In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone , Fabio Lione Rafael Bittencourt 's version of events regarding his departure from Angra. While admitting there is truth to the guitarist's reasons, Lione commented that the official version was a way for Bittencourt to "make himself look like a saint."
Last November, the vocalist announced his departure from the band, which he had been a part of since 2013, and also stated that the performance at Bangers Open Air 2026 would be his farewell.
Next, guitarist Rafael Bittencourt stated in an interview with TMDQA! that the reason for his departure was the hiatus that Angra had begun [transcription via IgorMiranda ].
“Because of the hiatus, an absence of concrete plans, Lione said: 'I want to disengage from the commitment, because you don't have concrete plans, you're on hiatus, so I want to work, I have several projects.' So we talked, somewhat consensually, for him to leave. In a friendly way. We remain with a very good relationship. A very solid relationship of friendship and respect. I believe that with Lione, we will have a lasting friendship,” said Rafael.
Fabio Lione gives his opinion on Rafael Bittencourt's statement
Now, Fabio Lione has explained his departure, stating that Rafael Bittencourt wanted to "portray himself as a saint" and that "people know very well how to say something in a way that is comfortable for them.".
"It's complicated and at the same time it isn't. Honestly, I didn't want to talk much about this Angra issue. What Rafa said is true, but I've learned after many years in Brazil that people know very well how to say something in a way that's comfortable for them. Many times, many people hid behind me because they knew I would speak my mind, being more direct, sincere, 'in the Italian way'. 'Why speak if you know Fabio will speak?' Rafa preferred to do this interview speaking this truth, which is true, but a comfortable truth for him. It's like: 'I don't want to keep anyone in the band, the band is on hiatus and he wants to leave'. It's a very 'I want to come across as a saint' way of doing things.".
He continued: “Honestly, I don’t know the future of the band. I hope for the best. When you told me about Rafael’s interview, he said: ‘we’re on hiatus, I’m going to do Bangers and then hiatus’. It’s kind of complicated if afterwards we do a 30th anniversary tour of Holy Land , but that’s just my guess. I have nothing against Rafa or the guys, but a band needs to look to the future.”
The vocalist also commented on his farewell performance at Bangers Open Air 2026, saying it's his least important show, but he'll do it out of love.
“Bangers is the least of my problems at the moment. Of all the shows and everything I think about, the least important to me, and maybe the most important to them, is Bangers. I will do it for the love of the band, for the love of the fans, for the love of Brazil. I have to do this for the history of this beautiful, wonderful band, and also because I am the vocalist who stayed in the band the longest. It would be very wrong for the vocalist who spent the most time in the band not to be part of this festival […] We will have Alírio Netto Andre Matos ' part . It was my idea to do three phases of Angra with three vocalists,” he confessed.
"Maybe I just don't approve of all the guys' choices."
In the interview, Fábio Lione also reflected on his time with Angra, highlighting differences in artistic vision regarding the band's direction. According to the vocalist, he didn't always agree with the group's creative choices and felt they lacked a more present- and future-oriented approach, instead of excessive references to the past.
“Maybe I just don’t approve of all the guys’ choices. I’d prefer the band to always be in the present. I’d prefer a band looking a little more to the future. That doesn’t mean Angra didn’t look to the future, because Cycles of was a risky project, we tried not to copy the past, and finally they let me… I composed eight vocal lines and helped Rafa with five lyrics. Secret Garden had five songs with my contribution; Omni , more or less seven; Cycles of Pain , nine.”
“I know that some fans might not like it very much because it’s progressive, but I think you can’t play music the same way you did 30 years ago, with drums that sound like they were played on a computer. One or two songs might work, but then it gets tiring. And objectively, realistically, in 2026, with modern music, modern production, modern sound… It’s not possible. You can’t play video game guitar,” he concluded.
Angra's plans
Angra had announced a hiatus in August 2025 after the end of the 20th anniversary tour for the album Temple of Shadows . The decision was motivated by exhaustion after years of intense work and the members' desire to dedicate themselves to personal projects.
According to Rafael Bittencourt , the band's hiatus should last 2 to 3 years, and during this period, the group will not be working on new compositions. However, the band plans to return in the future, without much information at the moment, besides the reunion show at Bangers Open Air 2026 in São Paulo on Sunday, April 26th.
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