Angra - The Secret Garden [New Album]

[NoseofNicko]

This one hurts... One of my favorite singers/artists. R.I.P. 

[Duppies_Don_Dacid]

So moderators, if one is reading this thread - any chance we can merge this thread with the other Angra thread and add Omni World Tour or something to the subject?

I agree with this...

News is breaking that Andre Matos has passed away. I'm in shock.

Wait, what?!?!?

[The Walrus]

The cause is reportedly a heart attack. Unbelievable...

[wolfking]

Holy shit, he was only 47. 

[Lethean]

I don't think heart attack has been officially confirmed. But, it seems to make the most sense with the limited information that people have.  It's so sad.

[gzarruk]

Kiko also said Andre agreed to play together after 20 years, too sad it'll never happen

[Lethean]

Yeah... Rafael had this great vision of a big reunion with all the members past and present. 

[wolfking]

Just can't believe this.

[jingle.boy]

Holy crap. Saw it on Avantasia's FB feed and let out an audible "holy shit!"

[cramx3]

Damn, thats some sad and surprising news.  I didn't know his music outside of Avantasia but seeing he just performed with them makes it even more sad

[SoundscapeMN]

My favorite singer is dead ...I'm pretty gutted about this.

I never got to see him live either (should have in 2009, but the Work Visa's took too long to clear for them to play at ProgPowerUSA after being confirmed).

I'm likely going to spill my guts about this in my blog tonight.

[Nekov]

Such awful news! 

[Grappler]

Angels Cry and Holy Land were among the very first power metal albums that I had ever bought, back in 1998/1999.  I loved them at the time, but quit following the band until only last year.  Hearing that Andre is gone just sucks.  Angra, Stratovarius, Blind Guardian and Gamma Ray were the bands that got me into power metal in the late 90's and also helped show me that metal bands existed outside of the US and Britain.  I had alread loved Sepultura, but hearing Angra made me realize that incredible musicians existed around the world.

Here's to you, Andre...thanks for helping show me that great music can come out of countries that I would not expect.

[SoundscapeMN]

Kiko posted a 22 minute video talking a lot about memories of Andre and what a great musician and songwriter he was. And how there were so many singers in Brazil who tried to sing like him, but never were able to.

It's all in Spanish, but you can turn on subtitles with English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4_Cq74U_qQ

[Dittomist]

Yeah, this one really hurts. I first started listening to Angra back in 2000, and I'm almost positive it was because they kept coming up in these Dream Theater messageboards. I also loved his work in Avantasia but am totally unfamiliar with Shaman so I'll check out their albums soon.

[wolfking]

One of my fav albums Andre did, possibly my fav was Shaman's Reason.  Such a beautiful, unique album.

[MirrorMask]

Yeah, this one really hurts. I first started listening to Angra back in 2000, and I'm almost positive it was because they kept coming up in these Dream Theater messageboards. I also loved his work in Avantasia but am totally unfamiliar with Shaman so I'll check out their albums soon.

Anyone fan of the genre should listen to the first Shaman album, Ritual. A by now forgotten masterpiece, the best album Angra never recorded and all in all a great power metal album with brazilian music influences here and there.

Count me in among those deeply saddened at his sudden, unfair and shocking death. By now my tastes have changed and I don't really follow Angra anymore, but back in they day I was hugely into them and following Matos' carreer was an obvious consequence. I have seen Maiden, Metallica, Dream Theater, many great artists and fantastic concerts, but still I count the Shaman gig in Italy in 2002 as one of the best concerts I've ever seen, the intensity was amazing. Met Andrè before the show, talked to him in italian because he was fluent with that as well, he was just this happy and positive person all the time.

In later years as I said my tastes have changed so I didn't really follow what he was up to anymore - did he even continue his solo carrer? so when Tobias Sammet posted a pic of him on stage with Avantasia I was like "Oh, Matos, look who's back!"..... to think that literally a few days after he would pass away is unreal.

I also feel for Kiko, the poor guy is alone and hasn't nobody to talk to and he vents online, sharing his thoughts with fans trying to make sense of it all. Very human moment from him.

RIP Andrè, his music will carry on!

And to quote the magnificent and touching "Fairy Tale" from Shaman's Ritual.......

