Andre Ricardo

Biography - Andre Andre Matos was born on September 14th, 1971, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His parents introduced him to the world of music as he was very young, and he began to learn to play the piano at the age of 10. His theory about playing and writing music is not only to work hard and be serious, but also - and mainly - to know how to listen to your own heart. Indeed, music is such a magical thing that it can’t be limited with precise rules. His style’s being so peculiar is probably due to a wide range of musical influences. Classical music, heavy metal, rock music, and traditional Brazilian music are the biggest part of his inspiration, and you can notice them in the way Andre writes music. The first band he played in was Viper. He first joined the band as keyboard player, but he was engaged as a singer - not because of his voice, but because he looked like Bruce Dickinson! Viper brought him experience of live playing, for example as a support act to Motorhead in Brazil. Their first album came out in 1987 and it was warmly welcomed by the Brazilian critics. Theater of Fate, released in 1989, allowed Matos to expressed himself a little more. This album includes 'Moonlight', Andre’s song written all by himself, which set the style of what Angra would be in the future - with classical orchestrations and instrumental maelstrom. Although this album was successful, Viper decided then to turn to a more basic heavy metal, to a more simple music which didn’t suit Andre. So he quit the band and decided to focus on classical music and he studied composing and orchestra conducting. He had his degree in 1994, but Angra had been created meanwhile... And the call of heavy metal was strong... Together with Luis Mariutti on the bass guitar, Ricardo Confessori on the drums and Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt on guitars, they recorded 5 discs (3 LP + 2 EP) that were very successful in Brazil, in Europe, and in Japan. Thanks to Angra, Andre was able to express is skills in composing, as well as in singing. Though there had been some tensions before recording the 'Fireworks' album, the band stayed united. But some time after the end of the 1998-1999 tour, when the fans were longing for a new album, Angra split. Right away, Andre created Shaman with Ricardo and Luis, and Hugo Mariutti -Luis’s brother- on the guitar. This band, seen by many fans as Angra’s successor, toured in early 2001, and is planning to release its first album in early 2002. Besides, Andre Matos took part in several musical side-projects. We was a guest on some albums from Brazilian bands like: Time Machine, Looking Glass Self, or guitarist Rodrigo Alves. His latest appearance is on Avantasia, Tobias Sammet’s (from Edguy) metal opera masterpiece. His most personal project is called Virgo. The album was released late September 2001. This band, which is more than a side-project, is actually a duet with Sascha Paeth, the producer of some Angra’s albums, and a good friend of Andre’s. Virgo doesn’t play metal. It’s more like rock music with various aspects, added to Andre’s beloved classical and Brazilian influences.

Luis Hugo