section is really good. [****].

The Shaman (5:23). Has this track inspired the formation of Andre Matos' band in the future to come? I really don't know. What I know for sure, this track starts WONDERFULLY with a great orchestration followed with high register notes vocals laid on top of musical riffs. Orchestration helps accentuate the music textures of this song. Brass section is used and mixed thinly at the back during some transition pieces. In the middle of the track there is an interlude in quieter passage with excellent percussion and some dialogue in non English language. It's a great interlude, I would say! Especially when guitar solo is performed with orchestration at the back. [**** ½ ].

Make Believe (5:51) opens with marching drum sounds combined with piano. The vocal enters in slow tempo style while drums and piano maintain its style. The music turns louder as commanded by the vocal that moves into higher register notes, augmented with orchestra. It returns back to original tempo but using drums as beat keeper. The music flows nicely with vocal line and orchestration (nice one!). [****]

Z.I.T.O (6:09) is a power metal music - fast tempo and very technical - with great orchestra and excellent vocals. It has great interlude part with an exploration of piano work, orchestration followed with stunning guitar solo. This track amazes me with its hard driving rhythm section and speedy guitar solo, altogether performed in excellent harmony. [**** ½ ]

The next tracks are slow tempo tracks. Deep Blue (5:47) kicks off with ambient organ sound thinly mixed, featuring great voice in mellow style, high register notes. Very nice track with catchy melody. [****]. Lullaby For Lucifer starts with beach soundscape followed with nice acoustic guitar fills that feature pure and transparent vice of Andre Matos. Really good melody. [**** ½].

SUMMARY

Having gone through track-by-track review, I finally understand why many friends of mine praise this album highly. My overall rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars that potentially would grow into five stars rating in the future. Highly recommended. Keep on proggin' ..!!!

Progressively yours,

GW

The best from Angra, and a msterpiece of prog music. Great arangements, full of good pieces,well played. Get this one you will not be diseppointed. My fav Angra album without any doubt. 5 stars for sure, among the albums that needs more attention from prog devotee.

Since my purchase of "Holy Land" and "Angel's cry" came as a double disc edition I will post the same review on both albums.

After reading some positive reviews on ANGRA I decided to order "Angel's Cry", "Holy Land" and "Temple Of Shadows" all at once. Even after listening to those albums multiple times I still don't like them. I think this is just plane metal, but if they would be Metallica I could still like it. This is just one of those prog-metal bands with abundance of metal and a huge lack of prog, like there is some other band I don't really "get" called Dream Theatre. I like prog because of it's complex textures. First I thought that prog and metal could not be combined, but bands like GREEN CARNATION, PAIN OF SALVATION, OPETH and RIVERSIDE have proven me differently. If you want to listen to some good Brazilian prog music go buy a CD from AETHER, INDEX, SOLIS, or TARKUS, but avoid ANGRA. Sorry guys!

Maybe I will still post a review on "Temple Of Shadows" later on, but don't expect it to be "magical"...

I wish this was a little darker and didn't have those ballad sections. I don't know if you call this a concept album, but it's all about the land of Brasil. In fact when you open up the thick liner notes the whole one side is a map of the world with "Holy Land" written right where Brasil is. The band really offers up some good variety with classical(orchestration), Brasilian(ethnic), and Power-Metal passages being the most dominant of the styles. The vocalist is exceptional and there are two lead guitarists as well.

"Crossing" opens with the birds singing, that are replaced by a choir, that are then replaced by a thunder storm with pouring rain that sounds awesome ! "Nothing To Say" opens with heavy bass and drums as synths join in. A guitar solo then vocals all before a minute. A thundering soundscape. A blistering guitar solo after 3 1/2 minutes followed by some orchestration. "Silence And Distance" opens with piano and ballad-like vocals. It does kick into gear 1 1/2 minutes in. Ripping guitar 3 minutes in. Another thunderous rhythm section follows typical of power-metal. It ends like it began. "Caroilna IV" is hard not to like with the catchy latin beats. It changes 1 1/2 minutes in but get used to it because this one is all over the place. Aggressive and more uptempo before 3 minutes. Piano and violin after 4 1/2 minutes as it changes again. Orchestration and heavy drums are next. Full speed ahead Power-Metal 6 1/2 minutes in before we're back to the Brasilian groove from earlier.

