I have a lot of respect for having worked with André, Aquiles, Edu, and Luís, and I'm saddened that the relationship isn't a little smoother
Wikimetal (Daniel Dystyler): Hey guys. We're here at a hotel in São Paulo with two distinguished guests, right Nando?
Wikimetal (Nando Machado): Two special guests, one Brazilian and one foreigner, but who's practically become Brazilian here already, but we're here with two important representatives of Heavy Metal worldwide, the great Rafael Bittencourt, guitarist of Angra, and Fabio Lione, also vocalist of Angra.
W (DD): Welcome to Wikimetal.
Angra (Rafael Bittencourt): Thanks.
W (NM): Welcome to Wikimetal for the first time.
Angra (RB): Thank you.
Angra (Fabio Lione): Thank you.
W (NM): It's an honor to have you here on the program…
Angra (RB): It's a pleasure to be here.
W (NM): And we're going to have a chat about various topics, and I think the Brazilian audience will really enjoy listening to this program.
W (DD): It's going to be great, I want to take advantage of this and ask them both a question: Rafael's perspective and Fabio's perspective on how Fabio was invited to join you on this tour, at all these shows?
Angra (RB): Look, it started with an idea from Monika Cavalera, who invited us to participate in 70000 Tons Of Metal, which is a metal cruise with various heavy metal bands. At the time, we didn't have a vocalist, so we thought about some possibilities, but Fabio has been a friend of ours for a long time, we already have a good relationship. We believe his voice blends very well with Angra's music, and Angra's audience is also very receptive to Rhapsody and Fabio's career. So we found this experience, this attempt we made at 70000 Tons Of Metal, very interesting. And it was a success. It was a surprise to us how well the audience received us, and also a new audience that didn't know Angra and didn't know Fabio, which showed that there are also new possibilities for us to do together. Since the tour at 70000 was such a success, we decided to do another tour now, extending it because we wanted to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the release of Angels Cry, and at this moment without a vocalist, we immediately thought of Fabio and did this tour.
W (DD): And show this to the whole of Latin America, right?
Angra (RB): And to show it to the whole of Latin America, and it's been really, really cool.
W (NM): Not Latin America, you're going to Japan, Loudpark is already scheduled for October, there are other shows too. Is Europe already booked or not yet?
Angra (RB): So, with the very positive feedback we've had online, we've already received an invitation to go to Japan. And the teamwork has been great, and we're already making plans for 2016, with lots of things planned, lots of project ideas and such, together with Fabio.
W (DD): Hey Fabio, how was the invitation from Angra for you? How did it come about? And I wanted you to talk about how the invitation from Angra came about, and do you remember the first time you ever heard Angra?
Angra (FL): Oh, and how was it? I have to say that the relationship with the guys is very good, especially the relationship with Rafa and Kiko. I've known them for twelve, thirteen years, maybe more. And I really like the band's music. I've known the band since their first album, and I'm very happy to be part of this band and this tour. And I remember the first time I saw the band, in Milan on the Holy Land tour. And if I remember correctly, the band played two shows in Milan in two days, and the show was excellent, presented by Lucretia Records. So I've known the band for a long time. And I'm very happy about this, you know? Because the guys are tremendous musicians and very nice people.
W (NM): Well, with over twenty years in the business, I imagine your influences have changed over time. What are your current references when you're composing or even just listening to music? What elements are you listening to today that you believe can be incorporated into your sound, you know… In the next album or what you're preparing for the future?
Angra (RB): I believe that, after talking a lot with people and interacting with fans, our audience is clearly divided in half. Half are fans of melodic metal, Rhapsody, power metal, Gamma Ray, Nightwish, that sort of thing. The other half understands Angra's musicality in a different way, and they like Rush, Queen, Dream Theater, Genesis, and have a slightly more open mind towards 70s rock. This audience, this half of the audience, doesn't necessarily like Rhapsody, Nightwish, Gamma Ray, that sort of thing. This half of the audience likes Angra as the only melodic metal band in their repertoire, and the other half really likes melodic metal in its essence. We, within the band, also like to work with melodic metal, but we're constantly working with other influences. From our foundation, which is Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Rush, Queen, AC/DC, to the Power Metal that's already being done by Angra, which is very similar to Rhapsody, and other bands. Now we want to bring in influences from things we've been listening to more, from Swedish bands like Soilwork, In Flames, the more experimental American bands Tool and other things of that type. We see that the sound of the music, the guitar, the seven- and eight-string guitar riffs, has also greatly changed the sound of current Heavy Metal. We want to bring a little of that, without losing the essence of the musicality of the bands from the 70s… Rush, Queen, as we said, and without losing the essence of melodic Metal and Power Metal.
