After being less than impressed with this band's previous release, Seaquake, I was quite pleased to hear such a marked improvement on their latest album, Adrift. Stauros is a Brazilian metal band that is a solid mix of power and progressive metal. They are quite popular in Brazil, and have sold over 100,000 copies of their four albums combined. They even appeared on the recent Rowe Productions compilation, Southern Extremities. The production is very well done on this release, which allows their fine musicianship to take center stage. Great solos and crunchy guitars give headbangers plenty to get excited about. These guys can get fairly heavy, but also deliver two show-stopping ballads that really show their versatility. One setback is understanding Carlos Cesar's vocals. They are sung in English, but his accent makes it difficult to follow without the lyric sheet. Standout cuts are "Sacred Blow," "Bullfighter," and the Guns-n-Rose-ish "A New Chance." I can see some room for improvement on future releases, but the talent is definitely there. You can pick this disc up at RadRockers.com.
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