All my love to my Brazilian friends and the holy memory of Andre Matos! from a Chilean guy living in Scotland!

Angra is unbelievable. To me, as Spanish, I appreciate the ability to incluide Brazilians and local tempos into this power metal. They are genius.

Doug's fixation with double kick drums on metal music steals his capacity of enjoing music. For us, metal heads, we can get the full musical picture not loosing any sounds of the spectrum.

Carolina 4 era o nome do ônibus que levou os integrantes do angra para o sítio onde gravaram o álbum Holy land!

Doug, this augmented fourth and subtonic thing that you noticed is a current harmonic situation in brazilian northeastern music. If you want to hear more of it, I would recommend the song Agalopado by Alceu Valença, and the father of this genre, Luiz Gonzaga with the song Baião. Btw great video!!

The double-kick drums are almost mandatory for them cause its a signature of power metal genre.

If you pay attetion to the "movements" inside the song, they all match with the trip of the Discovery, starts with the antecipation of the journey, the thoughs for whats to come, than the part where the drum rushes, It's the trip Itself, turbulence, big waves, storms, and than, they arrive, some calmness, it's the initial instrumental part, than If you pay atention to what he sings back before the solos he says "nothing left much from the boat..." It's they facing That's no turning back, and they have to start a New begining on this strange land, and That's why the return to the initial theme.

This album is MASTERPIECE... RIP Andre Matos

In my opinion, there is no song that better represents the mix of heavy metal with typically Brazilian sounds, born from the great mix of people and cultures that make up the Brazilian folks. This album is amazing and this is without doubt the most interesting song. Thanks for this reaction, Doug! RIP Andre Matos.

Thanks for reacting to this Doug! Even if you dislike the double kick drum we, people who grew up listening to Angra, appreciate you reacting to their music. If you want to avoid the typical power metal double kick drums you might want to go for one of their balads. Make Believe, from this same album, is a great one from the Andre Mattos Era. If you wanna check out some of their newer stuff I reccomend The Shadow Hunter from the album Temple of Shadows (with Edu Falaschi on vocals). On the same alley you may also like Fairy Tale by Shaman (Andre Mattos' band after he left Angra). Would love to see one of those on the channel.

Listen to “The Shadow Hunter” from The Temple of Shadows album. It’s their best song imo.

There is an interesting story behind the name of this song. Its name was once "River to the Sky". So the band decided to go up a mountain pick in Brasil (Pico da Neblina) to take a promo photo having the clouds as "river". So, when they got to the place, there were no jeeps available for the purpose, they had the insane idea of going uphill on their microbus, although being warned about the unviable situation of the road on that day. They got to a point near the pick that the mud was so deep their microbus got stuck and they had to hold besides the possibility of it rolling over them. They could've died, as Rafael Bittencourt stated when he told this story. And guess what was the name of the microbus....Carolina IV. I would say the "seven men on board" were the 5 members, the manager, the makeup artist, besides the driver...there might have been a photographer, but it was not mentioned. And the, "one man less onboard" might have been the one who decided not to join them in the end. So, Rafael thought "imagine the story of a ship which went on a trip to explore the new land and never returned". He also mentioned that in the lyrics "We have with us a special guest, And for him, we made a toast", the meaning was: there was a makeup stylish with them, so they decided to make a toast for him, maybe because the plan went as bad as them being covered in mud coming back from the trip. Here's the link to the storytelling: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sJZ6bK6CnNOqeWg.html

The speed part of the song follows the "moviment" of the ship at full speed in the open sea. The song is perfect the way it is, remember, it´s a Heavy Metal band, at the end of the day the fans want to hear heavy guitars, pounding drums and bass.

7:19 I love the contrast with the melody when the drums are rushing

Eterno André Matos e sua genialidade musical

Glad to see you enjoy Angra! They are a huge name of Brazilian metal!

I find the double bass drums with the “laid back” verse fascinating, and instead of clashing or getting in the way it helps to establish a counterpoint which makes the song that much more unique and interesting. I’ll admit it probably took me a few listens to the song to “get” that.

