The Brazilian band, KATTAH, hailing from Curitiba, have just signed a deal with the prime Italian label Baker Team/Scarlet Records for the future release of their second effort that should be out in late October.

I saw the band live in support of ANGRA for their 2011 European tour, and I was totally mesmerised by their energetic performance and by the superb coherency of this young gang, since then i'm proud to call myself a fan!

Titled weirdly, "Lapis Lazuli", the sophomore album is following the same recipe that made the debut "Eyes of sand" a great success. With an intelligent mix of Traditional Heavy Metal ("Inside My Head"), a few Melodic Power Metal touches ("Apocalypse") updated with unexpected colors, dark atmospheres ("Alpha Centaury") and tribal rhythms borrowed from the Arabian ("The Hidden Voice"), Eastern European, Brazilian ("Lapis Lazuli"/"A Capoeira") and many other folkloric details. With the obvious talent of amazing lead singer Roni Sauaf as their strongest asset and the most impressive aspect: An ever present pinnacle element!

Indeed, beside his great vocal range, his fierce tone, proudly similar with the Bruce Dickinson/Michael Kiske/Geoff Tate's legendary style, vocalist Roni Sauaf holds an incredible polyvalency, a pristine sensibility ("You Will Never Be Dead") and his skill for composition are in a perfect combination with his singing organ, in order to makes him a future hope in the realm of the Metal voice.

The album is filled with a rarely seen diversity, yet it's still holding a certain density in the songwriting which is keeping the unity, a real noblesse in the headbanging pep ("Vetus Espiritus") and a courageous experimentations ("Land of God"), a few Prog interactions in the structures ("Behind The Clay") while maintaining a typical efficiency with a sharp riffage mania and a pure Metal spirit ("Rebirth Of Pharaohs")!

The closing cut, "Last Chance", is a future anthem for KATTAH, maybe the most accesible song of the whole album, the piano intro lead to a sing along chorus with as always a fantastic interpretation by Roni.

Fifty four minutes of Metallic celebration, an invitation to share the universe of KATTAH, where you can recognize many parameters from the great ones:
CRIMSON GLORY / LETHAL / METAL CHURCH / ANGRA / SAVATAGE or AVANTASIA and of course IRON MAIDEN.

The CD was produced by a great team of producers with worldwide acclaim and even winner of a Grammy, respectively Roy Z (BRUCE DICKINSON / YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN / JUDAS PRIEST / HELLOWEEN / SEBASTIAN BACH) and Andy Haller, who have worked with artists like OZZY / SANTANA and SYSTEM OF A DOWN and of course the sound is powerful and helps clearly the band to reach another stage in their unstoppable ascencion to stardom.

I always believed in a hypothetical savior of the Metal cause provided by the new world someday ... If "Eyes of Sand" was more than a convincing disc, then the brand new "Lapis Lazuli" is the confirmation of the future perspectives for this talented combo, the birth of a great promise for the Heavy Metal world... So you are warned, don't lose on the opportunity to catch this phenomenal band.<