Though it's a happy, religious-tuned, and rip-roaring power metal adventure, most metal fans will find something to appreciate on 'Rebirth' (which is perhaps one of the most apt album titles I've ever come across).

Along with the mighty 'Temple Of Shadows', this is generally considered to be the band's finest work, and for good enough reason.Ī couple of listens through will have any fan of fine progressive power on their knees, weeping and blubbering for mercy. While highly technical, it doesn't have the pronounced progressive flair of the group's later albums, while simultaneously featuring much more bombast and dramatics than earlier efforts like 'Holy Land' and 'Fireworks'. 'Rebirth' stands alone amongst Angra's catalog as being the one true example of pure high-speed melodic power metal that the band has produced. From this point forward, it more or less became expected from them on every album. Even at their softer moments, the ballad 'Heroes Of Sand' and the moderate title track, Angra has never to this day written more infectious and accessible material. The dual fire-spitting guitar attack of Loureiro and Bittencourt, always been a cornerstone, has manifested here in the fastest, most impressive example of their work together. Need evidence of the maturity of the band's composition? Look no further than the sublimely epic 'Acid Rain', the breathtaking 'Running Alone', or the superb blend of indigenously inspired melodies and power metal speed of 'Unholy Wars'. Also known for blending tempos and incorporating native Brazilian elements and conventional symphonic sounds, 'Rebirth' brings these sounds to the forefront, in addition to emphasizing the band's guitar work like never before. While the prelude/opening song combination has always been a strong point for Angra, 'In Excelsis' and 'Nova Era' take this strength to new heights, and the combination is one of my very favorites at the beginning of an album. Not only did the band rebound quickly from losing half its members, but managed to write its strongest material yet. While the Brazilians previously established themselves as one of the premier metal acts in their home country with great records like 'Holy Land' and 'Angels Cry', the intensity of 'Rebirth' left them alone at the top of the heap in their chosen genre.

Just as many fans were left wondering what was to become of the band, 'Rebirth' dropped jaws worldwide while baptizing the new lineup in a whole new high-octane style of power-prog that offered more punch and complexity than the band's previous efforts. Thus sayeth the wise Edu Falaschi in the first few minutes of Angra's momentous return to form after parting ways with previous members Andre Matos, Ricardo Confessori (destined to return for 2010's 'Aqua'), and Luis Mariutti. 'Healing whispers of the angels bring the sunrise again.' It takes considerable willpower to refrain from dancing around like the serpentine subject of a snake charmer to this music, and what other metal band can say that? The swan song of the album, “Time To Grow”, takes a more straightforward power metal route, with an uplifting chorus to show you out in style. The entrancing “Beyond The Stars” makes your blood pump with its pulsating rhythms and sets your limbs in motion in an almost uncontrollable fashion. Yet there is still a lot of wonder to behold, not in the least with the one-two punch of the record’s closers. That concludes the most epic part of the album, and the rest of the record is more concerned with themes of introspection not unlike Evergrey in their heyday. The title track seems more concerned with the magic and mysticism of the literary tales of the sand, bathing in an aroma of mystery among the dunes.

Nowhere is this more clear than in the first stretch of the album, where the almost hypnotic “Under Siege” segues nicely into the salty swagger of “Braving The Seas” and the melancholy of “Merciless Times” all rivaling the splendor of Serenity’s “Death & Legacy”.

While “Desert Call” had a few longer compositions and a generally more languid (but not boring) atmosphere, relying on complex song structures and brief bursts of melodic genius, “Tales Of The Sand” has gone the newfound Pagan’s Mind route, choosing to focus on short but powerful songs that lose none of the intricacy and delicacy of previous outings.

Blackwind fire and steel