ANGRA Signs With ATOMIC FIRE RECORDS, Announces 'Cycles Of Pain' Album

Brazilian progressive power metal veterans ANGRA have signed a deal with Atomic Fire Records. The band's tenth studio album, "Cycles Of Pain", will be released on November 3. A special ecord-release show which will take place at São Paulo, Brazil's Tokio Marine Hall on the same day.

Formed in 1991, ANGRA's current lineup includes vocalist Fabio Lione (ATHENA XIX, ex-RHAPSODY OF FIRE, ex-VISION DIVINE) alongside Rafael Bittencourt and Marcelo Barbosa on guitars, Felipe Andreoli on bass and Bruno Valverde on drums.

Founding member/guitarist Bittencourt says: "I'm very proud to announce that our newest album will come out on the 3rd of November and it's going to be released and distributed by Atomic Fire Records. We're very proud to be part of the Atomic Fire Records family now. It's a special moment for us in the band.

"For me, who started the band over 30 years ago, but also for everyone in the band, we're now in the third generation which means in the era of our third singer as we have Fabio Lione on vocals. So this will be the third record of the third generation. It's our tenth studio album, so it's like keeping the legacy but also focusing on the future.

"It's very funny to have this partnership with Atomic Fire Records because the word 'Angra' also stands for a place in Brazil where an atomic reactor was built in the '70s. This nuclear power plant is basically created to originate a kind of clean energy, but it's a very powerful one which could save the world in a way, but also destroy it. It'll be a very huge explosion and metaphorically we can say that it's going to be a very strong album and I hope to burn the world with music which can heal the soul of sad and lonely people."

Atomic Fire Records A&R Markus Wosgien says: "I remember receiving the ANGRA demo 'Reaching Horizon' in 1992 for the fanzine I published in the '90s. I fell in love immediately, this was simply a new form of power metal — and after his departure in VIPER, André Matos finally had a new home back then. One year later, 'Angels Cry', which I still consider being one of the best power metal albums of all time, was released, and over the years, ANGRA always developed, but still remained true to themselves.

"We are more than happy to be a part of their future now and to release their upcoming tenth studio album that blew us away once more. For us, ANGRA is also a matter to our hearts since they're a band we've always been following, respecting and loving; our whole team is more than proud that the band and their management decided to join our roster and to trust in us."

Photo credit: Marcos Hermes