Reaching Horizons

Over the past year and a half, my preference for metal subgenres has done almost a complete one-eighty: previously I had persued only the most extreme and over-the top death metal; but after a sudden first encounter with prog, I somehow became an enormous power metal fan seemingly out of nowhere. There's a stark contrast between the dissonant growls of a band like Incantation and the soaring melodies that a band like Angra brings to the table; yet nevertheless, the two poles of the metal spectrum are where I feel most at home.

After about a year my deep fascination with power metal inevitably lead me to Angra, a band who I'd known about for quite some time but had never really delved into. I was familiar with Kiko Loureiro (I saw him on tour with Megadeth) and considered him an excellent guitarist, but I never really thought to investigate the band with which he first made a name for himself. Since I have now listened to Angra probably more than any other band ever, it only made sense for me to check out their very first demo.

Reaching Horizons was first released at some point in 1993, presumably earlier in the year so that Angra had time to refine and rework some of the songs before most of them were released on the debut full-length Angels Cry in October of that year. Considering that masterful production that has always graced Angra's albums, Reaching Horizons is probably the roughest-sounding release they ever put out. It doesn't sound bad per se - the recording quality arguably occupies the same tier as the two Viper albums Andre Matos sang on - but there's a certain D.I.Y. feel to it (hear the cheesy keyboard rendition of the intro to "Carry On," which later was separated and given back its proper name of "Unfinished Allegro").

It's very interesting to hear these songs as they were originally imagined, before the interference of a professional producer. "Carry On" has a much longer intro solo; "Angels Cry" features some traditional Brazilian percussion in the verse. The arrangements were a bit more rough and avant-garde than the versions heard on the album, but that does not detract from the quality of this demo whatsoever. Some of the vocal melodies are a bit less catchy than they eventually turned out to be, and the lyrics are different and a bit more nonsensical than those we're all so used to; this is possibly due to some bad translations that were fixed before Angra went into the studio.

There are a few songs on this demo that never really made it onto full-length albums. Though the demo's title track and a remixed version of "Queen of the Night" did appear on the Freedom Call EP, I prefer to hear them here among the collection of songs they were originally intended to accompany. "Reaching Horizons" is easily the best of these songs, with infectious and brooding vocal melodies over a more mid-paced instrumental section; it is similar in concept to "Lasting Child."

The only real differences instrumentally between this demo and the same songs as they are heard on Angels Cry is a roughness that was probably later churned out through perfectionistic repeat takes. The guitar solos are very shreddy and intense, yet a bit sloppier than those heard on the album. Matos's vocal performance is as mind-blowing as ever, though some of his more rapid note changes aren't executed as sharply and cleanly as he was able to do a little later on. The production on the demo is minimal and rather muddy, with the bass often more audible than the rhythm guitars (hear the second version of "Carry On" to be featured on the reissue of the demo), and while the bass drums can be heard they lack any punch whatsoever. The keyboards and orchestration that frequent Angra's music are always either too quiet or too loud, and these extremes can vary even within a single song; but all things considered, for a demo from the early 1990s this is actually very well-made.

One odd little outlier on Reaching Horizons is the cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights." While the rendition that appeared on Angels Cry was pretty true to the original (plus distorted guitars, albeit not many), the demo features a harder-hitting and heavier intro and verses, and a very thrashy pre-chorus that is completely unexpected to any listeners familiar with either the original song or Angra's more well-known version of it.

I like Reaching Horizons because it offers a rare glimpse at some of my favorite songs as they were originally presented. Though I think the extensive revision that occured between this demo and the release of Angels Cry ultimately benefited the songs, there are some cool little ideas ideas here that I wish had made it into the album versions. Overall, this is a very strong first demo for any band, and I would very much like to see it reissued officially soon, as I think that would shed light on these interestingly spectacular versions of some of Angra's most-beloved compositions.

Best songs: "Angels Cry," "Reaching Horizons," "Don't Despair," and "Wuthering Heights."