The song that they Sing in the begining is a tradicional candomblé song "salve salve iemaja, salve Janaína e tudo que se fez n'água, jogo flores para o mar, deus salve a rainha e meu passo nessa esfera" wich means "hail hail Iemanjá (a divinity from candomblé, Queen of Waters, wich was worshiped by slaves before they gone to the Sea), hail Janaína and everything that was made in the Waters, throw flowers on the Sea(it's a common way to pay tribute to Iemanjá), god sabe the Queen (Iemanjá), as i enter on her circle"

I think you would enjoy Never Understand. There's not so much kick drums and the main riff is based in a Brazilian folk song called Asa Branca (White Wing). Other very interesting song that is also based in this genre of Brazilian folk music (baião) is Hunters and Pray.

Songs by Angra you'd enjoy: Make Believe; Deep Blue; Lasting Child, Lisbon. Other songs by Andre Matos in his other bands: Innocense by Shaman; Endeavour by Andre Matos solo.

Fun fact: Carolina IV was the name of a bus they hired. This bus would break several times while they tried to go from the bottom of a small mountain to the top (the river to the sky). The 7 people in the music were the number of people in that bus.

MUITO BOM PARABENS PELO VIDEO ,TEMOS MUITO ORGULHO DA BANDA ANGRA QUE REPRESENTA MUITO BEM O BRASIL . BEALTIFUL SONG MORE ANGRA PLEASE

When I listen to the fast passages in this song, where the tempo changes and the duble kick drums kick in - where you feel that the drum tracks were out of tempo with the rest of the composition - my sensation is that the drums are intentionally put to the very front of the beat to signify a powerful drive forward, consistent with the narrative of the European colonizers' journey across the ocean. Also I, and I'm sure a lot of other people who have spent many years listening to double kick drums in power metal and other genres, have no trouble discerning those from the rest of the arrangement. It's a matter of training and ultimately in the ears of the listener, I suppose.

Há... Holy Land foi um dos grandes álbuns do Angra... realmente maravilhoso. Tenho muito orgulho de nossa amada banda brasileira... Obrigado Doug!🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

Carolina IV is about one of the many ship vessels that sank in the ocean. It opens and finishes with a afro-brazilian chant to Iemanjá, queen of the oceans. In Brazil, people tend to deliver things like flowers to this goddess, putting this in the water. The song suggests the seamen and the vessel sank as an tribute to Ieamanjá. The song begins and finishes with the same chant which says in its lyrics something about a cycle that is completed.

Hey Doug! You can try from Angra: The Shadow Hunter, Morning Star, Omni-Silence, Magic Mirror (great Bass lines), Ego Painted Grey (great Bass lines also)

The drums in those fast passages are meant to do the opposite of overwhelming the sound, rather it is meant to become a mere palette on which the playfulness of the other instruments can be painted on, and giving a sense of speed, by being so monotone, accentuating the rest of the musical elements. Its also interesting that you don't seem to appreciate its timber, it gives the music a special "taste" so to speak, which is enjoyable not because its complex, but because of the texture of the sound it contributes to.

Doug, check your headphones. You can't be so bothered by the double kick drum. Do not forget that it is another recourse of the genre. In this type of song this represents adrenaline and the spirit of adventure, as a counterpoint to the emotional that happens with the other instruments and the lyrics. With my very, very cheap headphones I can listen to all the musical richness of the song without problems. By the way, the percussion is not out of time, it is very tight!

wow! feels like christmas, what a gift!

At 7:41 you can hear a quote to the song called "Bebe" by the multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal. As for the drums with the double bass drums, it's simply the style of music: power metal predominates over the ethnic music forged for this album. Without the fast drums like this, without the kicks marked, it would just be another style of music.

Silence and Distance is a really good one and it doesnt have double kick drums!

As much as I love this album, top to bottom, and Angra's first few albums generally, this just isn't they type of thing that feels like Doug's wheelhouse. If you find double kick drums annoying, power metal just isn't going to make you happy a lot of times. Of course, Doug's thoughts are always interesting, even if he's not feeling a piece.

Angra + Andre Mattos = Perfection! Great band, RIP ANDRE!!

I love the 3 firsts Angra´s albums with all my heart! They are unbelievable!

You should listen to another ANGRA song called DEEP BLUE. The vocal LINE is amazing.

Please listen to Haggard - Eppur si muove, this is a real classical music orchestra with metal elements.

