Hibria – Silent Revenge

Hibria-Silent-Revenge-Front-CoverHailing from Brazil, Hibria is a quintet that combines power and speed metal with elements of thrash. Like fellow Brazilian heavy metal acts there is a ferocious intensity in their music, but with Iuri Sanson’s melodic and high-pitched vocals there is also a serenity in the midst of the thunder-clap. They have released four albums in the last nine years, the latest of which, Silent Revenge, was released in Europe this month.

Prominent drum work from Eduardo Baldo kicks things off on the opening title track. The music proceeds at a furious gallop in this solid first act while Sanson’s lyrics soar. ‘Lonely Fight’ is highly reminiscent of Killswitch Engage in terms of rhythm and guitar work. Benhur Lima gets the chance to display his skills in a bass break about a third of the way through, and Sanson continues to shine with powerful clean vocals. I liked the guitar exchange during the latter half of this one, a tremendous back and forth between Abel Camargo and Renato Osorio that serves to hint at more great solo work to follow.

‘Deadly Vengeance’ is an infectiously fun track to listen to. Baldo is frenetic on the drums, and the guitar work has an air of the addictive hooks of Rammstein. There’s also a hint of Bullet For My Valentine in there. A melodic break halfway through the song featuring only a piano backing Sanson’s vocals is a distinctive change of pace, and the guitar solos which follow are superbly executed. A real standout track on the whole. The following number ‘Walking to Death’ has a much deeper sound to the preceding number, this one is a real headbanger’s song. Layered vocals are followed by a fast-paced musical gallop, putting me in mind of Judas Priest’s Painkiller, and once again the dual guitar work backed by a prominent bass is scintillating.

‘Silence Will Make You Suffer’ attempts to combine ambiance with chugging pace in a way that had, as yet, not been fully realized on this album. The softening of the music to allow Sanson’s lyrics to take centre stage is a nice touch, but in truth this is the only distinguishing aspect of a track that is a little too long. The quest for ambiance continues with the melodic ‘Shall I Keep On Burning’. For the first minute the guitars are acoustic, and the song is a harmonious ballad. I was actually a little disappointed when things got heavy again, I really would have liked to hear the whole thing continue in the same vein as the first few moments. Luckily, the European version of the album comes with a bonus track that is just that, an unplugged version of this song. I would say it’s superior, but that being said the bass work on the album version is very good, and the guitar solos are certainly atmospheric.

‘The Place That You Belong’ brings back the quick-fire rhythm of the album’s earlier numbers, as well as a wacky little bass routine early on. A well-placed mid-song break recalls the ethereal touch of the previous two numbers. The opening of ‘The Scream Of An Angel’ is very, very much like something you would hear in an early Iron Maiden album, before things come crashing into the modern age with light piano chords backing up the heavy instrumentation. There is something addictive and endearing about this almost nu-metal touch, and it certainly works for the song.

Final number ‘The Way It Is’ is a lengthy conclusion at nearly nine minutes. Right from the start this one retains just the right pace, with the rhythm broken up at the right moments in such a way that prevents monotony. Each member of the band is given a chance to show off their skills through a solo, especially Benhur Lima, who throughout this whole song showcased exceptional bass prowess. Staying prominent in the listener’s ear even with outstanding guitar work, he really channels Steve Harris. Whereas ‘Silence Will Make You Suffer’ felt a little too long, this awesome closer is over all too soon.

Technical tenacity and skillful mastery of the craft make this a fantastic modern album with a taste of the most brilliant of classic metal influences. This is not one to be missed.

 

HIBRIA are:

Iuri Sanson – Vocals

Abel Camargo – Guitars

Renato Osorio – Guitars

Benhur Lima – Bass

Eduardo Baldo – Drums

 

 Tracklisting:

01. Silent Revenge

02. Lonely Fight

03. Deadly Vengeance

04. Walking To Death

05. Silence Will Make You Suffer

06. Shall I Keep On Burning

07. The Place That You Belong

08. The Scream Of An Angel

09. The Way It Is

10. Shall I Keep On Burning Unplugged (European Bonus Track)

 

Links:

Official Hibria Site

Hibria Facebook

About Michael Dodd

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