Review Roundup: Colin Cutler and Angra

This week, we've got two albums on offer and they couldn't be more different. One is a genre-hopping roots album of songs inspired by one of America's greatest authors. The other is the first album in five years from a Brazilian progressive metal stalwart.

Colin Cutler- Tarwater
It takes a lot of guts to base an album on a literary titan like Southern Gothic trailblazer Flannery O'Connor. To do so invites comparison and there aren't many people who can win there. But Colin Cutler manages to avoid either comparison or fawning emulation on his new album Tarwater. Some of that comes down to Cutler's song choices. Half the album is a full-band re-visit of the songs from his EP Peacock Feathers while the other is made up of newly written material.

Musically, Cutler's songs bounce from honky tonk to blues to Southern rock, and some tracks that blend multiple genres. Album standout “A New Tattoo” has a driving rockabilly beat with some .38 Special-worthy guitar solos thrown in. “Save Your Life and Drive” is another muscular rocker, this time driven by some excellent blues harmonica and by Cutler's fast patter vocal delivery on the verses. Lead single “Bad Man's Easy” serves up a little Southern gothic vibe of his own. “Mama, Don't Know Where Heaven Is” kicks off with a Delta guitar riff before settling into a rambling country tune.

I'm a sucker for a good literary adapt so I've had high hopes for this album since he ran a Kickstarter campaign for it earlier in the year. However, my optimism was cautious because of the project's ambition. I shouldn't have worried. Cutler has pulled off a feat in honoring O'Connor's legacy successfully while recording an album that can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone entity.

Angra- Cycles of Pain
It's been five years since Brazilian progsters Angra released an album and that's far too long. Since their formation in 1991 and through multiple lineup changes, the band has remained one of the more consistently excellent acts in progressive metal. For Cycles of Pain, they themed their album around, unsurprisingly, pain, both personal and collective. Since their last album in 2018, founding guitarist Rafael Bittencourt's father passed away as did former vocalist Andre Matos. Then there was that whole pandemic thing in 2020 that certainly brought its own share of pain.

To convey different aspects of pain, you need an appropriately versatile voice and Angra certainly has that in ex-Rhapsody of Fire vocalist Fabio Lione. While he's been with the band since 2013 and this is his third album with them, this is definitely him hitting his stride. He's operatic on “Ride Into the Storm,” he's a belter on “Gods of the World,” and he's melodic on album highlight “Tears of Blood,” a duet with vocalist Amanda Somerville.

Musically, it's Angra doing what Angra does best. Neo-classical progressive metal that never loses its melodic soul along the way. Cycles of Pain isn't anything groundbreaking from Angra, but it doesn't need to be. They're great at what they do and what they do is enough to make this a must-buy album for any prog fan.