Angra - Temple Of Shadows - [SPV]

2005-07-13

You know you're in for an extraordinary album when the writing in Hebrew :
"והיה משכני עליהם והייתי להם לאלהים והמה יהיו-לי לעם"
(Meaning: "And my residence will lie upon them, and I shall be a god to them, and they shall be my people") Appears under the album's name.

Angra have always been one of the best metal bands around, but in this, their latest album, they also thick things up with a concept story about a crusader that is given a cryptic religious message from a Jewish Rabin.

The band has been through quite a shock a few years back, when former vocalist Andre Matos left, taking with him the band's bass player and drummer, eventually creating the band "Shaman".

Instead of folding up, the band's two extraordinarily talented guitarists recruited new band members, among them vocalist Edu Falaschi, known mainly for being in the last runners up for the position of replacement vocalist for Iron Maiden after Bruce Dickinson left.

The band released what was probably their finest album to date, Rebirth, and proved that they're main power lies in the amazing guitar work they posses.

And now, this, their latest album, and it is probably they're greatest masterpiece as of now.

The album features some of the best progressive-power metal ever recorded, with some songs being fast and aggressive, such as Spread Your fire, and some sound as if taken from an old Genesis album, such as Wishing Well, with its heavy progressive rock vibe.

Some songs bear a resemblance to bands such as Dream Theater, specifically evident in passages from the track Angels And Demons, that is accentuated by the great performance by the rhythm section, with some bass-lines sounding very Steve Harris-like.

A guest appearance by Gamma Ray's Kai Hansen also lights up the album, in the title track, where his unique voice is immediately recognizable.

All in all, this is a must-have for any power/progressive metal enthusiast, and a worthy addition to the band's former classic albums.

Alon Miasnikov