W (NM): This is going to be good, huh?
W (DD): It's going to be great, I'm already curious to hear it, and since you mentioned so many bands, it made me want to listen to some music, and on our show we listen to some music while we chat. So I'm going to ask this question first to Rafael and then to Fabio, you two will have a chance to answer, it's a classic question we ask everyone, everyone who goes through Wikimetal has to answer this question. It's a somewhat unfair question, but it goes like this: Imagine you're on your iPod and you have millions of Heavy Metal songs or you're listening to a radio station playing rock, and one song plays, then two, then three, and suddenly a song comes on that you lose control of, you have to headbang, it doesn't matter where you are, you can't control yourself. What song is that, Rafael Bittencourt, for us to listen to now on Wikimetal?
Angra (RB): Hells Bells by AC/DC.
W (NM): Many people choose AC/DC.
W (DD): Hells Bells by AC/DC.
My relationship with Andre has always been very bad. Even before the band broke up, our personal relationship was already very bad
W (NM): Well, we're back from the great AC/DC, one of my all-time favorite bands, AC/DC is unmatched, right? And about bands, I don't know if you've been following the music market lately, but... national and international bands, what have you identified as high-quality? In Brazil, is there any band that you think... well, Angra is one of the biggest bands in Brazil, they've been around for a little over twenty years, but which band will be headlining a Brazilian show in ten or twenty years?
Angra (RB): Man, I really like Hibria, I really like Torture Squad, I'm sad that Vitinho left, I really like Korzus, Sepultura will always be a reference for me because I think they paved the way for everyone who came after, what they achieved in America was unprecedented. There are also many that I see are still starting out and so on, but I see a new generation of enthusiasm in the bands that are also starting out… Optimism that things can happen, Rock in Rio giving space to national bands, so I think it's a good moment that national Heavy Metal is experiencing.
W (NM): I'm impressed with the quality of musicians today as well. Young kids, sometimes you hear bands with guys in their twenties, early twenties, and they play really well, the productions are very well done…
Angra (RB): I really like Threat, they're a great band. I think Brazilian Thrash bands are very good, they always have been. Thrash, Death Metal, that kind of thing… Brazil is way, way ahead of the curve.
Angra (FL): In Italy, especially in the South, Thrash, Black, and Death Metal are strong, right? And well, I don't know many Brazilian bands, but I really like Sepultura, obviously, and Angra.
Angra (RB): Suck-up.
W (DD): Fabio and Rafael, let's talk a little about the show on August 25th, which will be next Sunday. There will be three special guests. I'd like you to talk a bit about how you're preparing the setlist and if you're really thinking about recording a DVD that day.
Angra (FL): Well… Yes, of course. We'll have Russell from Symphony X and Tarja, and I think it will be a special night because the guys are thinking of a slightly different setlist from the tour, and we'll probably have to sing a song together, Tarja and I, and it could be a really beautiful idea because it could be something… you know Tarja has this operatic voice, it could just be a good idea for us to do something together in an operatic way, it could be something we really like. And with Russell, the idea is to do a song that could be like a slightly more aggressive cover, because obviously Russell Allen's voice is a bit more metal, a bit more aggressive, strong. So I think the setlist for the 25th is a bit different. And big.
Angra (RB): So now we had the idea of playing a song by Uli Jon Roth, which is Sails Of Charon, a song that in the 70s predated progressive metal. And it's emblematic for everyone who came after, from Yngwie Malmsteen, Dream Theater, I think this guy, this Uli Jon Roth, was very important as an embryo of metal and progressive rock. So we're even thinking of having Russell Allen sing this Uli Jon Roth song. And Tarja is a diva, she's so beautiful that everyone loves her energy, and it will be great that she can sing songs that were very emblematic for Angra like Wuthering Heights, which require a very specific voice and a specific type of register, so it will be very cool to have her doing that with us.
W (DD): And will there be a DVD release?
Angra (RB): Yes, yes. Including the guests.
W (NM): You've always had many musicians in Angra's lineup, from the beginning until now. What's that relationship like today with the former members, especially Edu and André? Did you ever talk to or meet with André to discuss the possibility of you playing together again? And after so many people commenting online, many malicious comments, how is your relationship with Edu after he left?