"Holy Land" opens with percussion as piano takes over then flute as other instruments come in. Vocals a minute in followed by a fuller sound as the tempo continues to shift. Cool song. "The Shaman" has lots of power in it and even spoken words by the Shaman 3 minutes in. "Make Believe" has possibly the best passage on the album for me when the singer screams the lyrics 4 1/2 minutes in followed by some screaming guitar. Nice. "Z.I.T.O." is an uptempo track with another thunderous rhythm section. "Deep Blue" opens with organ then slowly sung vocals join in. It picks up as violin and piano come in. Deep vocals before 4 minutes then female vocals follow. Some great guitar before 5 minutes. Love the way it ends. "Lullaby For Lucifer" opens with the sounds of seagulls and waves. Nice. Acoustic guitar and reserved vocals the rest of the way.

This is one of those albums where it really boils down to your taste. I can understand the 3 star ratings as well as the 5 star ratings. For me this is closer to 3.5 stars even though it's so well done.

Holy Land is Angra's best album with André Matos, but it is not as good as it should be

In Holy Land , Angra partially drops the melodic metal they presented us in their debut entitled Angel's Cry and strives for a complexer sound, a complexer music and they, also, partially achieve it. Merging classical music influences (mostly baroque, which fit the album thematics and concept very well) with brazilian folk music, specially afro-brazilian, indian and caboclo tunes, and Angra's characteristic melodic metal, the band deliver us a much more intricate and better worked album than before.

The instrumental part is very decent and, unlike Angel's Cry, it goes beyond the usual metal instrumentation of guitars - bass - drums - piano / keyboard, mainly because of the folk influences. The guitars follow the basic dual-guitar script: as one guitar does the rhythmic work the other does the soloist work. The bass lines are far from complexity, but they fit very well in the music, supporting the band very well. The drums also do a very good job, but the constant double bass drum in some songs can sometimes be a bit boring and uninspiring. Though The André Matos vocals are good, his pronunciation is far from good, being very hard to understand what he is singing at sometimes, but at least he sings very well and with emotion.

The folk influences can be felt through most of the album in the rhythm, as the rhythm of most of the album tries to emulate brazilian folk tunes listed before. However, that influence can be specially felt in the middle of the album in the songs Carolina IV, Holy Land, The Shaman and Z.I.T.O.

The album concept of the album, put very simply, is about the discovery of Brazil by the europeans and the discovery of its many beauties and diversity.

There are also some cracks through the album, maybe caused by bad recording / mixing / mastering.

Grade and Final Thoughts

Very good album overall. Good instrumental music and good vocals and have an OK concept. I think 4 stars is a good grade for it.

Two bands converted me to Prog rock: Dream Theater and Angra. This particular album was an important step into symphonic power metal, as I called them during those days. Now I know Prog Metal was all about. And in the highest level.

Be warned, this is NOT prog metal "ala" Dream Theater. Nothing more different. This is ethnic folk Brazilian rhythms and thematic with orchestral ensemble, classical piano and power metal tendencies. If you can imagine what is the result of all that fusion, and in the right amount of each, the mix is perfect and this is without a doubt a Masterpiece.

Half of the material is oriented into Heavy Metal routes. Songs like Nothing to Say, Shaman, Z.I.T.O. and The Queen of the Night (a bonus track in some editions) have double drum driven, sharing in between orchestra sections and twin guitars unisons and soloing with high pitching vocals, not too polished as in later works but great for the fresh vibe of the album.

