Shaman was a Brazilian
progressive and
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...
band assembled in 2000 by three musicians who left the band
Angra –
Andre Matos
Andre Coelho Matos (; 14 September 1971 – 8 June 2019) was a Brazilian singer and musician. He was involved in the heavy metal bands Viper, Angra, Shaman and Symfonia. Since 2006, Matos had been dedicating his time to his solo career. I ...
, Luis Mariutti and
Ricardo Confessori.
The band was completed with guitar player
Hugo Mariutti (Luis' younger brother – both of them also play in another band called Henceforth).
Shaman changed its name to Shaaman for legal reasons, but the issue was solved and they renamed it back to Shaman.
In October 2006, Andre Matos officially left the band along with the Mariutti brothers.
Confessori reformed the band with a new line-up featuring Thiago Bianchi on vocals, Léo Mancini on guitars, Fernando Quesada on bass and Junior Carelli on keyboards. They recorded two albums as Shaman and did the touring cycles before Confessori decided to leave the recordings of a third album in which the rest of the band decided to move on with Hangar and former Angra drummer
Aquiles Priester
Aquiles Priester (born 25 June 1971) is a Brazilian drummer. He is currently the drummer of Brazilian power metal band Hangar, and progressive metal bands Midas Fate and Noturnall. As a tour drummer, Priester has played with Paul Di'Anno, Vi ...
and use the name Noturnall instead of Shaman.
On 29 June 2018, Shaman announced a reunion of their original lineup to tour in celebration of their 17th anniversary, which was interrupted with the unexpected death of the vocalist
Andre Matos
Andre Coelho Matos (; 14 September 1971 – 8 June 2019) was a Brazilian singer and musician. He was involved in the heavy metal bands Viper, Angra, Shaman and Symfonia. Since 2006, Matos had been dedicating his time to his solo career. I ...
, on 8 June 2019.
Biography
The band was formed in mid-2000, when musicians
Andre Matos
Andre Coelho Matos (; 14 September 1971 – 8 June 2019) was a Brazilian singer and musician. He was involved in the heavy metal bands Viper, Angra, Shaman and Symfonia. Since 2006, Matos had been dedicating his time to his solo career. I ...
(vocals, keyboards, ex-
Viper
Vipers are snakes in the family Viperidae, found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, New Zealand, Ireland, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipe ...
), Luis Mariutti (bass, ex-Firebox) and
Ricardo Confessori (drums, ex-
Korzus
Korzus is a Brazilian thrash metal band formed in São Paulo in 1983. They are one of the first bands of the Brazilian thrash metal scene, along with bands like Sarcófago and Sepultura. Their first release was issued in the seminal metal compi ...
) left the band
Angra.
At the time the band was assembled, they did not have a guitarist, so
Hugo Mariutti, formerly of Henceforth, was initially hired to assist in the compositions. Later they permanently integrated him into the band.
The name chosen for the band, Shaman, refers to the religious practice of
shamanism
Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
, with the word "shaman" generally thought to be of
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
n origin.
They started an initial tour, which went through Europe and Latin America (specifically: France, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil). For live keyboards the band requested the help of musician Fábio Ribeiro (Blezqi Zatsaz, ex-Angra).
Mixing heavy metal,
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
and
world music
"World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
, the band started recording their debut album, entitled ''
Ritual
A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...
'', in January 2002.
The disc was entirely recorded in Germany,
with the exception of a few tracks which were recorded in Brazil and the US. The production was managed by the producer
Sascha Paeth
Sascha Paeth (born 9 September 1970) is a German guitarist, bassist, record producer and mixer known for working with heavy metal bands such as Avantasia, Edguy, Angra, Shaman, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, After Forever and Epica. He owns the ...
, who also produced albums for Angra,
Edguy
Edguy is a German power metal band formed in 1992 in Fulda by students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch, and Dirk Sauer. Initially named after their math teacher, the band faced early rejections from record labels but persevered, relea ...
,
Rhapsody of Fire
Rhapsody of Fire (formerly known as Rhapsody) is an Italian symphonic power metal band formed by Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli, widely seen as a pioneer of the symphonic power metal subgenre.
Since forming in 1993 as Thundercross, the ban ...
and Virgo and with co-production of Phil Colodetti.
''Ritual'' was released in more than 15 countries. The World Ritual Tour lasted for one year and a half, touring in such places as: Brazil, Asia, Latin America and Europe. There were over 150 shows at that time, some presented twice in the same place.
During 2003, Shaman were among the first place slots for Brazil, with ''Ritual'' being awarded the best album of 2002 and 2004 by the readers of
Folha de S. Paulo
''Folha de S.Paulo'' (sometimes spelled ''Folha de São Paulo''), also known as simply ''Folha'' (, ''Sheet''), is a Brazilian daily newspaper founded in 1921 under the name ''Folha da Noite'' and published in São Paulo by the Folha da Manhã co ...
, a Brazilian newspaper. Later in 2004, the band opened for
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
's show in
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, playing to an audience of over 45,000.
The band then recorded a live show in the
Credicard Hall with the participation of several special guests such as
Tobias Sammet
Tobias Sammet (born 21 November 1977) is a German musician, songwriter, and music producer. He is the singer and primary songwriter of the power metal band Edguy, and the founder of the metal opera project Avantasia.
Career
Sammet founded Edgu ...
, Marcus Viana,
Andi Deris
Andreas "Andi" Deris (born 18 August 1964) is a German singer, best known as one of the three co-lead vocalists of the power metal band Helloween, and co-founder and former lead singer of the metal band Pink Cream 69.
Singing style
Deris has ...
