Hibria

Originally released in their homeland last year, this is the North American debut release from Brazilian quintet Hibria. Together since 1997, while the band had released a few underground demos, this is their first proper studio effort. Like similarly styled power metal outfits Hammerfall and Edguy, the band play a brand of up-tempo true heavy metal that could have been released in 1985. With nearly operatic vocals, twin wailing guitars and songs loaded with anthemic choruses, this is enjoyable in small doses but ultimately isn’t something listeners will be reaching for again and again.