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I've never been much of a fan of Brazil's Hibria not even their much-lauded debut Defying the Rules (I have been suitably shamed by Sargon for this transgression, so hold your angry comments). I don't think they are bad I just don't get what the big deal is. I'm always open to being wrong however, seeing as it happens so frequently anyway, so I went into their fifth full-length with an open mind. This self-titled release sees little change in the band's formula of speedy tempos, punchy riffs and catchy choruses that puts them on the crunchy side of Power Metal. My recollections of their previous albums may be flawed but on Hibria the guitars are absolutely HUGE and pummel your eardrums with abandon. The fact they sound more coherent within the framework of the song is a step up in writing from what I was expecting. Then we have the solos which are things of beauty. On highlight songs like "Tightrope" and "Church" they are simple and straightforward but masterfully executed. On the other hand we get some down-tuning here and there, a few harsh vocals that are out of place and horns. I admire them for trying something different but horns and metal almost never works and here they take some of the piss out of "Ashamed."

Hibria the album proves that Hibria the band have some fight left in them though I don't think it's likely to win a slew of new converts. It should keep existing fans of the band happy, though.