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Rating: Complicated twists of strings or keyboard do not make a masterpiece, but only heavy and difficult sounds to "assimilate." Using delicacy and harmony is much more complicated. "Fireworks" makes clear the difference between cognitive music (made with the brain...) and muscular.
We start immediately at a fast pace with "Wings Of Reality," which we can define as a typical Angra song, with a strong progressive component. In the middle, a piano accompanied by orchestral instruments is introduced, making everything even more melodic, then we return to more metal rhythms without ever exaggerating in riffs and solos. Excellent opening. The following "Petrified" starts calmly; with the entry of the singer, the track becomes lively while remaining in precise timings, without fully entering power. Varied and with few repetitions of riffs or choruses.
"Lisbon" is unmistakable with its prog intro. The orchestral component is still strong in the background, and the following duet with Loureiro and Bittencourt is appreciable. The sung parts are a bit too "slow," and the ending is repetitive in my opinion, but overall everything flows well. It fades into "Metal Icarus", which opens with a typically power sound, fast drums accompanied by riffs a bit monotonous in repetitions. It doesn't impress much more, and we remain in the same "theme" as the previous ones without significant changes except for a few good solos in between.
"Paradise" is the extra march of the work: the initial guitar riff and especially the background that accompanies it, give a mysterious atmosphere that is worth the price of the CD. The sung parts are excellent, as is the chorus that resumes the starting sound... one is enchanted by this simple melody. Perhaps in the instrumental part, it goes a bit off "theme," but still, this doesn't detract anything from the whole. Deep and beautiful. "Mystery Machine" doesn't have particular noteworthy cues, perhaps in the non-sung part we can appreciate some good riffs, but nothing special in my opinion. So we arrive at the Title track "Fireworks": sweet notes welcome us, it would seem the beginning of a ballad, but it is not so... it doesn't fall into the "sugary," remaining in dreamy and never obvious atmospheres. The presence of power and progressive elements makes the track (respectively) lively and melodic. Delicate and never virtuosic, not even in the instrumental parts. Everything fades gently. Nothing to say.
"Extreme Dream" wakes us up with more rhythmic music; the melodic part that has accompanied us until now disappears to give space to Matos's voice and the strings of the Bittencourt Loureiro duo. With "Gentle Change," we do not enter a true ballad but a simulacrum made lively by the guitar. The piano follows us throughout the song, making it even more catchy. And to conclude, "Speed": already from the title, we can understand that power will dominate. It closes with very fast riffs and an incredible vocal peak.
We reach the finale with great simplicity. A light and flowing work, embellished with excellent orchestral parts. Angra once again gives us a CD of rare beauty, delicate but also fast, a sweet but powerful character with "outbursts" of Power and alternations of progressive/metal. I would finally like to draw attention to the voice of Matos, who delights us throughout the album with exceptional peaks: an impressive vocal power with a vast range. Spine-tingling.
I cannot consider it a masterpiece, as it lacks some flexibility in sound... to be clear, it always remains in their typical sound, not venturing too far outside the "lines." It still remains an excellent work. It's impossible to give less than 4.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Wings of Reality (05:55)
Day by day
Wheels keep turning around
And everynight
Many restless creatures
longing for the dawn
To heal away
Their eternal pain...
Hope the saints arrive
Bringng the signs
Of treasures to be found
Now we walk alone
And we've got to know
The secrets all around
Breaking our hearts of stone,
Tasting our lives,
Setting us free to decide...
"Wings of Reality,
Take me higher and higher
Show me the way to be
Free forever with you...
I guess I've found my way
Everyday growing stronger
So many words to say,
So many things to do..."
The ghosts get closer to my fears
A beast has awakened here inside...
All we don't know, nobody knows!
... And the pay back is coming someday!!
03 Lisbon (05:12)
Everynight I say a prayer
Look at me: nobody cares
Just a mirror, passing by...
Looked inside:
I've lost my pride!
Stay with me not for so long
It's alright: no needs, no hope
Such a miracle,
looking back...
Times gone by,
and life wasn't bad...!
Lord, light my way
Fill these withered,
careless hands...
Oh, skies are falling down
Skies are falling down
Oh, skies are falling down
Skied are falling down
See, the birds are back...
At the docks and everywhere
Here in Lisbon, realized
This whole world
so strange and divine
Lord, light my way
Fill these withered,
careless hands...
Oh, skies are falling down
Skies are falling down
Oh, skies are falling down
Skied are falling down
04 Metal Icarus (06:24)
Metal Icarus
You live in a world that is just
Way too strange to conceive
Angel's dressed in black
Most of the people who seem to be
Lost in the dark
- Are they all too real?
