Andre Matos

Andre Matos was a heavy metal vocalist and pianist from Brazil. He played in the bands Viper, Angra and Shaman before launching a successful solo career.

He first played with Viper in 1985 when he was 13-years-old. The band's debut album was 'Soldiers of Sunrise' in 1987. He joined Angra in 1991 writing most of the songs on debut album 'Angels Cry', which included the popular track 'Carry On'. Matos' songs were noted for combining his high-pitched vocals with speed metal, classical and Brazilian musical influences. In 2001 Angra split and Matos joined Shaman. Their first album was 'Ritual' and their song 'Fairy Story' was used in the TV soap opera 'Beijo do Vampiro'. Their second album was 'Reason'.

In 2006 Matos embarked on a solo career. The acclaimed album 'Time to Be Free' was released in 2007 featuring the anthemic 'Letting Go'. His next solo album was 2009's 'Mentalize'. In 2010 Matos appeared in the metal opera 'Avantasia'. In 2012 he released the album 'The Turn of the Lights', which highlighted his songwriting partnership with guitarist Hugo Mariatti. In his later years he played with the reunited Shaman. Matos died in June 2019 from a heart attack at the age of 47.