Album Reviews, News

Angra “Cycles of Pain”, Album Review by Gabriel Z.

Editorial Team

October 24, 2023

Angra, the progressive and power metal titans from Brazil, are back this year with Cycles of Pain, their tenth studio album since the beginning of the band in 1991. This is their third album since legendary Italian vocalist Fabio Lione joined their ranks and the second since the departure of longtime member and current Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro. The band also features founding member and leader Rafael Bittencourt on guitar and vocals, Felipe Andreoli on bass, Bruno Valverde on drums, and Marcelo Barbosa on guitar. This time also marks the first collaboration between Angra and Atomic Fire Records, their new label.

As is the case with many of the band’s previous albums, Cycles of Pain opens with a short instrumental track, Cyclus Doloris, which serves as an introduction to the first “real” song on the album.

Ride Into the Storm properly starts the album with very tight riffing, which the band has referred to as thrash inspired, and the band’s signature power metal feel, while the chorus goes for an epic and triumphant approach. There’s no shortage of surprises here, however, as the song takes you through diverse musical sections.

Dead Man on Display follows with a different yet also familiar sound that’s reminiscing of the Angra from the 2000s. As is the case with the previous track, the band’s technical prowess shines perfectly here.

Tide of Changes is split in two parts: a beautiful bass and vocals duo; and another high energy full band song. If it wasn’t obvious at this point already, this song highlights the importance of Andreoli’s compositional role in the band, with the bass lines guiding the music though all the motions and… changes, pun intended. Part two also features Vanessa Moreno on guest vocals during the middle section, bringing back vocal lines from the classic Carolina IV as callbacks.

Vida Seca brings a big mood change from the previous tracks. It features yet another guest, Brazilian legend Lenine, who sings in Portuguese, while Andreoli plays some beautiful fretless bass lines underneath. The song then gets into a heavier and more cinematic mood.

Gods of the World works as the perfect juxtaposition between a straightforward metal song and a complex progressive approach with odd time signatures. This song also features a very good guitar solo section showcasing the abilities of both guitar players in the band.

The title track is the first ballad in the album. Busy piano and more fretless bass lines help the song develop at first, but then we hear the whole band kick, building tension that leads into a memorable chorus that captures the feelings of loss and isolation that inspired the making of this record.

Tribal sounds, rhythms and exotic sounding riffs introduce Faithless Sanctuary. At this point in the album, there’s no two songs that feel the same or cut from the same cloth, yet there’s a cohesiveness that few bands can achieve while trying different stylistic choices at the same time.

Here in the Now features Moreno once again, with her vocals setting up the mood in an atmospheric or ambient way. The main riff sounds very inspired by modern day progressive metal and the song is full of melodic hooks that will leave everyone asking for more. Truly one of the highlights of the album.

Generation Warriors is what I would call a “single-friendly” song, even though at the point of writing this review it hasn’t been released as one. It just has this classic Angra power metal feel that should get the band’s fans hooked from the start.

The album closes with Tears of Blood, an incredible duo ballad featuring the wonderful voice of Amanda Somerville blending perfectly with Lione’s, who showcases here his huge vocal diversity and range. This is what I would describe as the most theatrical and somber song on the album and is the perfect ending for an album with such an emotionally heavy theme.

In the end, this album is a perfect example of how a band with such a long career must keep evolving and progressing to maintain the integrity of their music. They’re not just releasing the same album over and over, but rather this band clearly intends to keep pushing the boundaries with their writing and Angra definitely succeeded in doing it.

As for the performances themselves, this review would not be complete without mentioning the incredible rhythmic section of Felipe Andreoli and Bruno Valverde, which I’d dare to call one of the best of the whole genre. And what more can we say of Fabio Lione, who just delivered his best recorded performance to date with the band and is, in my opinion, the MVP of this new album.

The guitar performances here are amazing as always, with Rafael and Marcelo never missing a beat, though I have to say I wish some of the solos were a bit more memorable or more composed.

One last thing missing for me were Rafael’s lead vocals, which are completely absent this time around. Surely, as just mentioned, Fabio’s vocals are the highlight here, but since the release of Secret Garden we’ve been used to hearing Rafael take the lead on some occasions, and it works especially well when both of them share vocal duties during the same song, like on Silence Inside from Omni.

In conclusion, Angra does not take their long career or established fanbase for granted. They keep pursuing newer heights with their music and I’m sure this album will be considered one of the band’s essential albums among the fans.

Rating: 9.5/10

Preorder: ANGRA’s Cycles Of Pain at THIS LOCATION.