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ANGRA
Omni
earMUSIC/Shinigami Records/JVC Japan/Edel

From the bottom of my soul, apologies for the delay in reviewing the new album by Brazilian power metal pilgrims ANGRA as the pronunciation of the new album Omnirequired a couple of Scandinavian language classes to get the spelling down proper. Luckily that’s the only complaint I have about this otherwise awesome album that’s everything for everyone!

Brazilian metallers ANGRA have always been about doing everything larger than life and beyond. Whether it’s the soaring dual guitar/keyboard magic that forms the blueprint of their songs or the vast array of influences that have also shaped their music, ANGRA know how to keep things interesting since their ascent into the metal scene 25 years ago with their debut album Angels Cry. And now back with their ninth studio album Omni and a slightly edited lineup, ANGRA are poised to rise to greater heights.

Omni will mark a first for the sextet since 1993 in which their co-founder and most prominent member Kiko Loureiro - currently in MEGADETH though still an official member of ANGRA - has shared more of his playing duties with recent member Marcelo Barbosa (ex-KHALLICE, ALMAH), who had been inaugurated into the band following their performance at Rock In Rio in 2015. His versatile and almost structured methods of playing through his years of also being a guitar teacher may appear different at first to Kiko’s wild riffing especially on numbers such as “Light Of Transcendence”, but by the middle of the album, particularly on “Insania” and “The Bottom Of My Soul”, both accomplished musicians have already had an effect on each other’s playing. Otherwise, the classical guitar arrangements much like on previous works are still handled by founder/guitarist Rafael Bittencourt, who shines exceptionally on slower tracks such as “Silent Inside” but can still shred effortlessly on 200 mph solos on tracks such as “Travelers Of Time”.

Another surprise first on Omni would be the increased songwriting roles of new vocalist, Italian-born Fabio Lione (ex-LABYRINTH, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, KAMELOT), who, despite having handled vocals on 2015’s Secret Garden, was otherwise sharing those same vocal duties with Rafael Bittencourt. On Omni (his second album with the band), he not only exceeds his own expectations with his stellar vocals on tracks such as “Insania”, but his past chemistry with KAMELOT has helped to reign in current ARCH ENEMY vocalist Alissa White-Gluz - who has performed with KAMELOT herself on a number of occasions - on the driving duet “Black Widow’s Web”. Even with White-Gluz’ deathly growls on parts of the song, Lione still keeps “Black Widow’s Web” essentially as ANGRA as it can possibly be. Finally, credit to the band for incorporating some top quality samba drumming on the intro of the rather eclectic number “Caveman”, its swaying beats gelling nicely with the song’s driving guitar sound and its ever-changing tempos. The chorus of “crossing the borderline” reflects Omni’s mission statement of complete inclusiveness overall, making this album one that appeals to just about every individual preference.

In short, it’s an ANGRA album that everyone cannot do without.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

http://www.angra.net/
https://www.facebook.com/AngraOfficialPage/