The other half o the material is quite melodic and mellow at best. Silence and Distance is a piano ballad song with a heavy driven orchestral ensemble break in the middle. Holy Land is one of those perfect songs that have the best of all worlds. Moody Brazilian rhythms, wonderful piano based and melodic vocals that leads to a rock ballad ending worth the listen of every single person. Don't see how anyone would overlook so great song. In the other hand, Lullaby to Lucifer (what a silly name really) is an acoustic guitar ballad with noises of the shoreline. Very mellow song.

But, the real masterpiece in this great album is the epic Carolina IV. It has the best balance between the ethnic rhythms, heavy power metal riffs and symphonic phrases. The song has a great interlude with a lot of changes going on, and all flows nice and easy and you will feel lifted by the wonderful songwriting skills of this brazilian boys. The song worth the listen for you.

Let's not pass the chance to experience the great music this band has to offer. If you have overlooked this band before just because is Prog Metal, go back a little and give them a listen. This is really what music is all about: sense and soul. 5 stars. This is how I feel this album after all this years. With all the discovering of new bands and sub-genres, it remains as one of my favorites albums of all time.

Another album from the vaults of my youth. I first heard of Angra by reading a local rock magazine and since we Scandinavians are completely in love with Power Metal, a passion we share with Germany even though U.S. has started to catch on in the recent years, our local media is always on the lookout for any new foreign talent. Haling from Brazil, Angra was described as another unpolished diamond of our time that was predicted to soon outmatch the mighty Sepultura in popularity. Even though I rarely take this type of praise literally I still decided to give Angra a go and since Holy Land was their widely available breakthrough release it became the obvious choice for my introduction to the band.

Just like any other well respected Power Metal album Holy Land begins with an intro track which in this case might not have been all that noteworthy but what followed definitely tingled my teen Metal mind. Nothing To Say delivered great Power Metal material with a few Progressive Metal moments that mainly came from the innovative guitar work, plus there's a nice Judas Priest vibe to the composition that was bound to make me happy. After an obligatory ballad track came the album's longest and, according to the general opinion, most progressive piece of music called Carolina IV. I'm really on a fence about this track's prog tendencies, to me it sounds more like a long Power Metal track with a few neo-classical moments in the middle section followed by a Power Metal outro. Not really the great classic that many make it out to be but it definitely has a strong chorus and some nice instrumental moments.

My favorite moments comes right towards the middle of the album with the first sounds of the title track that features groovy Brazilian rhythms and a much more personal performance from the André Matos on vocals. It would have been nice to see more of this material throughout the album but unfortunately the second half of the release continues the trend that was set during the first half with a dramatic composition (The Shaman), ballad with orchestral arrangement (Make Believe) and more orchestrated Power Metal (Z.I.T.O).

So far the performance was pretty solid and it's a pity that Angra goes over the top with the very dramatic closing track titled Deep Blue that really makes no sense in the context of the album. The screaming guitar ending makes it seem like we've experienced another concept album conclusion. There is in fact a theme centered around the discovery and colonization of Brazil in the 15th-century but you really have to dig deep in order to actually notice anything resembling a storyline here. The album finally ends on an acoustic outro track that probably was meant to feel personal but I just can't get over the distracting background effects.

I remember really liking the album back in the day and was really hyped to see my first Angra live performance during the 2005 edition of Sweden Rock Festival. Unfortunately the band had to cancel their appearance right at the last minute which meant that I was treated to a complete surprise when I approached the stage area only to be met by the Swedish Stoner Metal band Mustasch. Incidentally that same band also covered for Arch Enemy during the next Sweden Rock Festival which meant that I've seen a few more Mustasch gigs than what I probably should have... but now I digress.

After my disappointment at Sweden Rock Festival I stopped listening to Angra all together. Who knows what could have happened if only the band gave their performance? Anyhow, it was nice to revisit this old friend of mine today. Even though I don't think as highly of Holy Land as I did during my teen years this is still a solid Power Metal release that fans of Shadow Gallery, Symphony X or even Kamelot might consider giving a shot.

