Angra play slick, modern prog-power metal that sounds most directly inspired by Iron Maiden's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, latter Angel Dust, and probably a host of other bands I've had the fortune of never hearing. Albums like this remind me that sometimes writing reviews is more about work than pleasure, and most of the time work is no fun. 

These are studio musicians hell-bent bent on taking the metal out of the metal, and replacing it with pitchshifted keyboard solos and fretless bass. Some fast melodic riffing, operatic vocals, and virtuosic solos make it clear that this album is supposed to appeal to metal fans, but a complete lack of soul or sensible songwriting pretty much ensure this album won't appeal to anyone. The musicians also sounds so captured by their focus on nailing their individual parts, that they've lost any concept of dynamics or heaviness. While this clearly talented band could hammer the listener with some tight transitions or off the cuff musical exploration, they seem content to plod along at a single, moderately fast tempo. Aurora Consurgens also clocks in at over 50 minutes, an excruciating amount of time to a listen to an album that draws so liberally from a single bag of tricks.

Prog metal like this seems more a forum for musicians to prove to themselves the heights of their own talents, and less a forum for actual entertainment. Truly a chore to listen to.