"I guess I am", laughs new Angra frontman Edu Falaschi down the line from Brazil. "It has been a great experience to join and be a part of this band. It was pretty easy to join Angra. No real pressure."

You'd think that taking over the singer position (from Andre Matos) in an already established band like Brazil's progressive/power/heavy metal act Angra would be quite the task, but not for Falaschi, who along with drummer Aquiles Priester and bassist Felipe Andreoli (who replaced Ricardo Confessori and Luis Mariutti) joined founding members, guitarists and main songwriters Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt to complete the new line-up of Angra and put out the stellar _Rebirth_ on SPV.

Indeed it does look like it was an easy transition. Falaschi explains: "I am very famous in the heavy metal scene here in Brazil and that made things easier for me. I have been singing professionally for about ten years now and people know me and knew that me joining Angra was a great thing. But it was a bit different around the world and the response that people were giving to the new line-up. I think people weren't sure of what to expect, but sales have been great, so they must have caught on."

"We just want people to know that this is a new band", the singer says. "But the essence of Angra remains. People understand what we are doing musically. I am very glad with the results that we are getting around the world with _Rebirth_. People just seem to be excited and that makes us even more excited."

I admit to Falaschi that while I was a fan of Angra's previous work, the new album with him singing far surpasses anything they have done in my books. The new album soars under his superb vocals, especially on tracks like "Millennium Sun", "Heroes of Sand" and the title track. Impressive, to say the least!

"I'm very happy to be a part of this. Everyone is saying that Angra is much better now, a lot heavier and a much stronger structure than in years past, and I can hear that. It makes us feel good to see that people are so into what we have done with _Rebirth_. The band has matured a lot and the new members, including myself, have brought a lot more diverse dynamics into what we do now. There is no pressure to be a part of this and be the frontman. We all know change is hard to deal with, but it has been smooth. Musically we are at our best."

And other than dealing with the pressure of taking over the frontman position, what was the songwriting experience like for _Rebirth_?

"We worked as a real team, very much like bothers. I have known Kiko and Rafael for a long time and you can just see the great work that we do together. The songs are just so vibrant", he states. "This album was a lot of fun for me. I composed three songs for this record: "Heroes of Sand", "Nova Era" and "Judgement Day". The next album I hope to contribute a lot more. I hope we all are able to get a lot out of us as a team. It all seems to be working really well for us now."

This is a very emotional record, a special record that symbolizes change and perseverance. Does Falaschi agree? "I agree totally with your comments", he answers. "There are a lot of emotions here. We are living a new moment in our lives. When we went into the studio to record this album we intended to make sure that we showcased our best possible work. For all the new members, it was a great experience, because this was going to be the first time that we would show our talent to the world. Because of that, I think this record was an emotional thing for all of us. We put our hearts into every song and every arrangement."

"This album is probably the most important album of my life. I love this album a lot because I think I my singing is the best that it ever has been. I was so enthusiastic about being a part of Angra. It was a big challenge and I think we got through this with flying colours. We are already composing songs for the next album, which should come out sometime in 2003, and it is going well. We are trying new things, some songs are heavier than what you find on _Rebirth_, and it is so much easier because we are accustomed to each other. The team effort is glowing bright."

After singing for so many years in the music business, with the solo career and now with Angra, what keeps you inspired to keep wanting to do this?

He responds: "The main reason that I do this is because I love singing and creating music, and even though I know from experience that there is very little money in this, I am still inspired to create and sing. I love singing heavy metal songs and listening to heavy metal bands from many different countries. I used to sing a lot in the bathroom when I was growing up <laughs> and always wanted to do something I love. I love where I am now, being a part of Angra, and I love that our fans around the world are into what we have provided them with in _Rebirth_. Right now it can't get any better than this."

As some fans of Angra may know, Falaschi was approached many years ago to fill the spot of another heavy metal band that had recently parted ways with their singer. The band was Iron Maiden. Explains Falaschi about his 1994 experience (when he was 22): "It was a really weird and an exciting time for me. I was approached to try out for Iron Maiden after Bruce Dickinson had left and submitted stuff from my previous band at the time, Mitrium. It was a great moment, but so long ago. It really did wonders for me to get my name out, especially in Brazil. Lots of newspapers and magazines were talking about this and it was such a big news item."

"I was very young and I had no real experience and I think that was what really didn't get me the job in the end", he explains. "After that I studied a lot vocally and was always making the effort to improve. I am happy that it happened and that experience has pushed me even farther as a singer."

That is too bad that he hadn't joined Iron Maiden, 'cause being from Brazil, Falaschi must be a good soccer player and would have been a great asset to Iron Maiden's recreational soccer team. "Yes", he ends laughing. "I am very good at soccer. Of course I am, I am from Brazil. <laughs> I didn't make their team, but we could have won a lot of games..."