CD Review: Time to Be Free (Andre Matos)

After several months from the first (and unique till now) review of Dark Passion Play CD from the finnish metal band Nightwish (a very heavy review, I admit it, but this album is not as good as the previous ones of these finnish people, and not only 'cause of the change on the leadsinger; you can see it here), there is now my second CD review of an album that I'm fallen in love with it, released the past august but only in Japan. Now, from February the 25th, this cd is on european stores.

The album is Time to Be Free, of the brazilian genius Andre Matos, and it's his first album on his new solo projet after his strange conflicts with his two previous bands, Angra and Shaman.


Section 1. Introduction

As fan of power metal and fan of those metal styles combining metal with folk instruments or even orchestra and/or choir (that means, metal bands like Rhapsody, Kamelot, Epica, Sonata Arctica, Helloween... from Italy, Finland, Germany overcoats), I must admit that in the last recent years only a few bands has marked a real difference in style, composition and capabilities, that is, nowadays there are a lot of bands that are clonics of another bands, with low amount of quality, or even no quality :S I.e., I'm referring to bands like the ucarinian Conquest or the italian Kaledon: good bands (I have their discographies in my iPod, indeed) but with no real personallity.

However, there are bands with a lot of spirit at its own. For example, Aquaria, a recent brazilian band with some Angra influences but with its own personallity. Another good bands appeared recently would be Irencros, from Italy, and Serenity from Austria, the two both with no innovations but with lot of perful energy (the spirit of Irencros, e.g., is its leadsinger, Giulio di Gregorio, an authentic wonder of voice with respect to its icnredible versatiliyy: gutural voice, lyric style, violent screaming and awesome high-pitched ranges; listen to The King is Dead for a taste); and another example would be Cellador, extreme power metal from Nebraska, USA, in the line of Dragonforce but without keboards... a very good band, where the oldest member in the recording year was 23 years old!!!

Nevertheless, there is a name who travels through some brazilian bands, an authentic magician of singing and composing: singer, compositor, pianist and orchestra conductor, he's brazilian and his name is Andre Matos. When he went out from the band who rose his name to the Heaven of Gods of Voice, Angra, he formed with the Mariutti Brothers another good brazilian band, Shaman. But again, a lot of differences with the members of the band provoques a separation, and now, Angra and Shaman are actually living bands but without Matos (although with its brilliant compositions...).

Now, maybe tired of so much music differences with musicians, he has started his solo project, that receives his name, of course. Again, the Mariutti Brothers are with him, and with Andre Hernandez and Eloy Casagrande, a versatile 17-year-old drummer. And this album is the real proof of that power metal is not died yet!!

Why? It's easy to explain: 10 songs (+ 1 splendid Menuett introduction connected with the first real song), each one different of each others, each one with its own soul and energy, each one perfectly composed by Matos himself, each one with this kind of melodic lines that only Andre can sing in so awesome way... in one sentence: Andre Matos in state of grace and total freedom. Because of this, the title album cannot be better: Time to Be Free.


Section 2. The album review: the ''standard'' part

The album begins with a classical introduction, a Menuett that will evoque some remembrances of Unfinished Allegro, the intro of Angels Cry, the opera prima of Angra 15 years ago. The Initial orchestra tuning, and then, violins, cellos, trombones and a harpsichord performing a precious melody that connects perfectly with the first masterpiece of the album: Letting Go. Still with the orchestra performing a Vivaldi-esque tremolo melody, the drums enter the scene with the cymbals in a fast correlation with the string tremolos.

And then, the piece itself begins, with a solid guitar riff, a brazilian-kind drum bridge, and Andre begins to sing. Really, this song can be compared to the classical song and masterpiece Carry On (the connection with the previously mentioned Unfinished Allegro on Angels Cry), like Here I Am, the first song in the first cd of Shaman (Ritual), after the tribal new age introduction Ancient Winds: motivative melody, incredible high-pitched notes in the B section of the main melody, and a long chorus section, impecable but worse than the melodic lines itself. Even the song structures of the three songs equivalent: ABABCDECC, being C the chorus section ---although in Letting Go is really ABABCDEFC, proof of the incredible compositive talent of Andre Matos---.

Church Organ and violins join the double drum bass and the guitar solos in a perfect way, and the diversity of tempos in the almost 7-minute-song (including Menuetto) builds an authentic masterpiece, the best song of the album (in composition career, with the album-titled song, Time to Be Free).

After this fast song, a mid-fast-tempo is offered on Rio, a very good song with the so loved for Matos brazilian tribal instruments in the interludium. A powerful song, simple but effective with that terrible guitar riffs and with an awesome chorus section, and a splendid high-pitched melody on the end of Matos part, minute and a half to the end of the song, preludium of the powerful fade out ending between violins, guitar and drums.

