Angra – Cycles of Pain (2023)

Cycles of Pain coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Brazilians’ debut album Angel’s Cry. Many things have changed since then for Angra. For example Rafael Bittencourt (guitars) is the only member remaining, Fabio Lione is the third person to cover the role of vocalist and the sound of the band has changed to more Power Metal paths. 

There is no denying that we miss Kiko Loureiro, Metal in general is poorer without the voice of Andre Matos (RIP) and during the Edu Falaschi era we were given some true masterpieces namely Rebirth and Temple of Shadows. But there is also no denying that today’s lineup consists of very talented musicians. Saying Rafael Bittencourt and Marcelo Barbosa are very skillful guitar players is an understatement, Felipe Andreoli and Bruno Valverde are a dream team on Rhythm section and Fabio Lione needs no introduction. This exact composition is together for more than eight years so there is no discussion about any new member, but rather a very bonded team. 

During the Fabio Lione era, the band gave us three albums till now. The first, Secret Garden, had some great moments but seemingly Fabio had a more limited role with the album ending somewhat uneven. Omni was a return back on track and a great record overall. And Cycle of Pain is even better and why not, Angra’s best release since Temple of Shadows. 

What earns it this title is that it is an album with many interesting ideas and songs of the same caliber, gracefully dodging fillers. Starting with Ride into the Storm that is your typical good Power Metal song, where the whole band shines from its first notes. The beautiful thing is it does not stay typical as it has an amazing bridge that makes it even better. Dead Man on Display takes the torch where Fabio proves once again that he did not leave his best self back in Rhapsody, but charms in Angra as well. The rest members’ playing is on another level in this one, for another consecutive heavy moment.

When the speed drops, Angra can also deliver high levels of sentiment like in Vita Seca or Cycles of Pain with the amazing chorus. Tears of Blood that closes the album is another example, but I have to admit that it sounds disconnected from the rest of the album as it is very theatrical in comparison to everything else. I like those kinds of songs so I thoroughly enjoyed it, but could understand if someone else may not share the same sentiment. 

Returning to the highlights with Faithless Sanctuary that is very folky and reminds us of the Angra’s past. And we cannot talk about highlights and not say anything about the drummer Bruno Valverde. At times I had to pause for a second to let sink how good the drumming is. With playing like that, good songs get even better.   

With Cycles of Pain, Angra prove that there is no point in dwelling in the past. While albums like Angel’s Cry and Holy Land will never be repeated, the band does not try to replicate them and chooses to focus on the present instead. The result is a consistently good album that will satisfy any of their fans who happen to enjoy this phase of Angra, or modern Power Metal in general. The rest that have jumped that ship already, will again not find a reason to return here. Still, it is very pleasant to see the quintet expanding their legacy and providing ample reasons to follow them thirty years later.

85/100

Pavlos Pavlakis 

On behalf of Metal Domain