Shaman (formerly Shaaman), the revamped Brazilian band featuring Ricardo Confessori (ex-Angra) is ready to prove that this was more than just André Matos new band. André Matos has been replaced by talented singer Thiago Bianchi and the new guy does a good job without ever reaching the level of his predecessor.

'Immortal' is a bit more raw and aggressive than the first two albums; 'Ritual' (2002) and 'Reason' (2005), giving the band a harder edge, which I find refreshing. Main man has always been drummer Ricardo Confessori, who formed the band when he left Angra back in 2000, and his powerful playing style is nice and upfront in the production. The guitars are more aggressive and edgier, there is plenty of room for fine keyboard parts and leads and on top of it all we have Thiago Bianchi's high pitched vocals, which together make a good symbiosis.

'Immortal' falls nicely in line with the 2 previous albums, and have strong references to classic power metal bands like Gamma Ray, Helloween, Angra and some classic heavy metal like Iron Maiden. There is off course still a lot of room for the cool native Brazilian sounds and influences, which sets Shaman apart from most of the competition.

The album flows nicely along the stream without ever running into stale water, on the other hand I do miss one or two songs that really stand out and make me rock. The production could have been better balanced out, and I am left with a feeling that this could have been an awesome album, if only...

'Immortal' is a good, honest power metal album, which has its strength in the drumming department as well as the native influences. It is strong enough to withstand most of the competition from all of the European bands and as representatives of Brazilian power metal they are only second to Angra.

Good one without ever touching base with greatness...