Time to Be Free

As a musician and composer ages, there tends to be a sense of nostalgia that is reflected in his or her latter day work. Whether it's simply a happy accident of staying within an existing formula or actually going out of one's way to tap into a seemingly absent youthful energy by reliving the glory days, it is extremely rare for one to leave the comfort zone after 20 years of keeping it stylistically consistent. The particular example of former Angra vocalist Andre Matos underscores this point, as following his exodus from said band and his later abandonment of his later act Shaman (which had a heap of similarities with early Angra apart from Matos' vocals), he's generally kept to the same formula as had been adopted on Angra's impressive 1993 debut Angels Cry, while still keeping an eye to the more primitive power metal days of Viper. Thus stands the debut of Andre Matos' self-titled solo project in Time To Be Free, a flashy power metal affair with a healthy dose of progressive elements that seeks to become a new classic by emulating established classics from yesteryear.

Naturally Matos didn't go all out in reliving the past and did up with something a bit more modern sounding than Angels Cry, but it's pretty clear from the get go that said album was his frame of reference. The symphonic trifle "Menuett" is a pure nod to high classical period Mozart and Beethoven, in much the same light as "Unfinished Allegro" off the 1993 Angra album in question. As things unfold, a similar mixture of classically tinged themes, 1990s power metal majesty after the Stratovarius and Helloween model, occasional shifts into groovy off-kilter prog., and some occasional nods to the traditional Brazilian tribal folk music that was a bit more prominence on Holy Land takes shape. It's packaged a bit differently as the production quality is a bit heavier and darker, probably thanks to the input by co-producer Roy Z, though longtime producer of Matos' past work Sascha Paeth was likewise moving in a similar direction by this juncture and was probably of a similar mind in moving away from the vintage character that typified early Angra.

For the most part, this album tends to move fairly quickly and doesn't disappoint in living up to the standards that were set by Angra's first three LPs. Extended power metal cruisers with assorted twists and turns such as "Letting Go" and "Remember Why" definitely do a fair amount to shore up the band's similarities with classic Helloween, with the former maintaining the orchestral character of the intro song while the latter brings in some folksy elements and a charming bagpipe introduction to boot. "Rio" also manages to kick out a respectable ruckus while bringing in some fun progressive twists and some of that tribal Brazilian charm at a few points, whereas "Looking Back" delves a bit further into said area and hangs around in acoustic guitar territory in a manner somewhat similar to "Never Understand", Matos and fellow ex-Angra company's first foray into such things. The closing epic speeder "Endeavour" starts off shifting back into late 80s Viper period in the riff department, though it's otherwise in a bit more of an early Angra mode of sound with about twice as many flashy guitar solos and keyboard passages.

If there is a single strike against this album, it's that Matos and company went slightly into overkill territory and loaded this album up with so much material that it's a little tough to digest, especially with all of the long-winded numbers. This is particularly the case on the twice as long re-arrangement of Matos' first go at putting Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" with Viper otherwise known as "A New Moonlight", which spends a tad too much time in serene, ambient mode before it actually gets going. It's generally a decent recap of a solid homage to a universal classic, and Matos amazingly still hits the same high notes that he was belting out 18 years prior, but it could definitely stand to be about 3 minutes shorter. The album's largely engaging and deep title epic "Time To Be Free" is a bit stronger and only spends about a minute in mellow territory before eventually ending up in that all-too-effective middle ground between rhythmic and atmospheric prog. and cruising power that constitutes Matos' stylistic niche.

It's something of a toss up as to whether Matos was able to trade blows with the brilliant work that came out of his former band Angra during the 2000s, but he definitely edged out Shaman's decent yet largely unspectacular Immortal with this massive collection of songs. The Japanese edition even includes a well accomplished reboot of Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" that manages to be heavier and more guitar oriented than the original without morphing into an entirely different song. This is largely fodder for older Angra fans that tended to like Angels Cry better than Temple Of Shadows (qualitatively they are about equal, though very different in sound), and despite the heavier and darker atmosphere, sticks pretty close to Matos' melodic and accessible roots. Sometimes one seeks freedom by cleaving to tradition, and with an album like this it's difficult to argue against it.

