Angra

Angra is a Brazilian progressive and power metal band formed in 1991. They have released ten regular studio albums, six EPs, and seven live CD/DVDs to date. Led by Rafael Bittencourt, the band has gained a degree of popularity in Japan and Europe.

Emerging in the early 1990s, Angra spearheaded a national movement for melodic, progressive, and power metal. They proved that Brazilian bands could achieve technical mastery, paving the way for other melodic metal bands in Latin America and diversifying the country's musical export. Angra broke new ground by seamlessly integrating fast-paced European-style power metal and intricate progressive metal with classical music orchestration and indigenous Brazilian regional rhythms, such as baião, frevo, and maracatu. This innovative fusion, most notably showcased on their critically acclaimed early albums Angels Cry (1993) and Holy Land (1996), established a completely new paradigm within the global melodic metal subgenre.

Beyond their home country, Angra achieved international success, most notably in Japan. The Japanese market, known for its appreciation of virtuosic musicianship and neo-classical arrangements, embraced the band. During their peak, Angra achieved multiple gold records, embarked on numerous sold-out tours across the country, and became frequent cover stars on major Japanese rock magazines like Burrn!.

On 2 April 2015, guitarist Kiko Loureiro left Angra to join American thrash metal band Megadeth.