Review by Josh Felty
Rating: ***
A Brazillian metal group, Angra brings us Aqua, their first studio album in four years. This being my first exposure to Angra's music, I have to admit I was immediately impressed by their symphonic speed-metal and technical prowess in executing such a sound. The song "Arising Thunder" is just such an example: a blinding composition that stands to both surprise and satisfy the eardrums. The beauty of "Lease of Life" is very profound, indicative of a group focused both on instrumentation and lyrical content to a great degree. There are many fantasy-sounding sort of elements on Aqua (if you listen to "Spirit of the Air" and don't hear it, then I can't help you) that open up all sorts of rich imagery, reminiscent of Coheed & Cambria in some ways. In other ways, not so much. There are very eclectic influences and veins of sound flowing throughout Aqua (get it, water double-reference...ah, forget it); in fact, upon research, I found that Angra approached the release in a conceptual manner, identifying the element of water as its own character.
You be the true judge, good people. Give it a listen, and as always, with an open mind.