His complexion completely changed when the double bass drums came in xd. So funny.

doug, Angra is still a power metal band in its core, sometime they can look like prog but they are still a power metal band, so many songs have the double kickdrum. i would recommend you "heroes of sand" its on the fourth album(Rebirth), Rebirth is the first album with the second line up, so it would be a cool reaction

Hey Doug, thanks for your comments. This was another great reaction. I appreciate your honesty as always. I understand how difficult it is for you to appreciate those fast percussion sections. What resonates with us is something very personal. It doesn't matter how eclectic a person is; there'll likely be something that person dislikes regardless of how "musically" appropriate that sounds. Out of curiosity, in some of the sections where the vocals go really soft and slow, with long words and phrases, and the drum is going lightning fast, it feels like tasting a "sandwich cookie": Crunchy outside, creamy inside. That (Havy+Soft) contrasting texture can be expressed and promoted in many different ways, and I believe I saw you appreciating this type of contrast in many songs. To me, there's another specific type of contrast that also tastes crunchy outside and creamy inside: Fast+Slow. For that one, the fastest part goes, the better. The same goes for the slow part. The slowest, the better. So, considering this, some of the sections in this song have a combination of (HARD+FAST)+(SOFT+SLOW)=Super-crunchy outside + Super-creamy inside. This is very personal, but I thought it would be curious to describe how it feels for someone who enjoys that kind of combination. If I find the time I'll suggest some stuff you'll like from them, including live performances with orchestra etc.

Oh, Doug, you should try a song called "gentle change", it's on the fireworks álbum, the Last one with André, there aint no double kick drums there, hahahaha

Very cool! Angra is awesome! Please, more Symphony X!!!

Been 22 years since my first experience listening Angra. They got my heart ever since.

I saw Angra at Le Bataclan back at the time this record was released, one of the most incredible concert I have been too. Still remember Andre singing from the balconies... Amazing band

My eyes are blind but I can see. Such is the fate of all but me. Take me to myself so high above. Lonely on the wings of crying doves.

According to the band members, this song is about a photo session that they did when this album were recorded. They went to Chapada Diamantina and the tour bus, THAT WAS CALLED CAROLINA Nº4, stuck in mud. When they tried to help unstuck it, the bus almost overturn on them. Then, they decided to write this lyrics to an already done instrumental and named it. Cheers!

Hey Doug! For a song with more of this interesting harmony of the beginning of this song, try the song "Hunters and Prey" from them! No double kicks and a lot of this interesting harmonies! They have a lot of songs without this doubles kicks and more like a regular metal band too, like "Lisbon" and "Make Believe", for example!

Doug, your choices of bands and music you react to always entertain me. Angra !!! Never did I think I’d see anyone react to Angra. A friend of mine got me listening to Angra many years ago. It’s not my thing really but there are some real nuggets of beauty to be found on all their albums. The drums put me off too but only because I’m not into speed metal. I saw you started reacting to Pain of Salvation too. The same friend got me listening to them around the same time. I really like POS. I think if you dig into them, you’ll be hooked too.

Now i can rest in peace. Doug listened to Carolina IV.

I've been listening to them for 3 decades now and I just realized how this piece would definitely be something Neal Morse would appreciate.

Thank you so much for doing Carolina IV , Doug!!

Alot of people talk bout kiko and andre but confesori's drumming mariutti and felipe andreoli's work is superb. Very underated

Great review Doug. Thanks for her. Brazilians already love you. It would be nice if you listened to the song ''Silence and Distance'' of the same album, as it was originally done on the piano. Angra's vocalist has classical training on the piano. Hugs.

Those old 90's Powe Metal midis don't sound dated to me at all. It's the sound I fell in love with.

