The rest of this is really hard. I love each of these albums. Each album was pretty much the best as I was listening to it.
So here goes the rest of the ranking, before I change my mind 20 more times.
#7 - Angels Cry
I hate ranking this so low. Maybe it's losing out a bit by being the first album I listened to today and some of the others are fresher in my mind. Maybe there's a tiny drop-off in song quality as you get to the end of this album, and that's also contributing to the lower ranking. But I love this album. It has some incredible songs - Time and Never Understand are my favorites, Stand Away probably next, and I like the "hits" as well, especially Angels Cry, though I am getting a bit tired of both of them live. Angels Cry has to be one of the strongest debut albums out there, it is so good for a bunch of young guys just releasing their first work. Ugh now I'm playing some of the songs in my head and I want to put it higher again. I'll leave it here for now or else I'll be here all night.
#6 - Secret Garden
I hate putting this at #6 even more. I love Secret Garden. I played it to death for the longest time and I think it is incredible. (This is how awesome Angra is). However - I really dislike the title track. It might be the only Angra song that I don't like, so that being the case, the album suffers for it when I don't skip it (and I didn't tonight, since I'm doing a ranking). Black Hearted Soul and Perfect Symmetry I like, because Angra always manages to make me like their songs like that, but I do feel they've done songs like that better before. Otherwise - highlights - Newborn Me, Final Light, Storm of Emotions, Violet Sky, Upper Levels, Crushing Room, and Silent Call (I think you get the picture...); oh and the Synchronicity 2 cover is phenomenal.
#5 - Rebirth
I think Rafael and Kiko made a statement with this album - that Angra could continue, be reborn, and be even better than before. Singers are a matter of taste, and some people thought it was an upgrade and some thought the opposite. I love both Edu and Andre, with a preference for Edu but I'm happy with both singers in Angra. But I think they their rhythm section definitely got an upgrade - Aquiles Priester is a great drummer and Felipe Andreoli is just phenomenal (said just like James LaBrie would say it
). The new line up came out with a great first album together in Rebirth. Nova Era is a bright start to the album, but I think it only gets better after that. Acid Rain, Rebirth, Judgement Day, Unholy Wars are my favorites on this one (but I like them all).
# 4 - Aqua
I know a lot of people don't like this one. Even I downgrade it a little bit in my thoughts, maybe because of all the negativity. But as soon as I started playing it tonight - my love for came rushing back.
My high ranking of it could be part sentimental - this album came out after a long Angra drought, and I played it a *lot*. I don't think it's as immediate as many of their albums. A lot of the tracks had to grow on me; at first I was excited just to hear a new Angra album, then I thought it was weaker compared to their other material, and then as I listened, one by one, the tracks really started to click for me. There are a lot of twists and turns in this album. Also, it features Edu's best song writing in Lease of Life (imo of course).
#3 - Temple of Shadows
I'm surprising myself with this ranking, because Temple of Shadows is often my favorite. Not today I suppose. This album is a masterpiece though. The first half is stellar, and the 2nd half is perfect. The run from The Shadow Hunter to the end of the album is just <I need a new adjective for how good it is.>
#2 - Aurora Consurgens
Another album that people don't like, but people are just wrong sometimes. This is another Angra album that needs more time to grow on you, but when it does, it doesn't let go. Favorites - The Course of Nature, Ego Painted Grey, So Near So Far, Passing By, Scream Your Heart Out... I could keep going. Abandoned Fate is a great closer as well, and even though it's a simple song, it's also one that had to grow on me a little bit.
#1 - Holy Land
There's just no other album like Holy Land. They never made another one quite like it, and no one else did either. (And that's OK; it makes it all the more special).