Shaman Music [Import]

Shaman Music [Import]

Track Listings

1. Hey-Ya

2. Calling the Fire

3. Sendero Al Otro Mundo

4. Dara-Dara

5. Yok-Tagh

6. Yan-Tor

Tracks:

Turn Away
Reason
More
Innocence
Scarred Forever
In The Night
Rough Stone
Iron Soul
Trail Of Tears
Born To Be

Album Details

The Second Studio Album from Shaman (From Former Angra Members Andre Matos, Luis Mariutti Und Ricardo Confessori). This is Excellent Hard Rock Influenced Metal with a Unique Mix of Progressive and South American Folk Elements.

Customer Reviews:

Unexpected Direction.......2006-03-17

If Andre Matos and the rest of Shaman's goal was to distance themselves from the Angra sound for which they are best known, then they certainly accomplished it with Reason. Shaman's excellent debut album, Ritual, was very much an Angra-style power metal album, so I thought I knew what to expect from Reason. Instead, the band has taken its sound in a totally new direction.

Reason is definitely not the power metal we're used to. It's still quite heavy at times, but it tends more towards a melodic rock sound. And I'm not talking about Journey-inspired, Frontiers Records melodic rock either. Yes, keyboards are prevalent, but this isn't a big hooks and catchy chorus kind of album. Call it a "serious" hard rock album with an obvious appreciation for melody. It reminds me at times of some of Threshold and Vanishing Point's less metallic moments. The band's inclusion of South American musical elements is, as always, a nice touch that helps set them apart from the crowd.

I have mixed emotions about this album. On the one hand, it's good to see the band challenge themselves and defy expectations, and it's hard to argue with the results - this is a very impressive album. On the other hand, knowing that the band is capable of recording a top notch power metal album yet chooses not to do so is frustrating.

this is just... amazing! .......2005-10-08

In American music, there's maybe 2 great songs per album. Even in European metal, not every song is good on every album (there's some exceptions). Shaman's Reason has 10 songs. 10 of them are amazing.

I'm not what you would call a "fan" of Shaman (or Angra), but I listen to both and enjoy both. So I'm not gonna go into massive amounts of detail.

What I will say is that I enjoyed the overall feeling of "melodic metal influenced by gothic rock." To me, that's what this sounds like. So if you enjoy bands like Sentenced or Katatonia, you'll enjoy this - even though the instruments don't follow the gothic style. The music is more hard-rockish with lots of keyboard intros to enhance the emotions the listener will feel.

There's several sad piano sounds, especially in the 3 "ballads" - Innocence, Rough Stone, and Born to Be. These 3 and the 80's cover song "More" are some of my favorites. Its kind of a funny album; sometimes, the ballads will act as your favorite songs, but at other times, you're gonna crave to listen to the faster Trail of Tears (another of my favorites).

For anyone who's a Highlord, Dark Moor, or Rhapsody fan, you're not gonna hear tons of orchestral arrangements or super fast songs on here. This album is more so where gothic rock meets melodic metal.

Though most of the songs are around the same speed and the same emotions, you still won't get bored. Think of Heavenly's Dust to Dust album, if you will. For some reason, these 2 albums just do a better job of holding the listener's attention.

Even for fans of classic rock, alternative rock, etc. - this would be a GREAT starting point for people wanting to listen to European metal. Soilwork, In Flames, Mnemic - the screaming/growling/grunting can easily turn people off.

Bottom line - make an effort to listen to and enjoy this album. It's a lot different than most of what's out there. Try downloading samples someplace if you're the picky kind. This is one album that'll always have to come with me on my one-week vacations. (I have over 400 CDs - most of which are European metal. See my other reviews to get a sense of who I listen to.)

Music Review:

Music Review

music review