Hi Doug! I discovered your channel almost two years ago and have been a fan ever since. Only now in 2022 I was able to watch this video and, as a Brazilian lover of good music and heavy metal, I would like to point out a few things: - The chant in portuguese you can hear in the backvocals is a praise to the sea goddess of Candomblé, Iemanjá. Candomblé, in turn, roughly means "dance in honor of the gods" and is a religion that combines elements of African cultures, including Yoruba, Bantu, and Fon, as well as some elements of Catholicism and South American indigenous beliefs. No wonder we almost feel like dancing to the melody, even though it's still heavy metal music somehow! Candomble is also one of the most representative cultural and religious manifestations in Brazil. A translation can be found down below in the end of this comment. - Carolina IV was, literally, the bus that transported the band to the composition place of the Holy Land album. At that time, they had great commercial success with the first album (Angels Cry) and were full of dreams and hopes for this second album. The song's lyrics make a parallel between the historical journey into the unknown of the portuguese ships heading towards Brazil and the band`s journey on the bus to the studio! - The melody that can be heard between 07:32 and 07:56 is a song by another great Brazilian musician, Hermeto Pascoal, and is called “Bebê” (Baby, in English). Mr Hermeto is a self-taught composer, arranger and instrumentalist. Mr Hermeto was credited in the album's booklet. He is a genius of Brazilian music and being able to hear him alive is a privilege! I would love, if possible, for you to comment on some of Hermeto's songs, and maybe some more Angra as well!? All my best wishes for your channel, Doug! Regards from Brazil! “Hail, Hail, Iemanja! Hail, Janaina And everything that was done in the water. Throw flowers into the sea! God save the Queen And my step in that sphere”

Yes! This is the reaction I was expecting for!

One of Angra's guitarist, Kiko Loureiro, has a few solo albums. Brilliant player. Probably one of the most complete players and really rhythmically sound

That prominent bass kick sounds come from what was known as power metal back then, whether if it was intentional or not, the feeling of those low frequencies coming from drums double bass during a live performance is what attracts a LOT to the audience… anyway, I particularly loved that viola solo moment, still gives me goosebumps to this day. Glad you liked it.

This is awesome!! Such an honest reaction! Love it!

There is another interesting band of brazil, who is "shamam", also with André Matos in vocals, it's Worth knowing.

The song mixes the history of the ship called Carolina with a bus that they traveled at the time of the production of this album, that had the same name (the members almost suffer an accident with this bus, making a parallel with the risks of sailing without gps and guidance during the discoveries century ago)

The contrasting sections depict what a sea voyage would have been like then, with storms, calm spells, adventure, pain and promise

Thanks Doug for the video! Thanks from Brazil!

thank you for doing this react, thank you for fulfilling my request

Songs worth checking out from Angra: "Angels Cry", "Lasting Child" From newer stuff "Unholy Wars Part 1 and 2", "Late Redemption", "No Pain for the Dead", "Wings of Destination" EDIT: had to agree, I forgot to add "The Shadow Hunter" to the list (but being honest the whole "Angels Cry" and "Temple of Shadows" albums are masterpieces).

I think you should listen the entire album "temple of shadows" and specially the song "morning star"

From a brazilian, Angra is the best band of Brazil and this song is one of if not the their best song.

This is my favorite album of all times, no matter what, it was the album that kept me alive and going when everything was coming down and also the lyrics that taught me English. Angra, blind guardian and Iron Maiden lyrics help to learn the language when I was 15.

Please react to the song called" Lasting Child" , from their debut album Angels Cry! It's a masterpiece, with no double kicks at all 😄

i love double kick drums it just adds so.much more powerful atmosphere and get me pumped up more.

RIP Andre Matos. Hopefully one day there will be a reaction for Shaman - Fairy Tale, the live version. A perfect song for us to remember him (Andre Matos) and a beautiful song as well.

This initial rhythm of the drums in the song is a rhythm from a region of Brazil, Bahia, typical of a group called Olodum, this was the inspiration for Ricardo Confesori(drummer of the band)

Fairy Tale- Shaman (Ritualive DVD version) André Matos,another Band of the vocalist at his best!

This song is Angra’s masterpiece in my opinion.

I was expecting Doug's face on the double kick drum part XD Sadly, it's a very prominent part of bands that have power metal in their roots (as Angra, Symphony X, Helloween), so you can expect it when someone sugest you bands of that style... as I sugest you Rhapsody of Fire, wich has some wonderfully orchestrated songs of 10+ minutes (like Symphony of Enchanted Lands), but it has passages of double drums (you're warned).

This brought me some sorrow remembering André Matos and his passing away.

It’s the percussion session that draws my attention actually hahah. I think this song is pretty interesting, as a metal song

Doug, you should listen to "Late Redemption" from Angra. That's my favorite song from them and I bet you'd enjoy it!

