Symbols

Symbols were a Brazilian band formed in São Paulo in 1997, notable above all for bringing together two brothers who would become known names in the country's metal: Edu Falaschi and Tito Falaschi. The combination of the two voices — Edu on lead vocals, Tito adding voice to bass — gave the group a vocal identity uncommon in the Brazilian scene of that period. The classic line-up, active between 1997 and 2001, also included Demian Tiguez and Rodrigo Arjonas on guitars, Rodrigo Mello on drums and Marcelo Panzardi on keyboards. The debut album Symbols appeared in 1998, followed by Call to the End in 2000 — records that placed the band in melodic heavy metal territory with a strong keyboard presence, close to what was being made in Europe but with an identity of its own. In 2001 Edu Falaschi left the group; shortly afterwards he would take over vocals in Angra, replacing Andre Matos, a move that redefined his career. Symbols continued with a new line-up between 2002 and 2004, now with Demian Tiguez and Rodrigo Mello at the core, alongside César Talarico on bass and Fabrizio Di Sarno on keyboards. That phase produced Faces, released in 2004, the band's third and last studio album. Activity ceased in 2005. In 2012 the classic line-up reunited for a one-off, a commemorative reunion that brought the six original members back to the stage. Three albums in seven years make Symbols a short-catalogue band, but it holds a specific place in Brazilian metal history: it is where the voice that would define Angra's most popular phase in the 2000s formed itself as a studio and stage singer.