Angra (RB): Starting with Edu, the relationship is very good. I've always had a very good relationship with Edu, I've always admired him a lot as a musician, as a person, even after Angra we've done other work because of sponsors we have in common and a series of things, and productions that are also about to happen that we're going to do together and so on, and a great respect, a great admiration remains. Mutual. There was even an invitation for him to participate in this show, but he thinks it's not the right time, and we respect his reasons, whatever they may be. In André's case, the relationship has always been very bad. Even before the band broke up, our personal relationship was already very bad, and it remained bad, unfortunately. I invited him by email to do these shows together, he also didn't accept and didn't explain much. Unfortunately, there are some bureaucratic issues to be resolved, and I would very much like to resolve the music licensing issues this year, how the authorization process for a song will work… so that we have a practical system that benefits everyone. After all, Angra… everyone who has been in Angra lives with the support and resonance of what they did in Angra; their careers today also benefit from the history they had in Angra. And I think it's very wrong for us to turn our backs on that, whether it's them or us within the band, and not respect that. So I have a lot of respect for having worked with André, Aquiles, Edu, and Luís, who are no longer with us, because I know that nothing we have today was built alone. And I am very proud to have worked with musicians of their caliber, and I am saddened that the relationship isn't a little smoother. Contact was made for them to participate, but they didn't accept. But I hope that in the future, for other DVDs, other celebrations, the relationship will be a little more amicable, more professional even, and that we can get the bureaucratic part of mutual licensing sorted out, so that authorizations and such will be easier…
W (NM): Yeah, thinking about the fans, right? Even if you don't have a relationship, I don't know, with the band, but if you think about the fans, the fans want…
Angra (RB): More than anyone else.
W (NM): …have access to re-releases or dream of seeing these people together.
W (DD): That's what I was going to say, how much of a fan wouldn't love to see a show again with Aquiles, Edu, André, everyone on stage?
Angra (FL): Definitely.
There was a show in Paris where Bruce Dickinson participated as a guest. The record label convinced him that it would be good for him to be part of such a big band as Angra
Angra (RB): I think the greatest gift would be for the fans. This opportunity, which wouldn't take much from us, we get together, do a show, record it, document it on a DVD, and the fans will have it to watch at home as many times as they want. That would be really cool and a general sign of maturity, proof of overall maturity, being able to create a situation like that.
W (DD): Who knows, maybe that will happen in the future, it would undoubtedly be one of the great high points of Angra's career. But while that doesn't happen, looking back on these 22 years, Rafael, what's the first thing that comes to your mind if I say "highlight," the highest point, a moment that makes you say, "Wow, I'll never forget this in my life"? Maybe it's not Angra's greatest moment, but it's the thing that comes to mind.
Angra (RB): That show that Fabio mentioned, Angra, on the Holy Land tour, at Gods of Metal, was a great moment for Angra. There was also a show in Paris at the Zenith de Paris, where Bruce Dickinson participated as a guest, and the record label convinced him that it would be good for his career to participate in such a big band as Angra.
W (DD): Wow, that's impressive, huh?
W (NM): And are we going to ask Fabio to choose that song that makes him lose control ?
W (DD): Which song makes you lose control?
Angra (FL): It could be many things, but it could be Suite Sister Mary at Queensrÿche.
W (DD): This is awesome. Suite Sister Mary, Queensrÿche. We're returning from Queensrÿche with Paulo Baron, he's been here on Wikimetal before, talk a little bit with our guests and listeners.
Angra (Paulo Baron): We're here, happy, preparing everything with Angra, the best band in Brazil is now here, for real! Brazil is already Italian, right? Mexican too.
Angra (RB): Italian-Mexican-Brazilian.
Angra (PB): Man, we were in Mexico yesterday and it was funny that they came on stage playing wearing wrestler masks, each one of them, it looked like a Brazilian Slipknot. It was really cool, man, we drank tequila, and toasted to the band's success, we were very happy. It's great to be there with you guys, always supporting us.
W (NM): Imagine, Paulo has been our partner here since the beginning, he always believed in us. He's one of the crazy ones who always believed in Wikimetal. I wanted to take advantage of Paulo's arrival and ask you this, but you guys are going through a really cool phase, you said you're going to play at Loudpark in Japan, you have a tour in Latin America going on, how important is it for a big band to have a great manager? Do you believe that… there's no way a band can be a big band without having a great manager? How important is the guy who doesn't show up? Paulo is a very discreet guy, he keeps to himself.
