Rafael Bittencourt spoke about the importance of Andre Matos to the history of Angra, especially in the context of the celebrations surrounding the reunion show.
In an interview with Wikimetal, the guitarist and founder of the band said that, although the vocalist's death is impossible to comprehend, Matos' presence is still felt by the band and the fans. According to Rafael, honoring Andre Matos is essential, since the vocalist played a decisive role in shaping Angra's identity.
“What we can do is feel his presence. Death is something you can only process through… abstraction, mystery, religion, spirituality, because it’s intangible. What we can do is feel that he will be present, that he is part of this. Honor the part he represents in the band, what he represents, because without him the band practically wouldn’t exist. So, honor all of that. And the emotion of his absence, put it into the music, into the reunion, into the inspiration, into the emotions you need…”, Rafael Bittencourt confided.
He also revealed that, at the time of Andre Matos' death, there were many things he would have liked to say to his former bandmate. With the passage of time, however, that feeling transformed into gratitude.
“At the time he passed away, there were many things I wanted to say to him, but now that he is a memory, a spirit, I can only give thanks. I ask that he rest in peace and that we remain in communion. May the decisions we make, the actions we take in the name of the band, never be severed… That is the will of this spirit.”.
The legacy of Andre Matos
According to the guitarist, if it were necessary to highlight only one central element of Matos' contribution to the band, it would be his enormous talent.
"The biggest contribution was his talent, because there were many, especially the experience he already had with Viper, he already had a legacy as an artist, he already had contacts, so that helped Angra a lot. The fact that he had contacts with record labels, with managers, that helped immensely. The seriousness, the depth he put into his work, all of that contributed, there are many contributions. But if I had to choose one, I think it would be his enormous talent, that's what propelled the band the most."
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Fabio Lione revealed that Andre Matos had plans to reunite with Angra.
“Andre told me he would agree to do a maximum of four shows with Angra, if they were reunited, and Kiko [Loureiro, guitarist] would need to be there. But Kiko was still in Megadeth and it wasn't that easy. His idea was: Andre, Fabio, Kiko and the other members. I told Rafael [Bittencourt, guitarist] and Felipe [Andreoli, bassist] about this possibility. There was a chance. Unfortunately, what happened, happened. Now, we're going to do this show at Bangers, which is really cool, but of course it's not what it could have been,” said Leoni.
READ ALSO: Angra reunion: Rafael Bittencourt talks about Bangers Open Air, Andre Matos' legacy and more
