RITUAL

Shaman is a metal band formed in the early 2000's after the crack in Angra, when 3 out of 5 members left the band due to artistic incompatibilities, what, in lay terms, means that the band had two distinct and separate groups and that they hated each other!

So, when singer André Mattos, bassist Luis Mariutti and drummer Ricardo Confessori left Angra and decided to start Shaman, they recruited Luis's brother, Hugo Mariutti, to play the guitar for the album recordings until they found a proper guitar player, but Hugo turned out to be the guitarist the band needed, so he was asked to join the band. With a band assembled, they had a clear objective: to be bigger and better than Angra in every aspect, starting with what is now know as their album, Ritual.

Ritual was everything that they hoped and more. The album was, stylistically, similar to the music these guys did in Angra: complex power metal, filled with feeling and emotion. However, Shaman's debut had THE twist that Angra still needs and that Shaman was never able to achieve again: they took the power metal that they did (as Angra) to the next level, meaning that they embraced diversity and experimentation. Here, the band blends their music with arabian folk music, brazilian folk music, classical music and, of course, progressive rock and progressive metal. The result is incredible because they put out a progressive metal piece that do not sound like any other band, not even Angra (except for some minor similarities in a limited number of parts)! This is truly a standalone album, a landmark of progressive metal.

The album is good as a whole, from songwriting to lyrics, from the instrumental parts to the vocals, from beginning to end. The album is very likable and the only downside of it may be André Mattos's vocals, if you are not used to the way he sings. As for the songs, the only song that is not as remarkable as the rest of the album is the last one, called Pride, because, unlike the rest of the album, Pride is just a straightforward (power metal) song, but even so, that is a very good song, despite not bringing anything that is really new to the table.

Ritual only has good songs, but even so there are songs some that just stand out more than the others, being those Here I Am, For Tomorrow, Over Your Head, Fairy Tale and Ritual.

Grade and Final Thoughts

Great songs + good lyrics + great execution = 5 stars

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