PAPANGU - Celestial

"Celestial" is the third album by Brazil's Papangu. It arrives after two exceptional chapters, "Holoceno" (2021) and "Lampião Rei" (2024), which established them as one of the most interesting bands on the progressive metal scene of the decade. The trajectory is clear: from their initial mutant blend of extreme metal and progressive, they've shifted toward a more elegant jazz-rock formula open to all sorts of cross-pollination. Through it all, the Brazilian dimension of their sound remains central, with frequent nods to ciranda and forró, traditional styles from the country's northeast, as well as to música popular brasileira (MPB) more broadly.

Gentle Giant seem to be the starting point for opener "Mau-olhado", a frenetic, colorful slice of fusion reinforced with metal muscle and an Hammond organ taking center stage. The dreamy "Colosso" hides bursts of black-metal drumming amid celestial melodies, with sweet guitar digressions and keyboard lines. The dark aggression of old surfaces above all in "Taxidermia", sung in growls, and it's also one of the tracks where the influence of King Crimson is most evident.
Two instrumental tracks, the more rollicking "Bode expiatório" and the gentler "Celeste", lead into the psychedelic "Fechamento de corpo", with further flashes of growled vocals and more pronounced metal elements, including an explosive closing guitar solo.
Brazilian music instead takes center stage on "Calado (de olho)", set within a lively fusion framework, and "Afirmação", a dance driven by thundering metal guitars and shimmering organ.

The exuberance of the past has crystallized into elegance, without entirely losing its unpredictability. Less adventurous than the previous two chapters, and certainly less explosive and elusive, "Celestial" confirms the singularity of a band that sounds at once respectful of the classics and capable of original reinterpretation and synthesis. An album more accessible than the (superior) chapters that came before it, one that will also appeal to those who aren't well versed in metal. Recorded entirely without the aid of computers and in analog, running completely against the current tide of AI.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

11/09/2026