Freedom Call

I don't know what it was that inspired Angra to release Freedom Call, but they might have been better off if it never happened. Highlighted by standout tracks like "Queen of the Night," "Reaching Horizons," and a "Painkiller" cover, Freedom Call could've been far better if the band (or maybe the producers, who knows?) hadn't decided to stuff the rest of the EP full with terrible, contrived, and desperate songs.

Shall we discuss the positives first? "Queen of the Night" is a fun and catchy power metal anthem that would've been perfectly at home on Angels Cry. "Reaching Horizons" is an emotional nylon string guitar-centered ballad that features vocal virtuoso Andre Matos demonstrating the true extent of his incredible abilities. "Painkiller" (although very true to Judas Priest's original recording) sounds great with Matos's voice, a more prominent bass track, and rewritten guitar solos.

So, with three rad songs, what could possibly destroy Freedom Call so badly it isn't worth listening to as an entire release? Well, for starters, we have the title track. It's not terrible per se, but "Freedom Call" comes off as forced and unoriginal, especially for the faster song format that Angra has always excelled at. Although it's not one of their better songs, it's worth noting that it's the only brand-new song to appear on Freedom Call; both "Queen of the Night" and "Reaching Horizons" had appeared on the band's first demo about four years earlier.

The true killers here, though, are the edits of Angra's previously released songs. "Stand Away" was one of my favorite songs on Angels Cry; I enjoy its slower pacing, haunting vocal melody, simpler structure, and impactful chord progression. However, the version that appears on Freedom Call has the distorted guitars edited out to highlight the orchestral background with Matos's soaring voice laid over it. The bridge is also cut out and the following section is placed in a way that makes for an awkward and jolting transition, pretty much completely ruining the entire song. "Deep Blue" was perfect as it was at the end of Holy Land, yet the edit of it on Freedom Call removes nearly two minutes which include some instrumental wandering and a chorus.

There are six songs on Freedom Call. One is alright. Two are absolute garbage. Only three are actually great, and only two of those three are original songs. Freedom Call is by far the weakest release to Angra's name and should only be listened to as individual tracks. The release could have been so, so much better if weren't for those stupid edits.

Best songs: "Queen of the Night," "Reaching Horizons," and "Painkiller"

Brazil has always had a unique take on the power metal genre. Its bands tend towards mixing small to moderate amounts of prog to complement the speed, as well as putting in some elements of their own cultural history into the fold both musically and lyrically. Angra has always carried a large amount of their country’s unique culture in their music, coming forth in the form of tribal drum beats and some odd modal tones that run contrary to their neo-classical influences, perhaps underscoring the duality of the Brazilian Indian tribes and the European invaders who ended up mixing with them. This was mostly evident on their second studio LP “Holy Land”, probably most blatantly in the case of the long winded epic “Carolina IV”.

“Freedom Call” as an individual song tends more towards the earlier sound found on “Angel’s Cry” and only occasionally offers up the uniquely Brazilian percussion seconds towards the end as an after thought, while the rest of the song stands as a power metal anthem with a catchy chorus and occasional off-beat rhythmic riffs to keep it from being bland. Matos’ voice is the same usually high as hell, moderately rough edged variety that likely draws some comparisons to late 80s glam rock outfits. The lead guitar work on here is also a high point for the band, although it is not quite the amazing extravaganza that was head on “Carry On” off the Angel’s Cry debut.

However, aside from this song and a rather good remake of speed metal classic “Painkiller”, there isn’t really all that much to this EP. We get an orchestrated version of “Stand Away”, which leaves Matos’ voice way too exposed during the louder parts and ultimately doesn’t sound good. Everything else is just re-recorded material that can be found on they’re studio LPs, although they are well done, they can be found on the studio LPs that preceded this. I consider myself a pretty rabid completist when it comes to bands that I like, but there isn’t really much difference in sound between these recorded songs and their original versions.

Although I am a pretty staunch fan and defender of the Matos era of Angra, this EP is probably among the least worthwhile purchases in their catalog. It would be worth it to get this just for the Judas Priest cover and the title track; the latter of which is likely where the band Freedom Call got their name from, but this is not something that should be purchased at full price. I got this second hand from a friend as a freebee, and although I think it’s worth more than nothing, it would be best tracked down in the used CD section at about a 25% discount from its list price.