And to think I was worried when Angra split up a few years ago! Had I known that it would result in not one, but two fantastic metal bands, I would have taken the news a whole lot better. Angra went on to greater heights with the addition of some new blood, most notably vocalist Edu Falaschi; and the departing members, led by vocalist Andre Matos, formed Shaman. While I think that the new Angra is the better band (thanks to the truly amazing Rebirth album), Shaman is also quite excellent. If you enjoyed Angra at all during Matos's tenure with the band, then you're sure to enjoy Shaman. Their debut CD Ritual is an excellent offering of Brazilian-influenced power metal. It is reminiscent of the Holy Land album, which remains my favorite of the Matos-era Angra discs. It has some great melodies, excellent production (courtesy of the famous Sascha Paeth and Miro), and the vocals are superb. Andre Matos has one of the most recognizable voices in metal, though he has often been criticized for singing too high at times. He reins it in a bit on Ritual though, which gives the album a bit of a harder edge than the old Angra albums had. He does hit some really high notes on Pride, the albums closer, which might make the listener cringe a little. Standout tracks on this disc include Distant Thunder and Blind Spell, but all the songs are quite good. I'd recommend this disc not only to Angra fans, but to any fans of melodic power metal. If you enjoy bands like Gamma Ray, Helloween, and Freedom Call, then you owe it to yourself to check out this great debut from Shaman.

[ Discography ] 

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Label: Icarus | Item Code: Various | Country: Spain | Genre: Power Metal

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Shaman - Ritual Songs / Track Listing

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