You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angra (Freedom Call - Angra)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Freedom Call - Angra
Date:	21/01/08 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intriguing enough for die-hard fans, stretching the band's progressive tendencies to breaking point.

Disadvantages: A few really, really naff songs.

Inspired by the breakthrough success of their ambitious 'Holy Land' release, Angra released this fairly mediocre cash-in E.P. to make the void between albums slightly more profitable and interesting. Containing two new songs following their established style, three pointless remixes, a couple of lacklustre recordings from an acoustic session and a reasonable Judas Priest cover, this has all the makings of a rushed B-sides album but thankfully doesn't try to pass itself off as a full album, though a trimmed single losing the guff would have been stronger (and less collectable).

Angra are one of the most distinctive and interesting power metal bands out there, but this shoddy release isn't really indicative of their strengths, though it does express their orchestral side and incorporation of their native Brazilian influences more prominently than anything else, excluding the "native" sections of 'Holy Land.' The keyboards are permitted to really indulge themselves with delusions of orchestral grandeur on the first half of the album, the slight enhancements in the first song giving way to bombastic Hollywood film scoring for the remix of 'Queen of the Night' and no-holds-barred orchestral version of 'Stand Away,' the latter encouraging a checklist to confirm whether there are any orchestral clichés not exploited, even extending to a highly derivative chorus chanting compelling nonsense noises. With all of these alternatives avenues being pursued, the metal element itself takes a significant backseat, but is offered a number of memorable opportunities to break through; the most pressing and curious question is, who exactly is this album aimed at?

The first two songs are the closest to the typical Angra sound, if such an oxymoron exists. With Edguy-style vocals reaching powerful high notes, full-pelt drums and hard guitar riffs rinsed clean by polished keyboards, 'Freedom Call' would stand strong on any Angra album, featuring some delightfully cheesy eighties synth reminiscent of Dream Theater and a soft and gratuitous return of tribal percussion at the end seemingly to remind listeners of what Angra is all about. The older song 'Queen of the Night' from right back at the 1992 demo begins the trend of increasingly melodic songs ditching guitars in favour of orchestration and operatic vocals, that reaches its peak in the entirely orchestral take on 'Stand Away' from Angels Cry. 'Reaching Horizons' is fairly horrible, further demonstrating the band's progressive credentials but based around a despicably cheesy song of triumph and hope that actually includes the instruction to "fly high" in the chorus, while the slightly edited version of Holy Land's 'Deep Blue' achieves a similar mood in a more palatable, understated manner, only about a minute shorter than the original version.

As if to make up for the lack of metal, Angra provides a loyal (perhaps too loyal) cover of one of the classic nineties metal anthems, the destructive 'Painkiller.' Reproduced with little embellishment apart from in the excellent solo section, this is more or less the same song Priest recorded, with Halford sound-alike vocals and guitars that are only slightly weaker than Tipton and Downing's volume-cranked performance. It ends up with a sound more reminiscent of Gamma Ray, but it's better than Death's slightly lacking attempt a few years later. The final two songs offer the greatest deviation from the format yet, and are acceptable as the weakest link for coming at the end: live acoustic performances of 'Angels Cry' and 'Never Understand' in France (so I gather from the unintelligible banter) that are notably changed from their original incarnations, most prominently through the addition of a tedious jam session bisecting the former that sees a half-decent song descend into a clap-along Spanish jig that I wouldn't exactly bowl me over if I went to see some power metal. It's easy to avoid offense by drifting out and pretending it's just some generic siesta music, but why on Earth would you buy that?

Overall, tedious and rubbish experimentation aside, this is a fair in-between release from Angra that bears listening to only once, but one that shouldn't be sought out primarily for the mediocre Priest cover. Indulgent and weird live performances and songs remixed beyond recognition are what fans buy EPs for after all, but anyone interested in checking out what all the Angra fuss is about would do well to steer clear. Check out 'Holy Land' and 'Temple of Shadows.' They are good.

1. Freedom Call
2. Queen of the Night (remix)
3. Reaching Horizons
4. Stand Away (orchestral version)
5. Painkiller (Judas Priest cover)
6. Deep Blue (edit version)
7. Angels Cry (live acoustic)
8. Never Understand (live acoustic)

Summary: Angra's third E.P. (1996).