Holy Land

Holy Land is a work on which ANGRA layered the grandeur of classical music, the rhythm of Brazilian music, and choral and acoustic color onto power-metal drive. The technical playing never ends as mere showcase, supporting the whole album’s narrative quality. It is an ambitious second album that deeply dug into their own roots, Brazil. On “Carolina IV,” “Holy Land” and “Nothing to Say,” within the flamboyance drawn by high vocals and flowing guitar, there is a shading evoking the memory of the land and the mixing of cultures. Conceptual content themed on the discovery of Brazil and colonial history is also a feature. Songs like “The Shaman” and “Make Believe” breathe the band’s full playing too. Andre Matos’s voice splendidly expresses that large-scale worldview. It is a large-scale record that clarified ANGRA’s own identity.