HIBRIA - Hibria
July 15, 2015, 8 years ago
(Test Your Metal)
New Canadian label issuing the fifth album by Brazilian metallers who will undertake an extensive tour before/after they play ProgPower USA this Fall. While many call them power metal (and past efforts gracing these ears have squarely fallen within that realm), there's a more polished sound emanating from Hibria, with a nod to traditional metal and a dash of American power glam, like classic Skid Row. Apart from the helium ingesting vocals and trumpet fanfares, the urgent opener "Pain" (all ten cuts sporting one-word titles) could have been off Slaves To The Grind.
Similar brass horn/sax flourishes can be heard on the otherwise modern, stop-start "Ashamed" and the bonus track, a karaoke version of "Pain", is a uptown horn laced take on funk! "Tightrope" showcases more aggressive, oft staccato riffing, guitars, but there's a tunefulness to the melodies that almost belies metal constructs. Aside from an atypical ending, the infectious "Ghosts" sounds like something from '80s MTV. Guest female vocals on "Fame" are courtesy of Crucified Barbara's Mia Coldheart. "Legacy" has brief moments of shouted (atonal) vocals and the proper disc ending "Words" repeatedly drops the f-bomb. Interested to hear how some of this translates live.
