A lot of mystery was in the air when Andre Matos, Luís Mariutti and Ricardo Confessori split from Angra. The general worry was the future of each one. In the end of the second semester of 2000, the good news came... the three musicians, who sold together more than a million copies worldwide and who performed uncountable tours, founded now once again together a new band: Shaman!
The name comes from the ancient times, and it means ´medicine man´, the one that heals using nature. Shamanism is an ancient culture that expanded until today. Some people call it witchcraft, others call it mysticism... we can assure that this name could not be more suggestive, as music is one of the most effective means of healing, by passing on a message.
But there was a guitar player missing, and that is how Hugo Mariutti was called. First it was just to help on the compositions. The result was so positive and unexpected that they ended up finding the guitar player they were looking for!
The band was finally complete, Shaman went out on a debut tour through Europe and Latin America (France, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil), presenting their new songs live. They were very well received by the audience and specialized critics, acclaimed beyond all expectations!!
With a mix between traditional heavy metal and Brazil's regional rhythms, Shamanrecorded their first album titled Ritual. The album was recorded at Gate & Pathway Studios in Wolfsburg/Germany. Also some parts where recorded on Brazil. The production was made by acclaimed producer Sascha Paeth (Angra, Kamelot, Rhapsody, Virgo).
Ritual was a huge hit not only in Brazil, but worldwide, and so the Ritual World Tour started. The tour take place mostly on Brazil (30 shows) and many Europe countries (14 shows).
On 2003, the album RituAlive was released, featuring Shaman's live performance. It was recorded on São Paulo. RituAlive was also released on DVD.