"Little lady, your tale has an end
For your love to the skies was sent
He's turned into sparks that shine with the stars...

And by night he will always be there
For his lady to stare
And thus he's never died"

[wolfking]

I also feel for Kiko, the poor guy is alone and hasn't nobody to talk to and he vents online, sharing his thoughts with fans trying to make sense of it all. Very human moment from him.

Really?  I guess I should watch his video as hard as it may be.

[MirrorMask]

I also feel for Kiko, the poor guy is alone and hasn't nobody to talk to and he vents online, sharing his thoughts with fans trying to make sense of it all. Very human moment from him.

Really?  I guess I should watch his video as hard as it may be.

Well, it's not hard in that sense, he's not there crying, he's actually smiling most of the time recalling the good times with Andrè, but he says that he can't get a hold of other band members on the phone and so he did the video.... he just wants to talk like we all do when something bad happens and we need to cope and vent, a very human reaction.

[wolfking]

Yeah just watched it.  A nice touch, more of a celebration.  You can hear some regret in his voice for not talking to him for 20 years.

[Bertielee]

I was Lucky enough to see Angra twice with Andre back in the days and each time, I was blown away. RIP Andre, may you be in a better place now. Good bye!

B.Lee

[BelichickFan]

Andre was a strange one for me.

Theatre of Fate is tied with a few others as my favorite CD of all time. Angels Cry and Holy Land are close.

Fireworks and Ritual are close but a little behind.

Soldiers of Sunrise, the one Symfonia (with Timo Tolkki) and the one Virgo (with Sasca Paeth) are others I enjoy a lot.

But that's it. The others I like a few tracks but never listen all the way through. Andre's output was light, to the point that I googled him a couple of times a year to see if he was doing anything.

The bottom line for me...several albums of brilliance, a tone and emotion that I truly adore; and yet a case of "what might have been" as his last studio album, I believe, wss 2012. I am very grateful for the Viper Live album in 2015. But I wish he had landed in a more productive band environment.

Regardless, Angels Cry, Holy Land and, especially for me, Theatre of Fate, will live forever.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Kiko posted a 22 minute video talking a lot about memories of Andre and what a great musician and songwriter he was. And how there were so many singers in Brazil who tried to sing like him, but never were able to.

It's all in Spanish, but you can turn on subtitles with English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4_Cq74U_qQ

Portuguese, man. Portuguese.

[MirrorMask]

I was surprised to see the news also on the site of Italy's most famous newspaper, I didn't expect it. The brief article mentioned that Matos was "one of the finalists" to replace Bruce Dickinson alongside James LaBrie and obviously Blaze Bayley - can we consider this, by now, an incorrect rumour that just won't die?

Steve Harris is on record about Iron Maiden being a british band, he wanted a british singer all along. I don't think Matos, LaBrie or even Kiske or the scottish Doogie White were ever seriously considerated, Steve wanted a british singer 'cause they're a british band.

[gborland]

Steve Harris is on record about Iron Maiden being a british band, he wanted a british singer all along. I don't think Matos, LaBrie or even Kiske or the scottish Doogie White were ever seriously considerated, Steve wanted a british singer 'cause they're a british band.

Scottish is British.

[TAC]

According to Mick Wall's Run To The Hills, it was down to Blaze and Doogie.

[MirrorMask]

Should have went with Doogie White.

And usually I know the difference between England and Great Britain, but apparently not today. My point was that I thought it's out there (I tried but couldn't find the quote) that Steve Harris didn't want a foreign singer and so Matos, just like Kiske and LaBrie, were out of the game from the start.

Matos would have been excellent of course, but he probably would have been seen like a Ripper move - you lose your singer, just get someone who idolizes him and sings like him. Steve Harris was probably too pround and / or stubborn to go for that....

[gazinwales]

It's the modern way to say UK (GB) rather than the specific country that makes up the United Kingdom Of Great Britain.
If I tell someone I used to live in Wales, I get funny looks and most have no idea, then I say UK, it seems to make sense.

[TAC]

Theocracy released a cover of Time today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSjxX-ghyic

[The Walrus]

Big bump.

