100210 fans
The Brazilian heavy metal band Angra was formed in São Paulo in 1991 by college friends Rafael Bittencourt, Andre Matos and André Linhares. During rehearsals Matos and Bittencourt emerged as the band's main songwriters and almost 30 years after their initial meeting Bittencourt remains the band's main songwriter.Throughout its history, the band have consistently struggled to maintain a stable line-up and various musicians have come and gone and with personnel issues and management problems the band have suffered two enforced breaks from playing which on each occasion stalled their career for two years, one in 1999 and the other in 2007. The band have now recorded nine studio albums, the most successful of which was their 1993 debut album 'Angels Cry' which sold 900,000 copies and launched the band into the lucrative Japanese heavy metal market, an audience which continues to buy the band's albums in significant numbers. Despite the various career setbacks the band have maintained a prominent international presence and are a popular attraction at rock festivals around the globe.Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