Angra (RB): He's a discreet guy, keeps to himself, and wears very discreet clothes too…
Angra (PB): It's envy, you see how envious it is.
W (NM): All the big bands, at least the bands I'm a fan of, have a great manager, you see… Led Zeppelin had a great manager, the Beatles, Iron Maiden, needless to say, they've had the same manager for over 30 years. How important is that person thinking about strategy? How much do you obey him when he says something has to be done or something is right… It's difficult to manage, he's the band's manager, is that it?
Angra (RB): Here's the thing: first, a big businessman takes the band out of the garage. Angra spent some time practically managing their own career with some partners, and they also helped a lot, like Monika Cavalera and so on. But the difference is going from garage mode, alternative band mode, amateur mode, to creating long-term plans and strategies that truly enhance the band. What was the other question again?
W (DD): If you obey Paul.
Angra (PB): Look me in the eye, okay? In the answer.
Angra (RB): Depending on the answer I give now, I'll get beaten up.
W (NM): Either you're fired, I don't know, the show is going to be cancelled on the 25th. No, no, no guys, the show on the 25th is still on. Everyone at the HSBC Arena.
Angra (RB): Look, I think there are some things you can't buy or force, like respect and trust. So when Paulo brings an idea, most of the time he's very consistent. And he manages to unite the band in a way that never existed before, or hasn't existed for a long time. He listens to everyone, he gives everyone space to speak, to give their opinion, and he manages to find a way that will, in a way, satisfy everyone, but also seek what's best for the band's career. So it's not a matter of having to obey or being forced to obey, it's a respect and trust that he himself earns through the way he presents himself.
W (NM): In the argument, right?
Angra (RB): In the argument.
W (DD): And that's the best for the band.
Angra (RB): And that's what's best for the band.
"Angra and Fabio's relationship is already being considered for marriage."
W (NM): But I think it's always interesting to have someone looking at everything from the outside, right? So he's seeing the whole picture, the big picture, right? You guys sometimes individually each have your own opinion, but he, as an experienced guy, with many years and all, has seen a lot, he knows how to say "no guys, I think this would be the best option". Is that more or less it, Paulo?
Angra (PB): Nando, when they came up with the idea of us working together, I always saw one important point: you have a great band, a hell of a band… The most important thing is what you have to build the band, you know? And if you have great musicians, you have a brand, I mean the Angra brand means a lot, you know? Because you're talking about great brands, because you have a great brand, Angra is a great brand. We're talking about a Latin American product, we're not just talking about a Brazilian product, we're talking about a product in Latin America that has crossed other continents. When you have a good product, now you have to know how to direct it in the best way. And thank God, a job achieved with many years of experience in show business, working with great people… And I always thought, “Wow, these guys, the way they work, the Germans, how they work on their products, the English… they are very professional.” So you have to think about our collective effort, at the moment. No product you ask for right now will work; the product has to be great. And when we sought to solidify our partnership with Fabio, it was precisely with the idea of creating a product that could have longevity. So everything being planned within the Angra product, let's consider it a product that, beyond the artistic aspect, is being thought of in the long term, with long-term merchandising. We're already thinking about what the next album will be like, to give you an idea, we were at the pyramids talking – for those who don't really believe in this stuff, but especially for us, there are several people in the band who like and believe a lot in energies – and there at the pyramids we talked about what the next album could be like, the ideas… So the band is so excited that I believe my role in the band is to be the conduit of energy so that we are all circulating with the best positivity. So today you'll see a fun, funny Angra, everyone in the band has their space, everyone has something to say and we all listen to what they have to say, and then with the best ideas we reach a final point. And so we're moving very fast. Nando, it's been four months since the band was at zero, when they came to the first meeting we had… four months. In four months the band has already played, we have a tour that was planned, it wasn't because we organized few shows, it was because we needed to, we wanted to play ten shows, but an extra one came up that was interesting, which is that show in Fortaleza, and that's it. But all the objectives, we're reaching the end point. The end point will be the 25th, the end point of a new beginning.
W (DD): Very cool.
W (NM): That's right. We'll definitely be there on the 25th.
W (DD): Absolutely. I wanted to ask a little about the vocalist. Everyone wants to know, Fabio's there, how's the process of choosing the new vocalist going? Is it going to be Fabio? Are there any candidates already? Tell us a little about the process so everyone listening understands what it's like.
