What can you tell us about "Rebirth" the new album?
Well, this is the rebirth of Angra as a band. We are presenting three new members and this will be the great surprise of the album. These new guys are the best musicians now in the scene. The Brazilian fans already knew them from their previous work and they gave us a lot of support because of that. The European and Japanese press are giving great reviews for the album, some of them are saying that this is the best album of our career, so we are feeling very positive and excited to be back.

This is a question that I must do...which are the main difference between Edu´s vocals and Andre´s ones?
Edu is very versatile, he is able to switch from very soft high pitches to very aggressive screaming. He has different influences on his style, like Ronnie Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Ian Gillan etc. His voice is very powerful and melodic.

Can we say that with the addition of Edu, Felipe and Aquiles Angra is a completely different sounding band?
No, even though they have different influences in their careers, I have to mention that Angra was also one big influence for them as musicians and they are very much aware of Angra's style. We tried to keep the spirit of the band and the original concept and they helped us a lot bringing some fresh ideas. They brought also a lot of impressions from the audience point of view, because they were in very close contact with our fans even more then we were.

How different was recording this album compared to the last one? Did you need time to know better the new members of the band or did the songs come up naturally?
The main difference was that we were very close to each other during the whole process. They came to the band with a lot of energy because they wanted to show their talents, so they put the band up again with their happiness. We had to practice a lot the songs during the pre-production, so during this time the band got in close contact and a great atmosphere of friendship has developed.

How would you compare the new material with the one in "Fireworks" for example?
The new material is going back to the roots of Angra and to the original concept. It is not to experimental but has a lot of influence from Angels' Cry and Holy Land. This is a concept album and will be called "Rebirth". The lyrics on it are about the rebuilt of a destroyed land. There is a fiction story behind it drawing a parallel to our past and present situation. The story was written in backwards so the first lyric is the end of the story and the last one is the opening chapter.

Do you feel that there is a lot of expectations in Europe, Japan and Southamerica about the release of "Rebirth"? Does this create some pressure on you?
Oh yes! Not at all, this creates a big relief. One year ago we felt the pressure because we didn't know where to run. Me and Kiko took a long time to decide if we would take that big responsibility that the others have left or if we would give up with Angra and let everythi9ng that we have built in the past sink through the toilet flush.

What are Rafael´s lyrics in " Rebirth" about?
As I have mentioned, it is told in backwards. Starts with a vision that the world is going to collapse. Wars, natural catastrophes, intolerance and other things generates the chaos. A soldier abandon the war and start to fight for piece. At certain point everything was destroyed and people have to face the reconstruction. To reconstruct the civilization they have to rethink all the mistakes, the reasons it was destroyed, the principles, the laws, everything...

I saw a poll on your website about singing some song in portuguese...Is that in your plans for the near future?
The fans have constantly asked us about it, so we decided to do this poll. I believe there is a huge chance that this can happen.

Which are your expectations on the upcoming shows in Argentina?
The best possible! Every time we've been there, the fans have been very kind to us. We have a personal relation with all the countries we go. In Argentina it is a relation of friendship, cause after all we are neighbors. We are close to the fans there, we stay on the street outside the hotel talking and I believe that the South-American countries have a patriotism to each other when it comes to international subjects, despite football, of course.

Are you planning to release an EP or MCD in the future with live tracks like "Holy Live" for people to listen how the new lineup sounds live?
Yes, we are already doing the plans for that. Maybe on the middle of next year we're gonna release a couple of songs that didn't go to the album together with some new material.

Any final words?
Yes, I'm always very happy to talk to people in Argentina for that special treatment that we have always received from the fans and everyone there. Since the first time that we were there and the fans have flooded us with kisses that we felt very beloved, and I believe it will remain the same forever! Thanks!

ANGRA - DISCOGRAPHY

Reaching Horizons - demo tape (1992)

Kiko Loureiro - guitars