As you may know, Andre Matos is the former singer/keyboardist for Brazilian acts such as Angra and Shaaman. He departed both of them and by October 2006 he started working on this new solo project. As he is, he kept almost the same genre, a power/heavy metal with a few prog elements. From Shaaman he took both of the Mariutti brothers and they accomplished this: "Time to Be Free".

I must say, "Time to Be Free" is a great album, but not really the best he could do. Knowing Matos comes from two of the most important brazilian metal acts, one is to expect him to do awesome stuff, at least gathering what he has learned as influences. He actually did. There are plenty interesting riffs and progressions, helped in the back by the drums that preserve Angra-esque rhythms and there is also a keyboard he chose to add to his new sound, as he is a keyboard player. The bass is not a big deal, but there are some prog-ish basslines and several interesting interludes that keep it cool for Mariutti. I must acknowledge there are really good, solid and interesting solos by the other Mariutti brother, Hugo. If you have heard Matos singing before, you must have noticed he has a good voice. I wouldn't say that he has an impressive vocal range, but he does have control of the one he has. A good proof for this would be "Face the End", at least on the beginning, where he does not focuses on high-pitched singing but rather keeps it low. When singing a bit higher he is not the best, but his voice does become a little harsh and makes it sound more aggressive. Recognizing Matos is a keyboard player, I expected a bit more in this area. He kept it a bit basic for the keyboards, just doing small interludes or backing the guitar, and at times doing intros (played by him on the piano) or a solo (that won't be found to often, though).

There are other things, though, that are not too good in the album. I would prefer to emphasize on the fact that most of the songs are too similar. They are all about the same tempo, same rhythm and give you the same sensation. At times I've thought they are even played in the same scale. Of course, some can be taken outside that box, like "Time to Be Free", but it would be the minority. I would also have prefered if he focused a bit more on the keyboard, since at times one may notice Fabio Ribeiro does have talent, but Matos kept him too quiet.

The lyrics are more prog-oriented. He uses many metaphors and evokes images a lot, thankfully in an understandable way. Matos also adds a bit of emotion to the atmosphere through them, plus his singing fits a lot. At times he goes directly into emotions to find much more harmony in the songs along with the instruments.

Andre Matos did a good job on this solo debut. He could have done better if he focused much more in some areas than he did on others to make it more ornamented, though he chose not to and took points out of his own album. It is a good release, but it lacks many things. I would recommend it, but don't stop buying something you're looking for an change it for this.

Highlights: "Remember Why", "Rio", "Face the End", "Endeavour", "Time To Be Free".

I was recommended this album by a Brazilian who seemed shocked I wasn't familiar with André Matos. I figured since he was Brazilian, he must know Brazilian metal. After a bit of research I learned André is the former vocalist of Shaman, who themselves broke away from Angra in their early years.

Early Angra is not exactly held in high regard, and justly so. The prospect of hearing the music of someone who probably contributed to their mediocrity at the time, did not spark my enthusiasm. The parallels are unmistakable between the music he played then (in Angra), and the music he plays now. If it's at all an improvement, it's a trifle one.

The tame combination of Edguy, Angra and modern heavy metal make for something that I don't think many people could readily take a liking to. Though dotted with South American accents and marked by long, softer songs, it'd be a stretch to call this progressive.

The music bears a bittersweet overtone, though has little energy, and even less aggression. And while the drums can be decorative, the riffs feel subdued. Andre himself is a capable singer, but there is a whine to his voice occasionally.

There are a few catchy, and even moving segments early on in the album, but it runs down pretty quickly. The song A New Moonlight is the real low point of the album. Not only is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata mechanically butchered, but it's a clumsy would-be epic that is difficult to even sit through (and I believe that's the second power metal band I bashed for trying to sample Moonlight Sonata). I hear enough timeless and masterful classical pieces bastardized on car commercials, I hardly need my metal doing the same.

Aside from a couple enjoyable moments early on, this album accomplishes little but to serve as an example of mild, tame and ultimately uninteresting metal.



{Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com}