,
Sascha Paeth
Sascha Paeth (born 9 September 1970) is a German guitarist, bassist, record producer and mixer known for working with heavy metal bands such as Avantasia, Edguy, Angra, Shaman, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, After Forever and Epica. He owns the ...
, George Mouzayek and
Michael Weikath
Michael Ingo Joachim "Weiki" Weikath (born 7 August 1962) is a German musician, best known as a founding member and one of the guitarists of pioneering power metal band Helloween.
Biography
Weikath was born in Hamburg and was musical from a ...
. The show was then released on CD and DVD, entitled ''
RituAlive'' in 2003.
The engineering and mixing was done entirely at The Creative Studios in São Paulo, Brazil and the production was done by Phil Colodetti together with the Shaman members. According to director of Universal Music of Brazil, ''RituAlive'' is still the best DVD of its genre due to its quality and contents.
In 2005, with the second album almost completed and ready to release, they decided to rename the album to avoid a court hearing by another band. The band also decided to add an 'A' to its name as Shaaman. The name change occurred after another band named Shaman was consulted and specified that the meaning and pronunciation of the name were still the same.
In May 2005, the new album, entitled ''
Reason
Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...
'', was released.
''Reason'' was mixed in Germany by the producer Sascha Paeth and recorded in Brazil by Phil Colodetti at Creative Studios.
It attempted to return the feeling and spirit of 80s heavy metal. Their first single, named "Innocence" from the ''Reason'' was played on radio stations and further split the official charts of the highest-charting songs in Brazil. The video for the song also appeared on music TV channels.
Shaman then went on a hiatus which was confirmed on 12 October 2006, when a statement by bass player Luís Mariutti was released on the fansite For Tomorrow that "the band had called it a day."
Ricardo Confessori, the only remaining member of Shaman, decided to continue the band with a new line-up. Later, in 2007, the album ''Immortal'', was released.
In 2013, all members but Confessori formed a new band called Noturnall. On a 2014 interview, guitarist Fernando Quesada confirmed none of the members would return to Shaman.
On 29 June 2018 Shaman announced a reunion of their original lineup to tour in celebration of their 17th anniversary with two shows in Sao Paulo. After some weeks, a tour was announced for Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, Fortaleza and Recife. They toured until 2 June 2019, with
Avantasia
Avantasia is a German Supergroup (music), supergroup rock opera, metal opera project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist of the band Edguy. It has been characterized as a rock opera, as it features the contributions of various vocalists and music ...
.
The tour was interrupted with the unexpected death of the vocalist
Andre Matos
Andre Coelho Matos (; 14 September 1971 – 8 June 2019) was a Brazilian singer and musician. He was involved in the heavy metal bands Viper, Angra, Shaman and Symfonia. Since 2006, Matos had been dedicating his time to his solo career. I ...
, on 8 June 2019.
Line-up
;Former members
*
Andre Matos
Andre Coelho Matos (; 14 September 1971 – 8 June 2019) was a Brazilian singer and musician. He was involved in the heavy metal bands Viper, Angra, Shaman and Symfonia. Since 2006, Matos had been dedicating his time to his solo career. I ...
– vocals, piano, keyboards (2000–2006, 2018–2019; died 2019)
* Luis Mariutti – bass (2000–2006, 2018–2023)
*
Hugo Mariutti – guitar (2000–2006, 2018–2023)
* Fábio Ribeiro – keyboards, piano (2000–2006, 2018–2022 as touring member, 2022–2023, as official member)
*
Ricardo Confessori – drums (2000–2013, 2018–2023)
* Thiago Bianchi – vocals (2007–2013)
* Léo Mancini – guitars (2007–2013)
* Fernando Quesada – bass (2007–2013)
* Junior Carelli – keyboards, piano (2012–2013)
* Alirio Netto – vocals (2019–2023)
;
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Ritual
A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...
'' (2002) No. 101 French Charts # 80 Japanese Charts
* ''
Reason
Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...
'' (2005) # 200 Japanese Charts
* ''Immortal'' (2007)
* ''Origins'' (2010)
* ''Rescue'' (2022)
Demo albums
* ''Shaman'' (2001)
Live albums
* ''RituAlive'' (2003)
* ''AnimeAlive'' (2008)
* Live at Masters of Rock (2011)
Singles
* "Fairy Tale" (2002)
* "For Tomorrow" (2003)
* "Innocence" (2005)
* "
Kurenai" (
X Japan
is a Japanese Rock music, rock band from Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki (musician), Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi (musician), Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power metal, power/speed metal band with ...
cover, 2009)
Videography
Music videos
* "Fairy Tale" (2002)
* "For Tomorrow" (2003)
* "Innocence" (as Shaaman, 2005)
* "More" (as Shaaman, 2005)
* "In the Dark" (2007)
* "Finally Home" (2010)
* "Ego" (2011)
* "Nocturnal Human Side" (2013)
* "Brand New Me" (2020)
* "Turn Away (Live)" (2020)
* "Reason" (2020)
DVDs
*''RituAlive'' (2003)
*''Animelive'' (2008)
*''Shaman & Orchestra – One Live'' (2011)
See also
*
Angra
*
Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. They were a major force in the groove metal, thrash met ...
*
Dr. Sin
References
External links
Official website(archived)
YouTube channelShaman – The French RitualShaman in Rockrepublik
{{Shaman
2000 establishments in Brazil
2023 disestablishments in Brazil
Brazilian power metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 2000
Musical groups disestablished in 2023
Musical groups from São Paulo
Brazilian symphonic metal musical groups
Sibling musical groups
Scarlet Records artists