Angra

Formed in Brazil in 1991, Angra carried forward the neo-classical progressive metal approach that Viper had previously cultivated. After parting ways with Viper over creative differences once Theatre of Fate was complete, singer Andre Matos joined forces with guitarist Kiko Loureiro to establish the new group. Bassist Luis Mariutti, guitarist Rafael Bittencourt, and drummer Marco Antunes soon completed the initial roster. Once the demo Reaching Horizons had been issued, Marco Antunes stepped aside and Ricardo Confessori took over on drums, locking in the configuration that recorded the debut full-length Angels Cry. The album achieved both critical and commercial success across Brazil and Europe, delivering a predominantly hard-edged progressive metal sound interrupted only by a reinterpretation of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights.”

Two years afterward, in 1995, the band issued its second album, Holy Land. While retaining the essential sonic foundation of Angels Cry, the record incorporated more understated Brazilian elements through its rhythmic patterns and backing vocals. Between 1996 and 1997 the EPs Holy Live and Freedom Call appeared, followed in 1998 by the more direct hard-rock statement Fireworks, which dispensed with the classical references of Angels Cry and the Brazilian touches of Holy Land in favor of straightforward metal. Longtime frontman Andre Matos departed in 2001, making way for Edu Falaschi; the resulting Rebirth restored the group’s prog and neo-classical metal identity. That success led to the 2005 conceptual release Temple of Shadows, which enlisted guest vocalists Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray, Sabine Edelsbacher of Edenbridge, Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian, and Brazilian music legend Milton Nascimento.

Aurora Consurgens arrived in 2006 without a narrative framework yet centered on themes of suicide, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and additional mental disturbances. The seventh studio album, Aqua, followed in 2010, drawing its storyline from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Secret Garden marked the 2015 debut of vocalist Fabio Lione, who had taken over from Eduardo Falaschi in 2011; guitarist Rafael Bittencourt also contributed lead vocals, while Simone Simons of Epica and Doro Pesch of Warlock appeared as guests. The ninth full-length effort, Ømni, surfaced in 2018.