On the next, my favourite song in the album, Remember Why. Here Matos returns to pipes (as he already did in the Shaman album called Ritual, on Time Will Come) to construct a beauty melody at the beginning of the song, repeated by the guitar in the interludium. A fast power metal song with a beauty melody and one of the most precious chorus section I've ever heard (and pay attention to the church organ on the background chorus, with Bach-like chords composed and performed by Matos himself... simply AMAZING!!!), and another awesome high-pitched final melody almost impossible to perform (I've tried to sing that, and I have not enough air for the final note XD what a pity!!). Pay attention too on the guitar solo in the middle of the song, with baroque notes beautifully chosen. Deffinitely, another splendind song, complexly structured as ABBCADEFC.

The next song is How Long (Unleashed Away), more closer to heavy than to power metal. Newly again, evocative melodies emanated from Matos lips are offered to our ears after a strange breathing introduction with a powerful guitar riff and a mid-tempo drum rythm section. Maybe this song is so short (4:50 minutes only, when the mean song duration in this album is 6 minutes), when the intro and the outro of the song offers so much not-advantaged possibilities!! However, another excellent song :)

With Looking Back a different song is again sounding. A mid-tempo acoustic guitar rythm with a fast guitar solo with violins in the so classic interludium in almost each power metal song. I'm wondering why this song has this strange ending (it seems to continue but not... the song is over :S), in my opinion this provoque a cutting effect on the song. However, I ignore the aim of Matos, and he is the master :P It's true that this kind of ending, joined with the beginning of the ballad of the album, the next song, titled Face the End, stays quite well, but it's still so rare :S

This ballad is very beauty, overcoats in the second repetition of the melodic line after the first chorus section, with violins and guitars performing a stacatto background atmosfear more proper to soundtracks than to a metal song. And Matos, perfect as always. Beauty melody for a beauty song :)


Section 3. The album review: the ''experimental'' part

Now the second part of the cd starts with the eigth track of the cd, the album-titled song, Time to Be Free. Until now, Matos offered us great songs with his personal career on composition, but standard on the metal music. From now, the experimental section begins. Time to Be Free is a long song (8:30 minutes) that offers low tempo and fast tempo sections as well, separating the melodic lines, chorus lines and interludiums. It's the most complex song on the album, it's trying to offer all the Matos facets in a single piece. Great song, not easily nice in the first listening, but a good song; this is because the structure is very peculiar: AABCDEBFCD, being D the chorus section. The final high-pitched note of Matos chorus line at the end of the song is simply awesome, during almost 20 seconds!!

Rescue is the next song. In my opinion, this is the most progressive song on the CD, with a 7/4 tribal flute section in the interludium and a non-standard drum composition, combining snare with cymbals and bass. I adore this song, because of the versatility of metal tempos joining tribal sounds and violins (more strange than in Rio, but but also more complex than in the second song), and a powerful chorus melody ascending in a single octave range on the repetition :P And even with gutural vocals!!!. This is, with no doubt, the most Shaman-like song in the album.

And now, the most geek song: A New Moonlight is the most complex and experimental song on this album. Arranged by Andre himself when he was 14 years old, and rearranged and reconducted now for this album, this song is an arrangement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata with vocal sections closer to the well-known british rock band Queen, with its habitual choral sections also used in some Edguy songs, the german jesters of metal. Nine minutes length for tasting this authentic proof of talent.

And the last song is a splendid ending called Endeavour, a 7-minute-length song with two clear parts, the first one so fast and full energy, with great chorus melody, and final one, a real grand finale in a long fade out, consisting in a mid-tempo drum rythm with Matos executing incredible high-pitched melodies until the end of the song.

The Japanese edition includes also a bouns track, a cover song of band Journey, called Separate Ways. It's not a song made by Matos, and this can be easily advertised. The worst song in the album, but not a bad song at all.



As an overall review, I'm sure that this is the best album of 2008 (although it was really released on 2007 in Japan). I know that there are some months left for finishing this year, but I think it will be impossible to find an album so complex, so emotive, so beauty, so plenty of energy, and with a so much huge own spirit inside than this album of Andre Matos. All the CD is a masterpiece at all. A must-have album, simply brilliant.

Tracklist (1:09:33):

1. Menuett (0:48)
   
2. Letting Go (6:04)
   
3. Rio (6:00)
   
4. Remember Why (5:56)
   
5. How Long (Unleashed Away) (4:50)
   
6. Looking Back (4:56)
   
7. Face the End (5:12)
   
8. Time to Be Free (8:33)
   
9. Rescue (5:58)
   
10. A New Moonlight (8:56)
    
11. Endeavour (7:02)
    
12. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) [Journey Cover, Japanese Bonus Track] (5:17)
    

Pros: everything.
Cons: only 69 minutes XD.
Best Track: in composing career, Letting Go; but for emotive and affinity, Remember Why, with no doubt.