My taste in Angra is a running joke amongst all my friends because I think Omni is their best album. Looking at a very big power metal group I'm in, dozens of comments in, almost everybody has ranked Omni as their least favorite Angra album. Really bums me out. I can't tell if people are just biased because Kiko isn't on it other than a guest spot, and because Fabio just doesn't belong because fans of Brazilian metal bands are weird like that. The production is better than almost any other Angra album, it has lots of variety, it has great traditional power metal anthems, it has a very strong vocal performance from Fabio, and there's a great Rafael song. Each member plays their heart out. I don't get why it's such an unloved album by so many Angra fans. Okay, there's no Andre. People still love the Edu albums. Okay, there's no Kiko or Edu... so what? Still a killer album...

I'll die on this hill for as long as I'm breathing; Omni is a fantastic album that gets WAY too much undeserved hate.

[devieira73]

Big bump.

My taste in Angra is a running joke amongst all my friends because I think Omni is their best album. Looking at a very big power metal group I'm in, dozens of comments in, almost everybody has ranked Omni as their least favorite Angra album. Really bums me out. I can't tell if people are just biased because Kiko isn't on it other than a guest spot, and because Fabio just doesn't belong because fans of Brazilian metal bands are weird like that. The production is better than almost any other Angra album, it has lots of variety, it has great traditional power metal anthems, it has a very strong vocal performance from Fabio, and there's a great Rafael song. Each member plays their heart out. I don't get why it's such an unloved album by so many Angra fans. Okay, there's no Andre. People still love the Edu albums. Okay, there's no Kiko or Edu... so what? Still a killer album...

I'll die on this hill for as long as I'm breathing; Omni is a fantastic album that gets WAY too much undeserved hate.

You are not alone on this, I also think it's a incredible album, indeed, it can be their best! My faves are Holy Land, Temple of Shadows, Acqua and this one, with an honorable mention to Secret Garden. So... I'm kind of a weird fan too.
Just a heads up, Kiko will release his new solo album, Open Source on 17th July. It already have a new song on Spotify, EDM. By the way, I think his album "Sound of Innocence" is really strong, with Virgil Donati and Felipe Andreoli.

[The Walrus]

Big bump.

My taste in Angra is a running joke amongst all my friends because I think Omni is their best album. Looking at a very big power metal group I'm in, dozens of comments in, almost everybody has ranked Omni as their least favorite Angra album. Really bums me out. I can't tell if people are just biased because Kiko isn't on it other than a guest spot, and because Fabio just doesn't belong because fans of Brazilian metal bands are weird like that. The production is better than almost any other Angra album, it has lots of variety, it has great traditional power metal anthems, it has a very strong vocal performance from Fabio, and there's a great Rafael song. Each member plays their heart out. I don't get why it's such an unloved album by so many Angra fans. Okay, there's no Andre. People still love the Edu albums. Okay, there's no Kiko or Edu... so what? Still a killer album...

I'll die on this hill for as long as I'm breathing; Omni is a fantastic album that gets WAY too much undeserved hate.

You are not alone on this, I also think it's a incredible album, indeed, it can be their best! My faves are Holy Land, Temple of Shadows, Acqua and this one, with an honorable mention to Secret Garden. So... I'm kind of a weird fan too.
Just a heads up, Kiko will release his new solo album, Open Source on 17th July. It already have a new song on Spotify, EDM. By the way, I think his album "Sound of Innocence" really strong, with Virgil Donati and Felipe Andreolli.

I had no idea Kiko had a new solo record coming out, and so soon! Thank you for the heads up! 

[devieira73]

Cool, The Walrus!
By the way, I think that Acqua is so underrated because of its poor mix. If you are interested to give the album a second chance, start by listen to these new mixes made by Felipe Andreoli:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFYB9pXOqp8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLkFjK2os40

[The Walrus]

I have given that album more than enough second chances, but I can guarantee at least one person here has probably seen those and loved them 

[Lethean]

I thought Omni was pretty well received overall, at least at the time it was released.  But there's always going to be a portion of fans in any fan base who will prefer the old stuff no matter how great the new stuff is.  Plus, you have a history with 3 singers and there's been drama and then you have an important member like Kiko leaving.  Add to that Andre's passing was a huge shock and I think some are even extra loyal to him right now.

I hope those who are down on it eventually give it another shot.  It's such a great album.