Hibria comes from Porto Alegre, Brazil. They started out in 1996, and are a very promising melodic power metal band.

DEFYING THE RULES (2004, 2005) MAGICK/REMEDY RECORDS

Brazil was long seen upon as the country that would spawn the next heavy metal revolution. New bands were popping up all over, but unfortunately very few of them ever got any recognition. And in some cases, that is a real travesty. Hibria for example, should have become just as big as any of the contemporaries hailing out of Sweden and Finland. They are playing melodic power metal, and I have dubbed them Brazil's answer to Dream Evil. Their debut album, entitled "Defying The Rules", is the sort of CD that doesn't leave my player for days, when I first put it on. Everything just clicks with this band. In Iuri they defiantly have a powerhouse vocalist that doesn't stand back for anyone! And without the typical South American accent, he certainly has an edge over most of his Brazilian metal-brothers. I also absolutely love the bass work on this album. More bands should strive for this kind of excellence. 'Defying The Rules' might just become one of those almost unheard of gems that so many more metal heads need to know about. This is classic heavy metal to be proud of! Some versions of this album comes with a cool instrumental intro. Not sure why it was omitted from my CD.

Killer tracks: Steel Lord On Wheels, Millennium Quest, Living Under Ice, The Faceless In Charge, Stare At Yourself

THE SKULL COLLECTORS (2008) REMEDY RECORDS/SPIRITUAL BEAST

We would have to wait 4 years for Hibria's follow up to their debut. And what a highly anticipated sophomore release this was. With a new drummer on board, the band unleashed 'The Skull Collector' in 2008.

This album picks up pretty much where the debut left off. This is fast, melodic power metal, anchored in the European version of the genre. With soaring powerhouse vocals, crunchy riffs and some killer bass work, all churched out by a dream team of musicians, Hibria is sure to please fans of real heavy metal. The songs are very catchy, and performed with so much conviction. The production is powerful, yet not sterile. Think Dream Evil, or maybe even 'Painkiller' era Judas Priest. Everything I wrote about 'Defying The Rules' is also true for 'The Skull Collectors'. Fact is, the 4 years has not changed the band one bit. And I'm glad they didn't try to reinvent their winning formula. There is always a problem in trying to outdo yourself on each release, especially when the album you're trying to outdo got so high praise in the first place. 'The Skull Collectors' is not trying to outdo 'Defying The Rules'. It just gives it full throttle, and both records are equally good. Being the closest thing to a sequel, I don't think 'The Skull Collector' will go down in history as such a classic as 'Defying The Rule'. That doesn't mean it's a lesser album, it just has more to prove. So if you liked the debut, the follow up will please you just as well.

The Japanese version I own comes with a demo track as a bonus.

Killer tracks: Tiger Punch, Reborn From The Ashes, Devoted To Your Fear, The Skull Collectors, Burning All The Flags, Wings Of Wax