Shaman (Brazilian Band) - Biography

Biography

The band was formed in mid 2000, when musicians Andre Matos (Vocals, keyboards, ex-Viper), Luis Mariutti (Bass, ex-Firebox) and Ricardo Confessori (Drums, ex-Korzus) left the band Angra. At the time the band was assembled, they did not have a guitarist, so Hugo Mariutti (ex-Henceforth) was initially hired to assist in the compositions. Later they permanently integrated him into the band.

The name chosen for the band, Shaman, refers to the religious practice of shamanism, with the word "shaman" generally thought to be of Siberian origin.

They started an initial tour, which went through Europe and Latin America (specifically: France, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil). For live keyboards the band requested the help of musician Fábio Ribeiro (Blezqi Zatsaz, ex-Angra).

Mixing heavy metal, classical music and world music, the band started recording their debut album, entitled Ritual, in January 2002. The disc was entirely recorded in Germany, with the exception of a few tracks which were recorded in Brazil and the US. The production was managed by the producer Sascha Paeth, who also produced albums for Angra, Edguy, Rhapsody of Fire and Virgo and with co-production of Phil Colodetti.

Ritual was released in more than 15 countries. The World Ritual Tour lasted for one year and a half, touring in such places as: Brazil, Asia, Latin America and Europe. There were over 150 shows at that time, some presented twice in the same place.

During 2003, Shaman were among the first place slots for Brazil, with Ritual being awarded the best album of 2002 and 2004 by the readers of Folha de S. Paulo, a Brazilian newspaper. Later in 2004, the band opened for Iron Maiden's show in São Paulo, playing to an audience of over 45,000.

The band then recorded a live show in the Credicard Hall with the participation of several special guests such as Tobias Sammet, Marcus Viana, Andi Deris, Sascha Paeth, George Mouzayek and Michael Weikath. The show was then released on CD and DVD, entitled RituAlive. The engineering and mixing was done entirely at The Creative Studios in São Paulo, Brazil and the production was done by Phil Colodetti together with the Shaman members. According to director of Universal Music of Brazil, RituAlive is still the best DVD of its genre due to its quality and contents.

In 2005, with the second album almost completed and ready to release, they decided to rename the album to avoid a court hearing by another band. The band also decided to add an 'A' to its name as Shaaman. The name change occurred after another band named Shaman was consulted and specified that the meaning and pronunciation of the name were still the same.

In the following months, the new album, entitled Reason, was released. The result of Reason, which was mixed in Germany by the producer Sascha Paeth and recorded in Brazil by Phil Colodetti at Creative Studios, attempted to return the feeling and spirit of 80's heavy metal. Their first single, named "Innocence" from the Reason was played on radio stations and further split the official charts of the highest charting songs in Brazil. The video for the song also appeared on music TV channels.

Shaaman then went on a hiatus which was confirmed on October 12, 2006, when a statement by bass player Luís Mariutti was released on the fansite For Tomorrow that "the band had called it a day."

Ricardo Confessori, the only remaining member of Shaaman, decided to continue the band with a new line-up. Later the album, entitled Immortal, was released in 2007.