"The Waking Hour" is the second album by AGE OF ARTEMIS. The first CD published in 2012 titled "Overcoming Limits" was promising. I believe they now have succeeded in summarizing all the elements in a more coherent ensemble with vivid refinements. The wise guys from Power Prog Records are proud to announce the up coming release of the second longplayer by this high potency Progressive Metal outfit, through their label!

After an enigmatic introduction with jungle ambient noises and a few folk percussion patterns in the typical brazilian mode, the song "Under The Sun" starts and immediately the ANGRA sonic connection is more than obvious. The melodic content is highly infectious and classy with a beautiful, really contagious, harmonized chorus, both in the most pristine and clever way. This opening track alone, is worth buying the whole disc.

The lead guitar themes are everywhere and the band sounds very precise and even tighter than before. The lead vocals by Alirio Netto, are once again remarquable and in quite a tenacious profile with a gruff challenging character and confidant tenor attitude. His voice is solid, thick yet subtle. Full mark!

The seventh title "Childhood" is sublime, a melodic colorful number which is also very reminiscent of the glorious ANGRA style with its sophisticated harmonies and this organic groove so particular. Backed with an acoustic guitar layer, sublimed  with another superb solo spot in a manic Jazz Rock/Mixolidian flavor and still this majestic and haunting voice. Superb!

The songs like the title track, the SYMPHONY X/ADRENALINE MOB influenced "Hunger And Shame" or "New Revolution", are also quite familiar with another specific Brazilian flavor. It's something like RYGEL meets DR SIN meets SYMBOLS, read Progressive Melodic Metal with a technical cutting edge. A sharp riffage mania enhanced with a strong originality in the orchestrations and a unique beat, and most of all an efficient magic method in the songwriting.

Later i discovered that ex ANGRA singer Edu Falaschi (ALMAH/ex SYMBOLS) was a relative, and deeply involved in the production of their debut album. So i feel more relaxed and alleviated about my early feelings. Most of all strengthened in my convictions about the absolute quality of this album!

This time the perfect technical work was handled by Brendan Duffey and Adriano Daga at Norcal Studios, São Paulo (HEVILAN / KING OF BONES / PERC3PTION / STILL ALIVE), and with such clever compositions and competent musicians, i have to rate it with an almost perfect score!

The mix of the antagonist parameters such as folkloric overtones ("Your Smile") and almost Thrash Metal stacatto drive are well managed. ("The Melted Charisma") The result is a very dense sophisticated Metal with the much needed agressivity enhanced with some beautiful enlightened chorus, a refreshing burst of light. The superb cover art is very representative of this duality as a state of fact!

While the Brazilian scene is still underrated in old Europe, hopefully maybe the third generation of Metal group coming from the new world is ready to change the conservatism and natural order of things.

Watch out it's time to wake up!