W (NM): Yeah, everyone has that same question, right?
Angra (RB): Dude, two ideas. When we were without a vocalist, we were thinking about a selection process that could involve Brazilian vocalists especially. We know many great vocalists here in Brazil, really. I personally also have a great desire to show these Brazilian talents to the world, and to show the fans that these guys exist. Many times people just say Edu, André, André, Edu, without knowing about the great talents we have here… Alírio Neto, Gus Monsanto, Bruno Sutter…
W (NM): Ricardo Bocci himself is the one who runs the orchestra there with you, which is a really cool project.
Angra (RB): Exactly, he was the vocalist for Sphaera Rock Orchestra. Anyway, there are many great vocalists, Iuri from Hibria, Thiago Bianchi, and others who are already well-known. But anyway, I wanted to show this to people, but before that happened, we started this relationship with Fabio. This relationship is bearing fruit and solidifying; Fabio has an international career, and the Rhapsody audience also feels a bit orphaned because Luca's departure and so on… It also left the audience feeling a bit orphaned. The Angra audience also felt a bit orphaned with the second departure of a vocalist, and this reunion of Fabio with Angra brought great comfort to both the Angra and Rhapsody audiences. And the strength of having these two audiences together, and this possibility, this alternative that opens up, this door of opportunity that opens now, it would be a waste not to explore it in the best possible way. Aside from our personal affinity, Fabio is an amazing vocalist, a tenor of the highest caliber, even in the interpretation of lyrical works. As a person, he's humble, simple, always willing to help, always willing to be a part of things. We have a very strong personal chemistry, and we don't want to risk it. So, at this moment, this relationship is already being considered with the potential to turn into marriage.
W (NM): That's really cool, and it's good that we're rooting for him. I had the opportunity to see Fabio at Live'N'Lounder and I was watching, paying attention to see if he had anything to do with Angra, and I thought his vocals... that kind of Ronnie James Dio thing, which has everything to do with Angra and gives...
W (DD): A very good marriage. If this marriage happens, we'll be happy.
W (NM): Invite us.
Angra (RB): Are you going to be godparents?
W (NM): It will be a pleasure.
W (DD): We talked so much that I got curious to listen, we listened to Queensrÿche, we listened to AC/DC and now we're going to listen to Angra, right? What do you think?
Angra (RB): I think it's cool.
W (DD): So please choose what we're going to listen to from Angra.
Angra (FL): It could be Gentle Change, it's a very particular song.
Angra (RB): So guys, since Fabio chose Gentle Change, I have a surprise for you. We recorded it at another radio station in Argentina, a big Argentinian Rock & Pop station. So I want to send you this unreleased acoustic version in Brazil, Gentle Change, with Fabio Lione on vocals.
W (NM): That's right, exclusive to Wikimetal.
W (DD): That was an exclusive Gentle Change performance on Wikimetal, Fabio Lione acoustic. Sensational. Thank you for sharing this, our WikiBrothers will love hearing it, I'm sure everyone enjoyed it. And to wrap things up, I'd like you to invite everyone to this mega show on August 25th at HSBC. We'll be there, right Nando? It's going to be amazing, Russell Allen, Tarja… Tell us a little about this show, and invite everyone to fill the HSBC.
Angra (FL): Well, what can I say? I hope that São Paulo, as they say, explodes on the 25th of this month, with an excellent show that the band has to record, obviously with the diva Tarja and the great national singer Uli.
W (NM): Uli Jon Roth too, guitar legend.
W (NM): Sensational.
Angra (RB): That's it guys, Rafael Bittencourt together with Fabio Lione on Wikimetal. I wanted to invite you all to the 25th at HSBC, we're going to record our DVD, celebrate this great moment with Fabio Lione on vocals, and great guests: Tarja, Russell Allen, Uli Jon Roth. Hope to see you there! This moment is magical and unique. Thanks.
W (DD): That's it, right Nando? That chat with them was great!
W (NM): That's great. Thanks Paulo for always supporting Wikimetal, Rafael is becoming a partner, and Fabio, whenever you need to release a Rhapsody album, count on us for that…
W (DD): Wikimetal's doors are wide open for us to promote everything you're doing in your career.
Angra (FL): Thank you.
W (NM): The Wikimetal gates open.
W (DD): Is that right, Nando?
W (NM): That's it. Agra on Wikimetal.
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