On the occasion of the forthcoming visit of the Brazilian Angra to our country we look back to the voices that have dressed their albums all these years.
It’s a difficult thing for a band to change a singer. To be honest, the singer of a band is not only the voice but also the face of the band. He is the one who has the most contact with the people and is often deified more than any other member of a band. No one of course is irreplaceable until of course proof to the contrary.
So, Angra have changed not one, but three singers in the 33 consecutive, with short breaks, years of their career. Each has more or less left their mark on the band’s sound. So, let’s look at the names one by one.
Andre Matos (the original). Andre Coelho Matos, born on September 14, 1971, was the singer with whom the Brazilians were introduced to us with their impressive debut album “Angels Cry” in 1993. An album where power metal, which was at its best at the time, was harmoniously intertwined with classical music. With two guitarists embroidering one would think that there wasn’t much room for the singer.
But the truth was different. Andre not only made his presence felt but also made a lot of people talk with his beautiful voice. Melodic and lyrical he could reach very high without ever losing his expressiveness. One could hear Brazil in his voice and his lyricism was unparalleled. He established himself in hearts with the following “Holy Land”, one of the best albums in the history of music in my opinion. In 1998 we would hear him for the last time in Angra’s work with “Fireworks” which was not a bad album but it certainly didn’t reach the quality of its predecessors.
Angra was not Matos’ first band. He had shown us samples with his compatriots Viper. Especially “Theatre Of Fate” is an excellent sample if somewhat crude. After his departure from Angra he first formed Shaman. With him were two members of Angra who left. With them he released the incredible “Ritual” in 2002 and “Reason” in 2005. Under his name he released three albums, in 2015 we heard him again in Viper in a live album and a single. His collaborations with Avantasia and Symfonia are also important.
Unfortunately on 08 June 2019 we lost him forever due to a cardiac arrest. For as long as he was with us on this planet he gave us excellent performances with his characteristic voice.
Eduardo Falaschi (the replacement). Eduardo Teixera da Fonseca Vasconcellos as is his full name found himself in the unfortunate position of joining Angra at a rather difficult time for them. Born 18 May 1972 he joined the squad in 2001. With them he released four albums.
The beginning was with the very good Rebirth! The comeback album for Angra was very important for them as they had to prove that there is life after the split in their ranks created by Matos’ departure. The experiment was successful as “Rebirth” was a really strong album.
Edu had a voice similar to Andre’s. Less melodic and more… hard. Comparisons were inevitable but the band didn’t seem to lose any points from this move.
Three more jobs followed with Edu behind the mic. But the truth is that apart from the also very good “Temple Of Shadows” his performance started to drop from album to album. In 2012 he saw the exit through the door. He later admitted that he was having health problems with his voice.
Like Andre, edu had a rich career before and after Angra. I can’t say he reached the same levels of popularity but he continues unabated. Before Angra he sang in Mitrium and Symbols. Alongside Angra he was in Almah. Before he joined Angra he was even among the runners up for the Bruce Dickinson spot in Iron Maiden. That’s no a small feat.
Now the only band he continues with is the one that bears his name which also released the very good “Eldorado” last year. It’s worth noting that in 2020 he had toured playing “Temple Of Shadows” live in its entirety.
Edu is a charismatic singer who rose to the occasion and helped Angra when they really needed it.
Fabio Leone (the veteran). Fabio Tortiglione is Angra’s current vocalist since 2012 and has also been through half of the Italian scene. If nothing else, the announcement of his collaboration with Angra has generated interest. The reason being that his voice is very distinctive and has nothing in common with his former bandmates. But in 2012 Angra is now a quite different band.
The power metal days are starting to fade into the past and the band is following more and more intense progressive paths. In Angra’s new sound Fabio blends in harmoniously. After all, he has also performed duties in progressive bands in the past. Probably one of the best known vocalists of the Italian scene gives another air to the new sound of the band. With Angra he has now released three studio albums with the most recent being “Cycles of Pain” from 2023.
To try to do a retrospective of Fabio’s career would be a tribute in itself. He may have become known with symphonic metal band Rhapsody Of Fire but most of the older ones already knew him from his days in Labyrinth, as Joe Terry, and 1996’s very good “No Limits”, although on their 1994 demo “Midnight Resistance” he sang under his real name. Along with members of Labyrinth we heard him in the equally good Vision Divine.
However, I personally think the most impressive thing Fabio has done is with Athena XIX, originally just Athena, and their 1998 debut “A New Religion?”. The band has recently been reactivated. Of course, one can also find his voice on a plethora of other releases and for a moon he also took over Kamelot duties for a series of live performances in 2011 if I remember correctly.
So in March we will see Angra in our country with Fabio Leone. It’s been 19 years since their last appearance here. Unfortunately we never managed to see them with Edu. Anyway their appearance is expected by a lot of people!
Michael Ntalakos
