Artist: Angra
Label: SPV Records
Release: 2002
Last year’s comeback of the written-off showed who the driving force of the Brazilian crew really was. Luckily, the guitar duo of Louriero/Bitencourt are the only original members still standing. Why luckily? Because the band has stayed what it has always been. That beating heart of the band was, as ever, the main player on the new EP “Hunters And Prey,” writing all the orchestral arrangements and four brand-new songs. “Hunters And Prey” is a sort of extension of the album “Rebirth” and is tailor-made for all the old and new Angra diehards.
Not only are the guitars once again played crystal clear, they also keep all of their liveliness, boosted even further by a dynamic rhythm section where extra elements of South American folk rhythms are, once again, brilliantly woven in. Kind of “under-rhythms,” if you’ll allow me a slightly clumsy term, in short a familiar staple of the band. And I won’t even waste words on the classic “angra” orchestral arrangements that give the band its recognizable stamp, plus extra musical breadth and atmosphere. These are not cold, polished Nordic types. This is pure South American fury, conjuring up that proper hot Castilian temperament.
Judging by their structure, the first four songs make a nice contrast with each other. The opener is “Live To Learn,” driven by some seriously power-metal riffing, right after it they slow the ball down with “Bleeding Heart,” which is followed by the title track of this EP, that classic Angra that blends progressive elements with power riffing in perfect sync. If that one sounded very playful and rowdy, like you’d wandered into a game of “cops and robbers,” then “Eyes Of Christ” is a mid-tempo song, a composition full of melancholy with an outstanding chorus.
The disc also features “Rebirth” and “Heroes Of Sand” from the latest album, both in acoustic versions. Too bad Edu adapted his vocals to the acoustics in the chorus of “Heroes Of Sand,” because the lower-gear vocal really held that chorus back, when he could have pulled out so much more edge and temperament, which would otherwise have suited this acoustic version great. On the flip side, in the excellent cover of “Mama” (Genesis) Edu is right at the center of attention, and he especially shows off the colorfulness of his voice. At the end of the EP there’s also a version of the title track in Portuguese. And as the cherry on top, the guys have added a “Rebirth” video on top of all that. More than just “easy-listening” music, and at an easy price too!
Lineup
Edu Falaschi – vocals
Kiko Loureiro – guitar
Rafael Bittencourt – guitar
Felipe Andreoli – bass
Aquiles Priester – drums
Production
Dennis Ward
Track list
1. Live And Learn (4:10)
2. Bleeding Heart (4:02)
3. Hunters And Play (6:28)
4. Eyes Of Christ (4:12)
5. Reverse (acoustic edit version)(3:33)
6. Heroes Of Sand (acoustic version)(3:46)
7. Mama (5:17)
8. Hunters And Play (Hunters And Prey Portuguese version)(6:28)
9. Rebirth (extra video track)
Album length: 38:17
