Edu Falaschi has been on a roll since he assembled an all-star Brazilian power/prog band around him and started working on a suite of albums that are so ridiculously ambitious that I can’t help but respect it. Like ‘Vera Cruz‘ and ‘Eldorado‘ before it, ‘Mi’raj’ is a concept album presenting a story seeped in vaguely historical, though heavily romanticized themes, and this time, the Middle East takes center stage. While this is also subtly reflected in the music, ‘Mi’raj’ is mostly dominated by the kind of progressive power metal that Angra excelled at when Falaschi fronted them.

Compared to ‘Eldorado’, ‘Mi’raj’ has made a number of significant improvements. First off, the music is given far more room to breathe. It leans heavier into the prog side of the power/prog equation than the previous two albums, which especially means that guitarists Diogo Mafra and Victor Franco don’t cram the songs as full of warp-speed guitar runs, in an almost DragonForce-esque sort of way, than the metal songs on its predecessor did. Also, ‘Eldorado’ had three absolutely dreadful ballads, whereas ‘Mi’raj’ only has ‘On Your Own’ running its chorus in the ground for the last minute and a half or so.

However, don’t expect Falaschi to dive into something hyper-complex for ‘Mi’raj’. It is mostly focused around very dynamic songwriting that supports the narrative thread running through the album. Also, ‘Mi’raj’ still offers a lot of space for the big, anthemic power metal that made Falaschi a household name. It doesn’t take long to find it either, as opening track ‘Watchers of the Light’ goes straight for that grand, triumphant ‘Spread Your Fire’ sound, though it admittedly is slightly more subtle. The somewhat more proggy ‘Here I Stand’ and closing track ‘Wrath into the War’ are other excellent examples of this sound.

One track that truly stood out immediately is ‘Unchained’. Its title makes it sound like another power metal anthem, but it’s actually the closest Falaschi has ever come to creating a progressive rock song. I wonder if he listens to Providence’s fantastic debut album ‘And I’ll Recite On Old Myth From……‘, as the fusion-esque riffs, the use of synths, and the melodic progressions strongly remind me of that album. Another stand-out track is the following ‘Intuição’, which has a distinct MPB vibe that makes it easily the best ballad on the album – though admittedly, whether it is a ballad is debatable.

While it is too early to tell whether ‘Mi’raj’ will dethrone ‘Vera Cruz’ as my favorite non-Angra album Falaschi sings on, it most certainly has me reaching for the skip button less than ‘Eldorado’. Although an album like ‘Mi’raj’ can only exist when an artist has virtually unlimited resources, I can’t help but love how Falaschi chooses to spend those. At times, the albums feel like the fever dream of a crazed progressive power metal lover, but I happen to be one of those, so it simply resonates with me. If you are as well, don’t skip on ‘Mi’raj’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Unchained’, ‘Wrath into the War’, ‘Here I Stand’