Angra – Aurora Consurgens

After waiting so long for Angra to release Temple of Shadows, I hardly expected the band to come back with another studio album less than 2 years later. However quickly they released it, Angra's 2006 album Aurora Consurgens certainly doesn't suffer from a lack of quality. It's not as epic and ambitious as Temple of Shadows, but it is so much easier to enjoy right from the start. Like Rebirth (the debut of the current Angra lineup), Aurora Consurgens grabs you right from the very first track and never lets go.

Aurora Consurgens has just about everything I've always expected from an Angra album. The songs are fast-paced, very melodic, intelligently written, and expertly performed. I consider Angra a power metal band, but the musicians in this band display the kind of precision and technical prowess you'd expect to find in a progressive metal band, though thankfully they never succumb to the kind of lengthy, self-indulgent instrumental wankery that often plagues prog albums. And of course there are the vocals. I'm of the opinion that Edu Falaschi is the best thing to happen to Angra, and have never been disappointed by his soaring, melodic vocal performances. The only thing this album is missing is the use of Brazilian musical elements that made previous Angra efforts so interesting.

As I noted earlier, Aurora Consurgens is not the same kind of album as Temple of Shadows. It's a simpler, more straightforward power metal album that really doesn't have the same epic scope that Temple of Shadows has. I don't think either album is better per se; they each take totally different approaches, much like Angels Cry and Holy Land did.

Unless you're expecting something epic, I can't see how any Angra fan could be disappointed by Aurora Consurgens. It's another fantastic album from a band that rarely, if ever, lets us down. If you're unfamiliar with the band and want to check them out, Aurora Consurgens is a fine album to start with, though Rebirth may be your best bet.