Its so good see a master of music react another master of the same wonderful world, congratulations Master Doug!👏🏻

The song is pretty much divided in parts: the first is the lively and hopeful departure of the ship towards the new lands, like a farewell in the harbor. The second one is fast power metal, with the energy to face the ocean and the journey. The third one is sad and mellow, with all the deaths and difficulties of the hard trip through the oceans, to a destination that seems never to come. And then the arrival at last. The concept of the album, besides the european arrival in America, is to join the brazilian music (representing the native indians) and the power metal (representing the european navigators), what is what Angra used to do.

It was a great coincidence that this song describes the discovery of Brazil, and this videos was uploaded on the Independence Day of Brazil.

Hey Doug, I really liked your honesty in giving your opinion instead of just pretending to love everithing you hear (as many music react channels do nowadays). I first heard this album when I was 9 years old, so it has a very strong nostalgic touch on me. Nonetheless, I never really payed too much attention to how discrepant those sections were, with the soft vocals and melodic parts and that double bass drum going mad. Definetely you got a point. Thanks for reacting to this iconic Brazilian metal band!

Pour Doug !!! we appreciate you're trying very hard to enjoy double kick drum :) This is MAJOR album, full of fantastic ideas

You are blessed with good ears! Its funny to see you when the double bass drum kicked in haha

Thanks for listening the song I suggested. Greetings from Brazil

No way!!! Thank you so much for this reaction.

Keep doing Angra! We love it!

Doug with the double bass is the same thing as my ex grifriend complaining about high pitched guitar solos 😄. I really enjoy watching your reactions/reviews Doug.

Love that record. Always reminds me of my later student days in Trier. Listened to this a lot when writing my diploma thesis. One of the albums of the past I get back to on a regular basis.

If he says this song is 3/4 in one, wait until he hears Evil Warning lol

I once attended to a concert where the whole band played the intro with full percussion set on stage, it was freaking awesome! Also the drummer, Ricardo Confessori, has a mixed influence of both thrash metal AND brazilian regional music which makes him astonishingly impressive.

Hello Doug. Thank vou for the reaction. Another four musics from that álbum that i think you could enjoy are make believe, reaching horizons, silence and distance and deep blue.

Now i really want you to react to The Shadow Hunter from Angra, or Morning Star xD great reaction, love your deep knowledge and vision on the songs.

Hey Doug, cool video! I think this is one of my favorite Angra songs, precisely because of the mixture of styles haha. Here is another for you to react to: "Hunters and Prey". No double kicks in this one! Awesome song, from a different time in the band (different singer, bassist and drummer). Metal with brazilian rhythms, doesn't get any better!

Great analysis overall!

love all your reacts, when you first post holy land video i was going crazy here, love se band and the song. and from this album, i really love the second song, nothing to say, great song, i think you would like it too

Loved your technical analysis of this song. Regarding of the drums, this beat is very common in speed metal and other variations of classic metal. I believe this "roller coaster" feeling about the different moments of the song is because they want to represent the lulls and the storms in the ocean...but I'm not sure. Best regards from another musician here!

one of the bands of my youth. The bass on this band is just amazing

Hello Doug, thank you a lot for your interest and commentary on this genre, I appreciate it and your standpoint clarity so much given your profession. I know it's been 2 years since you recorded this but I'll leave you some background on the track. The Holy Land concept album is linked to shamanism and it kind of revolves around the evolution and awareness of the role character, where the events should be taken as metaphors. First chapter introduces the deserter, the second one extends the character's intention to lose all possession and romantic companion to sail on a journey to find what he's missing. The Carolina IV is the core section where he embarks for the expedition, and the rough musical diversity describes a long shipwreck. It sort of resembles the Rime of the Ancient Mariner since it really is a magical ordeal especially when the protagonist is certain of his demise, but is mystically driven to the shores of a pagan land. There he learns how to let his soul leave the body on later chapters, tries to come back home and spread his new understandings much like the Ancient Mariner's curse, but it definitely sets against him and brings him to his ruin. Hope this insight gets to you and your followers, have a good one!

Great video, Doug! Amazing comments over the song. You have a fair critic and I think in a similar way. This is a common problem with their songs in a large part of the albums, but Rafael improves a lot in terms of the arrangement in a more balanced way. Silence Inside, one of the most recent songs of Angra, is a good example for me: it is a progressive metal track, with this structure with a lot of different musical ideas combined, but every part was not "overwhelming" and one idea guides to another idea fluently.

Brazilian here. Always wanted to explain what was my issue with the percussion on that song, now you nailed the explanation.