Ritmia - Ritmia


Year of Release: 2004
Label: Independent
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 38:33:00

It is simply unavoidable. When one hears the words "Brazil" and "progressive power metal" related to a band, the prototypical Angra comes to mind, much like the legendary Sepultura does when thrash or death constitute the order of the day. But enough about Sepultura, because Ritmia falls squarely within the progressive power metal camp. So what about them Angra boys, you say? Yes, they are a pretty damn good reference, especially circa Holy Land. The Brazilian music references that surfaced in that album show up in Ritmia's repertoire as well; both bands share a strong neoclassical bent, and there is an obvious focus on accomplished guitar playing. So is this band as good as Angra? Not really.

If one let the comparisons persist, one would be immediately inclined to make note of the fact that Ritmia is not as astonishing in the flash department, and that, although bassist Ricardo Sampaio and guitarist Ricardo Primata are able musicians and show rather well-developed technical prowess, they are not quite on the same level as their comparison counterparts. Furthermore, this act is more subdued musically, so that arrangements are not as complex and the occasional Angra riff that showed a bit of attitude is completely absent here, except for a pretty meaty moment at the beginning of "Terra Sagrada."? It's not that Sampaio and Primata are incompetent songwriters, it's just that their music is in dire need of some more fierceness, instead consisting of a number of all-too-well-known power metal clichés that, although catchy, are too redundant and innocuous in this day and age.

A large part of the issue is singer Gabriel Melo, whose voice is clear but constrained to too compact a range for this kind of music, and whose style, for lack of a better expression, needs more balls (great, I can just see the PMRC being resurrected and forming a lynch mob to come after me now). In fact, that's what Ritmia's debut really needs. Sure, Primata's guitar soloing is impressively fiery sometimes, and guest drummer Thiago Nogueira hits the skins with plenty of metal gusto, but it's simply not enough to make up for an album that is just too by-the-book for its own good and is seriously hampered by a couple of trite ballads with tiresomely mushy synthesizer sounds. Given Ritmia's individual abilities, especially Primata's obvious shredding capabilities, this band could perhaps bring something of true interest to the progressive metal table. Unfortunately, this wasn't it.

Similar Artists: Angra, Symphony X


Tracklisting:
Keys Of Future (5:13) / Silence At Night (4:17) / Slavery (1:32) / Terra Sagrada (5:37) / Last Sad Night (3:56) / You Can Imagine (6:14) / Despertar (3:20) / Listen My Cry (4:40) / Believe In A Dream (4:54) / Experi?ncia Da Alma (0:50)

Musicians:
Gabriel Melo - vocals
Ricardo Primata - guitars
Ricardo Sampaio - bass

Guest musicians:

Joberson Macedo - keyboards
Thiago Nogueira - drums
Zahra Rahysa - vocals
Dennis Leone - cello
Gilmarió and Ricardo Oliveira - percussion

Discography:
Ritmia (2004)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin BR

Added: August 6th 2005
Reviewer: Marcelo Silveyra
Score:
Artist website: www.ritmia.com.br
Hits: 1987
Language: english

  

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