PANNDORA is an all-female band from Brazil. A steady climb to prominence from their beginnings in 2003, Panndora is a well-known, traditional Heavy Metal band releasing their second studio album, "Urarie." They have wonderful musicality and are great at what they do, but their greatness lies in keeping it simple.

"Shout Out" begins with squealing guitars and a cacophony of drums. I expected a 1980s band to emerge from this, but the vocals give the song a symphonic edge. It's a symphonic band that keeps it simple; no orchestral or synthetic bells and whistles. My one complaint is the squealing higher notes. They're added for effect, but they are grating. The melody change at the end of the song is a lovely, progressive and intriguing element.

"Uranie" has a 1970s Metal vibe with the hollow guitars. The vocal melody line that follows the intro reminds me of "Over the Mountain" by OZZY OSBOURNE. There are some great vocal moments in here: near the second verse, the singer's voice becomes smoother and it shows her raw singing ability. The guitar solo is explosive and features sweeps and fast arpeggios.

"False Excuses" begins with some wonderful, high-pitched guitars and vocal technique. It sounds almost ethereal. The vocals are spot-on here: clear, on-key and smooth. The subtle vocal slides are a good touch, too.

"Cold Eyes" has the most intricate opening so far, with fast arpeggiated chords and a melody change when the verse comes in. The melody becomes more frenzied at the chorus but is more collected during the verses. The guitar solo soars, an echo of the previous melodies. It gets repetitive at the end with too many repeats of the chorus, but the guitar outro is a good touch.

"Death Is Not the End" is a slower song; a steady, but hard ballad. The guitar solo squeals and soars, incorporating some of its own melody into it, spliced between vocals here and there. It functions more as an outro, the final crescendo to a ballad that spent its time building and building.

"Partners in Crime" has an interesting vocal start. The guitars increasingly remind me of JUDAS PRIEST. The song also features a juxtaposition of monotonous, fast guitars and slow, longer vocal notes, creating a speeding effect. While the vocals are mostly good, she goes flat sometimes, especially when she tries to characterize her voice.

"The Moorland" starts off slow and acoustic. The vocals are soft and clear, and the major melody is peppered with minor accidents, giving some flavor to the melody line. The guitar comes in with a unique melody line before the chorus as the song speeds up, showing some novel composition. The song reminds me more of a lounge act, given the voiceover in the second verse and the sharps and flats in the notation. It's a unique slow song.

Finally, the cover of JUDAS PRIEST's "The Hellion - Electric Eye" brings the album back to its overall, traditional tone. It begins with the distinguishable, fast riff so well that fans will recognize the song immediately. The vocals here are less muffled and ambient than the original. They're also more forward in the production and the tempo is slightly slower. Other than that, it's not much of a deviation from the original.

Overall, they're a solid band. Their best bet musically is to keep it simple; too much characterization in the vocals or instrumentals can make them sound grating, but when they stick to a clear, plain sound, they're great.