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Most will know Andre Matos as the singer of Angra, Viper or Shaman. Since 2006 he is pursuing a solo career and now he presents his 2nd album. After Time To Be Free it's now Mentalize he offers his fans. Japan got the album last September and finally European fans get it.
With Leading On he kicks off, a fast melodic rocker. In a way Andre Matos continues what he started with Time To Be Free, but offers a larger sound spectrum. Drummer Eloy Casagrande is forcing them ahead and shows complex drum patters, but Matos managed to create a song which is easy to get into. A song which sounds more mature, but which also has all the elements you expect. So the song offers a soaring melody, powerful backing vocals and surprise you with twists and turns. Great guitar play by Andre Hernandez and Hugo Mariutti. With a choir they kick off I Will Return, a guitar-driven tune with up-tempo parts and mid-paced passages where they focus on Matos vocals. The song has a symphonic edge... Quite catchy, this one will soon haunt you! Reminds me a bit of his past with Angra... Heavy riffs and drums open up Someone Else. In a way a duet between Andre Matos and his alienated voice - cool idea. This one had me right from the start!
They storm off with Shift The Night Away, even the fast parts are melodic. Very expressive vocals and the backing vocals are a bit Queen-ish... But the song is too fast, too heavy to recreate the bombastic sounds of the English. A riff-based fast one is Mentalize which is a bit more aggressive, but also offers slower passages and a part with spoken words which are kinda steam rolled by the guitar after a few moments. Drums lead you into The Myriad, then guitars join in, while the guitar riffs seem to push forward the keyboard melody stays on top of it. But all in favor of the vocals, especially when they slow down a bit. When The Sun Cried Out is an epic, symphonic piece - kicking off slowly, it picks up speed, then stops dead when vocals and piano join in. A beautiful tune with expressive vocals, enchanting. After Mirror Of Me its time for Violence, which starts symphonically, but then sharp riffs take over and dominate the song. If you expect an aggressive, angry tune, then they will proof you wrong! Actually it's neither the fastest nor the most aggressive song, even if it has fast parts. But more important the vocal line will hook you up and the piano parts will enchant you. And with A Lapse In Time you get a piano-based ballad. Just piano and vocals and it shows one more time that Andre Matos is an extraordinary singer. The closer is called Powerstream, a quite fast, but highly melodic track. Kudos!
Andre Matos and his friends sound more mature, more divers this time. They will surprise you and they will enchant you! Check out: When The Sun Cried Out, Someone Else, Mentalize and Mirror Of Me.
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