If you like your metal melodic and well-written, you owe it to yourself to listen to ‘Jurupary’, the sophomore album of Brazilian quintet Vocifer. Not only is it a massive improvement over their 2020 debut ‘Boiuna’, it contains some of the best power metal songwriting I have heard in a while. Vocifer’s songs are supremely catchy, but unlike many modern power metal trends, there is more to them than just pop songs with distorted guitars. Every track on ‘Jurupary’ is brimming with memorable hooks, intricate guitar work and a sense of dynamics that many of Vocifer’s elders should envy.

With Vocifer being Brazilian and their roots clearly being on display lyrically – and sometimes musically – comparisons to Angra are unavoidable. But while those comparisons aren’t completely unjustified, the way Vocifer makes dense, complex guitar arrangements sound far more accessible than they really are, almost dreamy, is more reminiscent of Italian progressive power metal bands like Labÿrinth or Secret Sphere. Every musician involved with ‘Jurupary’ is clearly highly skilled, but that never gets in the way of the memorability of the songwriting. Moreover, the arrangements and production create a perfect balance between all the elements featured on ‘Jurupary’.

Things are off to a flying start with ‘The Voice of Light’, which in a way sounds like a typical opener for a melodic power metal album, but it’s not quite as bombastic as those usually are. One major benefit of that is that the song remains highly impressive once the impact of the bombast wears off. The hopeful melancholy of the chorus is too strong to lose its appeal. ‘Vanity in Disguise’ has a similar vibe and is one of the highlights on ‘Jurupary’. ‘Life’ and ‘Bridge to the Stars’ are slightly more proggy variations on that sound, while ‘Wings of Hope’ is the most traditional power metal track here.

Stylistically consistent as ‘Jurupary’ is, Vocifer manages to inject just enough variation into the material to keep things interesting without straying too far from their core sound. ‘Pleasure Paradise’, for instance, has a distinct hardrock vibe, most prominently in its excellent chorus. The following ‘I Am’ is surprisingly heavy, while ‘Rain of Doubts’ is a largely acoustic ballad that surprisingly resists the urge to go full-on power ballad in its climax. ‘We Are’ has the most pronounced Brazilian elements with its tom-heavy rhythms and percussion provided by Tambores do Tocantins. ‘Jurupary’ has a very pleasant flow and stays interesting throughout its 47 minutes of playing time.

‘Jurupary’ has transformed Vocifer from a promising metal band into potentially one of the future leaders of the Brazilian power metal scene. It’s that good. Streamlining the songwriting has helped a lot, as has the fact that João Noleto’s vocals have improved. It honestly is hard to imagine anyone else singing this material; his smooth, emotional delivery is simply perfect for it. Don’t be fooled by the accessible nature of ‘Jurupary’ though: Pedro Scheid and Gustavo Borges deliver some incredible guitar work here. Words cannot do justice to how good this album is, however. Listen for yourself and prepare to be blown away.

Recommended tracks: ‘Vanity in Disguise’, ‘We Are’, ‘The Voice of Light’, ‘Pleasure Paradise’