**** star songs: Nothing To Say (6:21) Silence And Distance (5:35) Carolina IV (10:36) Holy Land (6:26) Make Believe (5:53) Z.I.T.O (6:04)

*** star songs: Crossing (1:56) The Shaman (5:23) Deep Blue (5:47) Lullaby For Lucifer (2:43)

By no means harsh or abrasive "metal," this music is more in the "heavy" department like SYLVAN, led by the very talented vocal/keyboard artist, André Matos--though I am equally reminded of a heavier, more sophisticated version of Peter Nicholls-led IQ as well.

1. "Crossing" (1:55) a church-like choral piece (plus songbird) (5/5)

2. "Nothing To Say" (6:20) pre-djenty guitars & bass with steady drums and then layers of synth support before lead guitar and fancy synth-strings bridge to singing section. (8.75/10)

3. "Silence and Distance" (5:34) starts out as a slow ballad--until 1:30 when the hard rocking' kicks in--with "horn" synth embellishments. (This keyboard artist, André Matos, is very talented!) Nice twin guitars represent during instrumental section. Solid song! (9.25/10)

4. "Carolina IV" (10:33) If IQ's Peter Nicholls' band were a little more heavy and dynamic, this is what you might get. (19/20)

5. "Holy Land" (6:26) shaker percussion give way to piano and "flute" keys for André to sing over. This definitely has a Middle Eastern flavor to it--though one delivered in a kind of Broadway/stage style. Reminds of RUSH--though a very keyboard-centric song. (8.5/10)

6. "The Shaman" (5:23) very interesting chord play from the piano while the rest of the band establishes the song's intro. It all funnels into a forward-moving 1980s heavy metal song with many layers of instrumental passages in the weave and within the multi-voice vocal weave. Great percussion section while Arabic(?) voice speaks. Then it peels wheels kicking into fifth gear for the final section. The vocal part is actually the weakest part of this. A very interesting song, musically, but not as interesting melody-wise. (9/10)

7. "Make Believe" (5:51) another snare and piano intro soon joined by acoustic guitar and organ before bass and voice enter. André really has a wonderful theater-like voice (I like his slowed down vocals much better than his metal voice--though he does come through with the high-range belting of the final third of the song. There's quite a little MARCO GLÜHMANN there.) This excellent song could've come straight off of Posthumous Silence! (9.5/10)

8. "Z.I.T.O (6:09) Liszt-like keys over metal bass and guitars while André sings with a Geddy Lee/Peter Nicholls-like passion. Finally, some more great twin-shredding-guitar interplay! (9/10)

9. "Deep Blue (5:47) opens with gentle church organ playing slowly--as if processionally. André enters with an equally pious voice. Organ leaves, piano and strings take over accompanying André before the song shifts into full metal jacket at 1:30. In the slow down parts I'm reminded of Supertramp's Roger Hodgson on "Fool's Overture." And then, surprise! There's a return to liturgical sounds with organ, piano and lone tenor singing in Latin. Punctuated by horns and organ and female background choir, this is just exceptional music! (And exceptional theater!) Awesome! But we're not done yet! It's only 3:50! Hearing some words in the lyrics like "pray" makes me think that this might be a very personal, very spiritual song from André--despite the Brian May-like guitar solo. (9.5/10)

10. "Lullaby For Lucifer (2:43) back to the seashore with seagulls and waves over which Spanish guitar picks a gentle accompaniment for another very emotional André vocal. The only flaw is in the quality of the engineering of the vocal track. (4.75/5)

Total Time: 54:41

I don't get it: Are these guys Brazilian, British, or Israeli? If you like your prog metal theatric, sophisticated, and keyboard-driven, then these guys might be your cup of tea. I was hoping/expecting to hear more fire from the two guitarists. Oh, well.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of theatric heavy (somewhat metal) prog and one of the more sophisticated and "deep" prog metal albums I've ever heard. Bueno!