Shaaman
Ritual

THE REVIEW

After the line-up change of Angra, 3/5 (including Andre Matos, vocals) of them formed Shaman, a band with a musical proposal very close to that of Angra, but always of excellent quality.

The CD opens with the intro "Ancient Winds" which resembles the structure of a soundtrack before moving on to "Here I Am,” the first true track, which is embellished with excellent orchestrations and accompanied by a beautiful chorus. "Distant Thunder" continues on the same tracks as the previous piece but with a darker mood (an unusual thing for a Shaman song).
The fourth track is the best piece of the entire album, the sublime "For Tomorrow": it begins with flute notes and has a calm demeanor until the second chorus where the rhythm changes several times. The intermezzo is chilling where André Matos reconfirms, in my opinion, as the best metal vocalist. The piece closes in a thrilling way. "Time Will Come" is another splendid track that highlights the extraordinary talents of the vocalist. "Over Your Head" is a piece with an excellent intro. "Fairy Face" is a touching ballad with fabulous backing vocals. Moreover, this piece contains one of the most beautiful metal solos I have ever heard. I know it seems like blasphemy considering that the solo in question is simple, but it manages to move you like the most virtuosic solo could not.
"Blind Spell" is a piece that goes unnoticed, "Ritual" is a nice track while "Pride" beautifully closes the CD.

Shaman (and Angra...) have many merits: first of all, they are the only metal band that manages to put me in a good mood and then move without unnecessary virtuosity.