Oh, how tired I am of mediocre albums -- nothing to curse, nothing to praise. On one hand, several transgalactic hits (I could walk out on the street right now chanting "Spread Your Fire"); on the other, tedious, dry, pompous music. It seems most pop albums are built on the very same principle... So, Brazil's ANGRA continues to storm European power bastions, clearly demonstrating that even on foreign soil they're capable of knocking quite a bit of stuffing out of the local pillows. The speed lullabies that have become the bane of the power scene hum along at the speed of light in ANGRA's case, yet in certain spots they still can't save you from yawning. The distilled sound (Sascha Paeth's laboratory, I presume?) is already familiar to fans of the Amazonian cavalry, and distinguished guests in the form of Hansi Kursch and Kai Hansen have long since become a fine tradition. As a result, with "Temple Of Shadows," despite all the effort invested, the band couldn't avoid the sticky label of "just a good album" within the fabric of a degenerating style. Not excellent, but a solid release. First and foremost, for the fans.
