Endless - A dream at the sun 4.5/5
Reviewed: 3-16-07
Tracklist:
1. Silence to the Lord
2. Running to be free
3. Laments at the sky of winds
4. Mystic feelings
5. The playwright
6. Shades of night
7. Shining on the sky
8. I don't want to surrender
9. The king of lies
10. Memories I've saved
11. A dream at the sun
12. Eternal winds (bonus track)
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Do you remember Endless' debut CD 'Eternal winds' from way back in 2000? I recently dusted it off (after almost a year had passed since the last time I listened to it) and just like I had remembered, it's Brazilian power metal, but with strong influences from the Italian power metal style. My listening experience made me curious of what this Brazilian band has been up to, so I went off to research their status and I was very surprised to learn they released a new 2nd CD 'A dream at the sun' at the end of 2006. I immediately picked it up and man was it a tremendous purchase!
Just like their debut, 'A dream at the sun' is a splendid mix of the Brazilian power metal style of Angra, Aquaria, Glory Opera and Orion Riders, and the Italian power metal style of Labyrinth, Highlord, Vision Divine and Sigma. In other words, Endless is very similar to the phenominal band Sagga (Holy)! Plus, all the improvements you'd expect a band to make between their debut and 2nd CD are all in place; better production, crisper songwriting, consistent (high) quality, and overall they emanate a much more mature sound. Expect a good amount of speed, lots of keyboards (there are some killer solos!), slow songs/ballads (a la Angra), slightly progressive moments, a few symphonic highlights, and there are also some sweet neo-classical parts with flashy guitar work... it's got it all folks!
But just like me, you're probably asking "What the hell have these guys been doing since the year 2000?" Well, their story is both interesting and understandable. Basically, there were a lot of personal issues within the band and they actually split up in 2002. Vocalist Vitor Veiga and guitarist Gustavo Di Padua joined up with the band Aquaria though, who eventually released the excellent CD 'Luxaeterna'. So yes, the vocalist of Aquaria and Endless is one and the same! Apparently Endless has since reformed, and as far as I know, both Endless and Aquaria are still active and obviously quite promising for the future.
For those who have Aquaria's 'Luxaeterna', know that there are differences between the 2 bands. For one, Aquaria has a strong symphonic presence, while Endless only dabbles in that area. In addition, Aquaria is without the slightly progressive parts, neo-classical flare and especially the Italian influence I previously discussed (which Endless has mastered). Because I'm such a lover of Italian power metal, I definitely prefer Endless. I also must admit that 'A dream at the sun' is an extremely catchy CD and is probably more memorable than 'Luxaeterna' too. But the bottom line is, both bands easily compete with Angra and 'A dream at the sun' nearly reaches the highest level, where only Sagga (Holy) currently resides. Yes, just so it's clear... I consider the Sagga (Holy) debut 'Planetude' to be the best CD in this Brazilian power metal style.
In the end, know that Endless' debut 'Eternal winds' is quite good (though not an easy CD to purchase, I'm sure), but 'A dream at the sun' should definitely launch these guys into the upper caliber. The CD is highly recommended to those who are into any of the bands (whether Italian or Brazilian) that I've mentioned in this review and I'm quite confident that a few of you are going to be blown away by this. Endless has a very bright future and I'm greatly looking forward to it, but let's hope it doesn't take another 6 years for them to plug out their next CD.
CLINT
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