I have to admit that I don't know much about the Metal scene in Brazil, I don't know many bands from this beautiful country unfortunately. I am more used to stuff from Europe, Australia and North America evidently. It's always fun to discover bands from other parts of the world and I was pleasantly surprised by VANDROYA. This is the second full-length album by the band and first release since a two song EP in 2016. They follow in the steps on one of the most underrated Power Metal bands of all time in ANGRA. I felt it was a nice comparison to make because ANGRA came in at a time where the Power Metal scene was blooming and we had a plethora of awesome bands. It was awesome to be a fan of the genre in the mid to late nineties. I had the chance to discover so many Power Metal Bands back then because my older brother was such a a fan. I felt that after that 6-7 year period, the genre fell flat and a lot of bands continued with the same style and never really progressed.

I have been really impressed by some bands these last few years that were able to stand out in the stagnant genre like DERDIAN, among various others. Unfortunately, I am forgetting the band names I really wanted to talk about, must be the insomnia of these last few weeks! Anyways, I'd say in the last two years, we have had a resurgence of sorts in the genre and it's been a blessing. VANDROYA are a female fronted Power Metal band, it's pure Power Metal, its not the Symphonic Power Metal with those operatic voices that so many like. I understand the appeal but I can't stand the vocals when it's so overwhelming. I love the music but I always hated opera so I guess I may be biased in a sense!

Anyway, I almost lost my train of thought for a second. Well, this band thankfully has other lyrical themes that the traditional Power Metal themes. I am not knocking the genre, it's just almost always Wizards, Dragons, Gemstones, Magicians and whatnot. Sometimes you get tired of the Dungeons and Dragons imagery and you want something else to sink your teeth into. Well VANDROYA talk about science and the power of the human mind. Hence, the name of the album: ''Beyond the Human Mind''. They talk about the limitless possibilities of what the human mind can do, from enlightened consciousness to the path to inner peace. They talk about how the brain is so much more complex than we ever thought. The thought process is so different from one person and I thought it was a nice change of pace from other bands in the genre. The lyrics are thought provoking and really intelligently written. Daisa Munhoz has an incredible voice and a really nice range. She shows true heart and emotion throughout the album and I haven't heard a lot of Power Metal bands fronted by a woman so this was a great experience for me.

The album didn't feel like it was dragging along. I listened to this album on my way to work and time passed by so quickly. I can still remember different riffs and song lyrics, even if it's been 4 hours that I listened to this album. If something gets stuck in my head after only one listen, well that's a very good sign. I loved this album but I couldn't care less about the only ballad off of this album, ''Last Breath''. Well most bands have their prototypical power ballad out there and this song just falls flat to be honest. It almost sounds like a country ballad for some odd reason, maybe it's only me, anyway I digress. The album cover is beautiful, I gotta admit I always love those Power Metal album covers but this takes the cake. The artist did an amazing job on this one.

No song really stands out...I felt all songs have their unique flavour and really nice lyrics. This band is very innovative and have a very solid production. The album sounds so good and crisp. A great production makes an album even better, and well this is a very good example of it!