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Angra - Fireworks review



Reviewer:
7.4

310 users:
7.68
Band: Angra
Album: Fireworks
Release date: July 1998


01. Wings Of Reality
02. Petrified Eyes
03. Lisbon
04. Metal Icarus
05. Paradise
06. Mystery Machine
07. Fireworks
08. Extreme Dream
09. Gentle Change
10. Speed
11. Rainy Nights [Japanese bonus]

Seeing that their previous studio albums "Angels Cry" and "Holy Land" have been magnificent, the less that we could expect from the next Angra's opus was a great album. Unfortunately, "Fireworks" is not much of an album. Some of the songs are really good but the whole thing sounds strange. You see, it's good music but it's not like "usual Angra music". Thus, songs such as 'Lisbon' or 'Wings Of Reality' are great but the whole release is mediocre compared to their masterpiece "Holy Land".

"Fireworks" was the last of the Brazilian band recordings before they split, and if their split was purely bounded to personal problems, maybe the lack of imagination, which was the force of their music, was also due to a bad working atmosphere in the band. Anyway, "Fireworks" sounds less influenced by classical music and is finally not a bad album. Even if 'Lisbon', 'Wings Of reality' or 'Petrified Eyes' are good pieces of music, you could listen a thousand times to "Fireworks", you'll never find the beauty you can find in "Holy Land".

Of course, some people would say that their music has to progress but I don't really like the way it has progressed on this album. Listening to "Fireworks", I have had hopes that it was just a false step on Angra's discography. Unfortunately, the following events and the split of the band have ruined my hopes. For now...


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 7
Production: 9





Written on 26.08.2003 by Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as:

"A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?"

I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math.


Comments

Comments: 17   Visited by: 77 users
26.06.2006 - 20:50
Pianoman
Account deleted
Is a good album but it doent convince.
This album is heavier than the other but it doest sorprise yo a lot. I think that the guitar on this album would have to sound more trasher like in Reason of Shaaman that is so much better than this realese of Angra.
There are brilliant songs like metal icarus, lisbon and wings of reality.
But the whole concept of the album is not so good. Here the concept is not so clear. They tryed to do a heavier album but the guitars still sound like power metal, maybe the sound of the album is strange but there are very good songs.
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31.08.2006 - 17:29
pajo
Account deleted
As far as I know Angra was under heavy pressure of label to release this album... But still it is one of my favourite. Give it a chance and you will get in Fireworks as well
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31.08.2006 - 17:49
Baz Anderson

yeh. maybe this album is overlooked a bit because it has the reputaion of being 'the bad album'
but it isnt bad at all, i just dont think it is as adventurous as their other albums
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03.09.2006 - 19:10
Rating: 8
Spyroid
Rosetta Stoned
A totally okay album, good rating and review. Still their worst, but it works. Not a single BAD song either, as always with Angra.
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06.10.2006 - 11:55
iaberis
Advice Troll
Yeah it's not really a good album... Damn! I should have looked on this review before I bought it! Waste of money!
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Bitch! Please
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06.10.2006 - 21:55
Kanon
Account deleted
mm maybe is the worst album of angra, but isnt a really bad album, is more heavy than holy land or angels cry, but we have a some nice songs lisbon, wings of reality, speed, metal icarus, mistery machine and rainy nights:)
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23.10.2006 - 10:42
marillionfan
Account deleted
It's an amazing album, I never thought I'd see people criticizing this album, but then again, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Personally, I love this album. Great musicianship and very good vocals, what's there not to like. Listen to this with an open mind.
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31.01.2007 - 00:00
iaberis
Advice Troll
Written by Guest on 23.10.2006 at 10:42

It's an amazing album, I never thought I'd see people criticizing this album, but then again, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Personally, I love this album. Great musicianship and very good vocals, what's there not to like. Listen to this with an open mind.

I did listen to that with an open mind... I still find it bad... I'm still crying fro my money... Anyone wants an exchange?? PM if so...
I can't stand this voice... please... somebody save me!
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Bitch! Please
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30.03.2007 - 22:41
Rating: 9
4look4rd
The Sasquatch
I dont aggree with this review. This album is way different from the previews one, however there are great tracks in it such as Lisbon which reminds me of Angels Cry by some reason. There are lots of outside influences in this album, some tracks does sound a little strange but you just have to give it a chance, plus if you add the pressure that the lable was doing upon them and all the personal problems you'll see that this album is quit impresive specially the songwriting part

My favorite Angra album, the best guitarwork that Kiko has done for Angra, although the vocals arent that good
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11.03.2008 - 02:13
Rating: 8
Evil Chip

I love lisbon and wings of reality. Matos still sings clean in this one, i love the sound of his voice. Really good guitars I wish they did more acoustic/latin guitars here but its ok. A very good album not their best, not their worst. Still I think that Holy Land was and will ever be Angra's best album.
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11.03.2008 - 02:15
Rating: 8
Evil Chip

Written by 4look4rd on 30.03.2007 at 22:41

I dont aggree with this review. This album is way different from the previews one, however there are great tracks in it such as Lisbon which reminds me of Angels Cry by some reason. There are lots of outside influences in this album, some tracks does sound a little strange but you just have to give it a chance, plus if you add the pressure that the lable was doing upon them and all the personal problems you'll see that this album is quit impresive specially the songwriting part

My favorite Angra album, the best guitarwork that Kiko has done for Angra, although the vocals arent that good

I think Andre Matos has an amazing voice in every album.
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31.03.2008 - 09:34
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
well.. Angra abandoned the tribal indigenous themes in this album (to ragain later in the next albums) and thats not good. But still i cant dislike this album, I must say that Angra can never release a bad album, even changing a lot their style and themes, the quality will always be there. (i hope this so much). 9,4 / 10.
Best tracks: Metal Icarus, Lisbon, Paradise and Mystery Machine.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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11.04.2008 - 20:20
Rating: 10
BORT

Lol i like this album
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23.02.2011 - 23:42
Rating: 8
BlankFile

At this point, the tension around the band members was visible, and we notice that in some of the songs in "Fireworks". Its a good album overall, but lacks a bit of consistency. The highlights are definitely Petrified Eyes, Lisbon, Metal Icarus, Paradise, Gentle Change and Speed. I still think this is a very interesting effort by the band, altough considered by many to be their weakest record.
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27.03.2013 - 01:08
Rating: 8
JÄY
Metal slave
I love it!...can't believe I avoided it for so long.

It's definitely different than the other two.....but still very good....heavier, for sure
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02.02.2021 - 01:59
Rating: 9
4look4rd
The Sasquatch
There are just so many layers to this album. This is a 80s style Speed Metal album, it was recorded on a full analog studio on tape. It's just an awesome way to close the 90s, and end the classic period of Angra's line up. Funny to look back at my commend from 2007 and how I grew to appreciate this album even more with time.

I was wrong about the vocals, Matos is a beast in Fireworks.
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05.08.2022 - 15:59
Rating: 7
christosdd

Dont compare fireworks with holy land....or anything with holy land.
Holy land is magic, made by the magic force of inspiration, which made a visit somewhere in Brazil at 1996.
Fireworks is made by humans, mortals, who played the best they could after magic went to visit another place, another band.
Fireworks is not a good album, is a very good album!!
You may not like the production or the level of the vocals..you are right.
imagine some of these songs with todays productions..damn good heavy songs!
a couple of fillers, doesnt matter.
this music is pure Angra, very beautiful! nice music, nice lyrics

Dont compare anything with Holy Land...
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