Band:	Papangu
Album:	Lampi​ã​o Rei
Style:	Avantgarde metal, Progressive rock, Sludge metal
Release date:	September 2024
A review by:	RaduP

01. Acende A Luz: I. Alquimia
02. Acende A Luz: II. O Encandeio / III. Sagüatimbó
03. Boitatá (Incidente Na Pia Batismal Da Capela De Bom Jesus Dos Aflitos)
04. Oferenda No Alguidar
05. Mulher Rendeira
06. Sol Raiar (Caminhando Na Manhã Bonita)
07. Maracutaia
08. Ruínas
09. Rito De Coroação

When I covered Papangu's debut three years ago, they impressed me for their blend of sludge metal and very niche prog rock. Well, now the metal aspect has been pushed back for Lampi​ã​o Rei.

So, just to be clear, Lampi​ã​o Rei has some metal elements, but it's not a metal album. If anything, it's a prog rock album.

Still reading? Good.

It's not like prog rock is miles away from metal, we do feature a whole bunch of bands that primarily do prog rock, mostly because they have their moments bordering on prog metal. But just because a band is prog rock doesn't mean that they're automatically appealing to metal the same way other tangential genres like noise rock of hardcore punk are. If Lampi​ã​o Rei was the point of reference, I'm not sure we'd add Papangu to the database. There have been heavier albums that we've covered in our non-metal feature. If Holoceno was a "zeuhl metal" album, Lampi​ã​o Rei is an album with some metallic sections. Looking at it from a metal perspective therefore is not doing it a huge service.

First, "zeuhl" might not be something that rings any bells for anyone who isn't a huge prog nerd. The long explanation is that it's a niche branch of prog rock that's more jazzy, avant-garde, and operatic. The short explanation is that it's what Magma were doing in the 70s, and it's impossible to make prog like this without being compared to them. Listen to Mekanïk Destruktïẁ Kommandöh and come back later. You'll notice the obvious similarities, but also it's clear that Lampi​ã​o Rei is more than just a metallic version of that, while also being more than just a less metal version of Holoceno. In short Lampi​ã​o Rei is much brighter than Holoceno and takes a lot more jazz and scenic influences than being merely zeuhl.

Jazz is already a part of the zeuhl, but there's something almost bossa nova-ish to how the jazz on Lampi​ã​o Rei can sometimes sound. Sure, there's also that 70s touch of jazz fusion, but with more flutes and keys and a folkish touch, and some of that palette comes from the lineup being expanded since the last album. Papangu being Brazilian and making that very clear through their music, even more so this time around, so it does often remind me of stuff like Bríi or sonhos tomam conta or Deafkids with the prog setting all the way up. Even with the folky, funky, psychedelic, and metallic (including some harsh vocals) elements, it doesn't feel like Lampi​ã​o Rei is all over the place, but throughout its 45 minutes runtime, the album flows with an almost dreamlike quality, sometimes feeling like a lost album from a period past, sometimes feeling like something very forward-thinking.

I remember when I interviewed Deafkids and asked the band for some Brazilian music recommendations. With some shame I have to admit that I didn't follow-up on that. Considering the unapologetic Brazilian-ness of Lampi​ã​o Rei and the increasing amount of Brazilian music influence on some of the metal and metal-adjacent music that entered my rotation, I should eventually make good on my part. From where I am right now, there's something very unique and playful about what Papangu are doing here.