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Eyes Of Shiva: Eyes Of Soul
Eyes Of Shiva - Eyes Of Soul - [Locomotive Music]

2004-10-05

I don't know what is it about Brazil, but that country produces some of the best progressive-Power metal releases around, with Angra standing at the forefront.
Eyes Of Shiva release an album which immediately takes them to the top, an extremely well-produced slab of quality metal that brings Angra to mind in more than one occasion, probably due to the fact that Pink Cream 69's Dennis Ward, who produced the last Angra album, also produced it, and also because of them incorporating Native Brazilian instruments and melodies into their brand of Power-progressive metal.
The album, as I said, is extremely well done, brilliant fast and melodic riffing, well played drumming, with plenty of double bass and fast passages, orchestral parts are thrown in for good measure, and even jazz-like tempos that color the music even further.
Eagle Of The Sun is a track that reminds Angra immediately, yet the vocals are quite different, though they bare some resemblance to Andre Matos, Angra's former vocalist, their range is higher, more reminiscent of German power metal, at sometimes giving a Michal Kiske vibe, the track is more straight forwarded then the one after it, Lampiao is a combination of progressive-power metal with string Brazilian motifs, and there the band truly come into their own, their quality of music is evident on every riff, with some truly dazzling lead work throughout.
Pride is a quite, almost ballad-like track, with some fine distortions thrown in, the vocals truly excel there, reaching some amazingly high levels.
Eyes Of Soul starts out with a Brazilian segment, before going into a calculated, progressive passage, with some flutes and keyboards adding additional depths to the fantastic track.

Alone is somewhat dissimilar to the rest of the album, and 80's style ballad, which manages to sound fresh and honest thanks to the fine piano line that runs through it.

Eyes Of Soul isn’t immediately catchy as some of Angra's releases, but it has a great pay-off to those who'll listen to it in-depth, its complex, melodic, very-well executed, with guitar work that's up there with the best in the business, and I expect them to take the progressive metal world by storm.

Alon Miasnikov



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