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Hibria's first album, Defying the Rules, gets a lot of love from the Heavy Metal community but their crunchy, speedy brand of Power Metal has never resonated with me. I felt that way about The Skull Collectors and the same holds true for their latest, 2013's Silent Revenge. Normally, this stuff is right up my alley with sharp, thrashy riffing, gritty yet clean vocals and speedy tempos. There's just something about Hibria's delivery that doesn't work for me. It could be the vocals, which I find a little whiny and grating or it could be that all the songs sound alike, I don't really know. I readily admit there's nothing wrong with the rhythm section or the guitar work, especially the solos, which are top notch, but nothing seems to come together in any one song.

If you liked any of Hibria's previous albums, there is no way you won't like Silent Revenge. It is completely faithful to the sound the band started with the debut. If you like crunchy, speedy Power Metal and you've never listened to Hibria before, you should, as these guys can definitely play and you may get more mileage than I do. And since Silent Revenge is little different from any other Hibria album, it is as good a place to start as any.