Always a good time, never lonely
Suddenly realized the blood red tears from my eyes
There was nothing much
I could do
But watch you die
Time after time
Burnt your wings on the sun
Metal Icarus
First time I met you I wanted
To be by your side
And let my hair grow long
Those days are gone
But I still fly by night
Bringing life to the dead
Even through times when I felt lonely
Suddenly realized the blood red tears from my eyes
There was nothing much I could do
But watch you die
Time after time
Burnt your wings on the sun
Metal Icarus
Night after night
Upon forces unknown
Metal Icarus
Ah! Those were the years
I can still feel the windy heights
Against my skin
And if I close my eyes
I'm flying over hills!
05 Paradise (07:38)
Since the time of the ancients
When gladiators fought
Turning movements of action to passion
Their life was a game
See the blood of the bodies
Spilling onto the floor?
How could people applaud it
It's madness it's all so insane!
Blood, through your heart
Never stops for one minute
And there you will find:
- There is no other way!
The arena's still crowded
But the rules take new forms
Some of them tread on stages,
Some others chase after a ball...
Blood, through your heart
Never stops for one minute
And there you will find:
- There is no way out!
Demons with a thousand eyes:
- Look at me and cast your spell!...
We're dreaming of Paradise
While we stay here in hell!!!
06 Mystery Machine (04:11)
Mystery Machine
The sun rises over the tide
Waves breaking over the rocks
Again and again like an echo
From the mountine tops
This feeling you just can't hide
Like an open page revealed for all to see
You breathe hard,
Like the sea breeze coming in
Hold your arms to the sky
Don't let clouds hide the sun
Don't runaway cos' you can't hide from thunder
Cold sweat glistening on your brow
The rains will come crashing down
A million voices sing out loud again tonight
As the mysteries of life begin to unfold
Master of fate you're the only one who knows
Machine of mystery roles on
07 Fireworks (06:20)
Fireworks
It's New Year Day;
Looking up to the sky
We all await for the fireworks to fly
And I hold you
And I stand by you now...
Over the bay darkness breaks to a glow
But still the sands keep on running too slow
And I love you
And I care for you now...
Green comes after white
Night turns to day into the fire
Look at our dreams flying away
Climbing up higher
Along the shore timeless faces reflect
The innocence of childhood never left
And I miss you
And I cry for you now
Green comes after white
Night turns to day into the fire
Look at our dreams flying away
Climbing up higher
And the ones who we trust
And the moments of joy
Mirrored there is a glow
That will dazzle our eyes
Here is my heart, in my soul
Sharing the miracle of Hope
In my heart, in my mind, in my soul...
Stay hand in hand, stay with me
Love is the keys to believe
In our hearts, in our minds, in our souls!
...But now no matter what I say,
Just look at the fireworks!
08 Extreme Dream (04:16)
Extreme Dream
Living a dream just for one night
Feels like the last day of my life
Roaming somewhere just for a while
When all the feelings lay dorment inside
Here we go, marching on...
Unconsciously far from this world
We're knowing foundations of all
in such extreme virtuality
All we don't need is the proof to believe
Here we go, marching ahead
Buried deep in the sand...
I recognize this place,
All those faces, all these scenes
Though I'm so often there
It's somewhere I've never been
(Over and over again)
...It's so extreme
My endless dream...!
09 Gentle Change (05:35)
I see the stars in your eyes
Portraying my face in the future
Nice is the weather outside
But I'll stay at home
Oh! Waiting for the rain...
Memories of when we were young
Wishing so bad to be older
Now you may look to the past
The only way forward
... Lightning up another cigarrette
Playing cool while cracking up inside
Saying hi to people's like saying goodbye
Laughing, but wishing to cry
Gentle change of tides
Upcoming days
Oh, the spirits of a new horizon fall
Into old dreams
Standing here howling at the storm
Shouting how life could be perfect
Well, then the walls have to fall
To start it again
Gentle change of tides
Upcoming days
Oh, the spirits of a new horizon fall
Into old dreams
Far away from sights
Oh, hidden in the haze
Oh, oh, spirits of a new horizon fall
Into old dreams
10 Speed (05:56)
Speed, run the thoughts inside your brain
Try to catch them once
And you'll be alone
There's nowhere to go
Speed, all the memories will come
Try to make them live
And you'll get so lost
From the present to the past
WIth speed we go
But still don't know
What's hidden in there
Our time is over!
Speed, like a thunderbolt
The future will take its place
Then could you stop time
Perhaps when you die?
With speed we go
But still don't know
What's hidden in there
Our time is over!
Faster than light we will find
A way out of the conscience,
And the more we know, more we'll mind
It's a matter of patience,
Always...
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By aniel
The songwriting is impeccable, and the tracks are well-structured, melodic, and very creative, with the right dose of hard riffs.
It’s worth mentioning that even with Holy Land (or perhaps even more), Angra had already made us realize that they were a compositionally mature group with clear intentions.
