Aqua (Angra album)

Aqua is the seventh full-length studio album by Brazilian progressive/power metal band Angra. It was released on August 11, 2010 and August 17, 2010 in Japan and Brazil, respectively. It is their last recording to feature Edu Falaschi on lead vocals, and their only studio album on which drummer Ricardo Confessori returns.

Overview
The album features returning drummer Ricardo Confessori, who had left the band with Andre Matos and Luís Mariutti in 2000 and had been since then replaced by Aquiles Priester.

According to guitarist Rafael Bittencourt, the album was based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Bittencourt also states that:

Besides all the qualities of the text, we found out that the element 'water' is one of the main characters of the history. It transforms itself during the cycles and changes the things around. It represents the rage of high tides and tempests, and then the forgiveness and wisdom in calm. Everything happens after a violent storm that occurs in the sea, in an island hill. While the wild waters come from up and down, a ship and the entire crew are fighting for surviving. As from this point, we developed one very interesting narrative that will get the attention of the listeners.

Aqua was released through major labels internationally, but in Brazil the band decided to self-release it, so that they can keep control of everything related to the album, says vocalist Edu Falaschi.

Personnel

 * Edu Falaschi – vocals
 * Kiko Loureiro – guitars, choirs
 * Rafael Bittencourt – guitars, choirs
 * Felipe Andreoli – bass, additional guitars on #04, choirs
 * Ricardo Confessori – drums, additional percussion

Additional musicians

 * Amon Lima – violin on #01, 03, 06, 07, 08
 * Yaniel Matos – cello on #01, 03, 07, 08
 * Guga Machado – percussion on #03, 04, 05, 06, 08, 09, 10
 * Maria Ilmoniemi – piano on #04, 08, 10; hammond organ on #04
 * Fabrizio di Sarno – keyboards and orchestration on #05
 * Nei Medeiros – keyboards and orchestration on #01, 08
 * Felipe Grytz – keyboards and orchestration on #02, 04, 06, 10
 * Fernanda Gianesella – choirs on #01, 06, 09
 * Miriam Chiurciu – choirs on #01, 06, 09
 * Gisela Freire – choirs on #01, 06, 09
 * Isa Elisabetsky – choirs on #01, 06, 09
 * Katya Delfino – choirs on #01, 06, 09
 * Zuma Duarte – choirs on #01, 06, 09
 * Luiza Gianesella – choirs on #01, 06, 09
 * Debora Reis – choirs on #10
 * Annah Flavia – choirs on #04
 * Tito Falaschi – choirs on #01, 06, 09
 * Zeca Loureiro – choirs on #01, 09
 * Rodrigo Ninrod – choirs on #01

Technical

 * Angra - producer
 * Brendan Duffey – producer, engineer, mixer
 * Adriano Daga – producer, engineer, mixer
 * Thiago "Hóspede" – engineer
 * Maor Appelbaum – mastering