6 MUST have power/prog albums

[Evergore]

Hey all...
I was just wondering if you could give me about 6 must have albums...
I have A LOT I was just wondering if I missed anything...Ive only been into this kinda stuff since 2001, so if you could help me out Id appreciate it...
FAV BANDS
Rhapsody
Evergrey
Iced Earth
Sonata Arctica
Gamma Ray
Symphony X

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

Helloween - Walls of Jericho
Helloween - Keeper of the seven keys pt. 1
Helloween - keeper of the seven keys pt. 2
Manticora - Hyperion
Rage - Unity
Rage - Soundchaser

Hope this helps.

Brent

 

[ashaman7122]

Evergore, I am purposely leaving out the bands you mentioned (all good bands, by the way) because I am assuming you are familiar with all their work...

Hopefully, this is a well-rounded representation of the genres...at least my interpretation of.

Prog -- Fates Warnings "Awaken The Guardian" (where modern prog really kicked in)
Dream Theater's "Images And Words" (their best-known, best-liked work)
Pain Of Salvation's "Remedy Lane" (like no other, an emotional rollercoaster)
Zero Hour's "The Towers Of Avarice" (aggressive, addictive, technical prog)
Threshold's "Hypothetical" (heavy, but melodic and catchy...and still prog)
Shadow Gallery's "Tyranny" (multi-faceted, melodic, intruiging concept album)

Power -- Helloween's "Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt. 2" (where Power started to shine)
Stratovarius' "Visions" (a solid, safe album that represents band and genre)
Blind Guardian's "Nightfall In Middle Earth" (a sound and style all their own)
Primal Fear's "Nuclear Fire" (high-octane OTT w/ Ralf Scheepers on vox)
Edguy's "Mandrake" (fun album, doing what old Helloween used to do)
Angra's "Rebirth" (melodic, emotive classy band...also check their older stuff)

I will footnote these recommendations by saying that I am more prog-oriented than power, so I stuck to more "traditional" power recommendations, realizing that "power metal" as a term kind-of encompasses a lot of bands and a lot of styles, depending on whose definition you're using. (Also, there's a lot of mediocre, and just plain shitty, bands out there banging out power metal albums...just going through the motions.

Another footnote...just got into Adagio's "Underground." Very cool...seems like a great album to have, especially if you're a Symphony X fan. Have no idea what their earlier work sounds like...

Hope this helps!

Rock on!

 

[tine984]

nighwish
blind gardian
My ruin
voltaire
Kamalot

and of course the ones you know
rhapsody
Iced earth

 

[alexofbodom]

Rage "Soundchaser"
Rage "Unity"
Blind Guardian "Imaginations from the Other Side"
Blind Guardian "Nightfall"
Angra "Rebirth"
Kamelot "Karma"
Pagans Mind "Celestial Entrance"
Dream Theater "Scenes from Metropolis"
Lost Horizon "Awakening the World"
Adagio "Underworld"
Dark Moor "Gates of Oblivion"
Brainstorm "Metus Mortis" and "Soul Temptation"
Angel Dust "Enlighten the Darkness"
Children of Bodom "Follow the Reaper" (has death/black vocals but the music itself is some of the greatest power metal in this universe)
Helloween " Rabbit Don't Come Easy"
Nevermore "Dead Heart in a Dead World"
Grave Digger "Excalibur"
Nocturnal Rites "Shadowland"
Virgin Steele "Invictus"
Labyrinth "Return to HEaven Denied"
and the list goes on...........

 

[alexofbodom]

nighwish
blind gardian
My ruin
voltaire
Kamalot

and of course the ones you know
rhapsody
Iced earth

My Ruin??? They are not power nor prog. They are not even close to being good! They are afwul!!!!uke:

 

[Evergore]

Thanks a lot guys I have a lot of the Power metal mentioned but Im def gonna check out these albums...I have all the BG discs all the Kamelot COB and Nevermore...I only have the newest nightwish but once again thanks a lot and keep the ideas coming

 

[BABS]

Here's my list of progmetal cds:

Evergrey - In Search of Truth
Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element Part I & One Hour By the Concrete Lake
Symphony X - V
Opeth - Damnation (yes, this release counts as "progressive")
The Gathering - Mandylion & Nightime Birds
Dead Soul Tribe - A Murder of Crows (Glenn should have these guys at Progpower!!!)

 

[Creeps]

hmmmm...


Helloween - the Dark Ride
Rhapsody - Dawn of Victory
Silent Force - Infatuator
Primal Fear - self titled
Iced Earth - Glorius Burden
Seven Witches - Xiled to Infinity And One
Dream Evil - Dragonslayer


these are the cds that I couldnt simply put down when I bought them.

 

[nightwish58]

1. Superior- Behind
2. Eternity X- The Edge
3. Hydrotoxin- Oceans
4. Symphony X- Divine Wings of Tragedy
5. Angra- Holy Land
6. Kamelot- The Fourth Legacy

 

[Burkhard]

As regards power, I suggest:

Vicious Rumors - "Soldiers Of The Night"
Nightwish - "Oceanborn" (definitely my favourite one!)

Prog:
Fates Warning - "The Spectre Within", "Perfect Symmetry"
Psychotic Waltz - "A Social Grace", "Into The Everflow"
Watchtower - "Control And Resistance"
Sieges Even - "Life Cycle", "Steps", "A Sense Of Change"
Toxik - "Think This"

and definitely

Atrox - "Terrestrials" , "Orgasm"
(Especially "Terrestrials" is one of the most original metal albums I´ve ever heard and it´s also played on a technically very high level; however, some people seem to have serious problems with Monika Edvardsen´s vocals - perhaps because she varies/experiments a lot with her voice (to a certain extent comparable to Kate Bush on her album "The Dreaming", though this doesn´t have anything to do with metal) and covers a much wider range than most(/any?) other metal vocalists do, so you better don´t expect another Tarja Turunen or Anneke van Giersbergen! Compared to "Terrestrials", "Orgasm" is definitely heavier, but the songs and the vocals are - IMO - easier accessible, though there are still people - even some who consider themselves "open-minded" (well, "errare humanum est" ) - who seem to have serious problems with this album in general and Monika´s vocals in particular.)

 

[Se7enChurches]

Trying to stick to bands that haven't been mentioned yet (one gripe on a previous list: "Border of Reality" and "Bleed" are much better overall releases from Angel Dust than "Enlighten the Darkness"; though it is also good, some of the ballads on it are just bad)

It may take some legwork to find some of these, but it's worth it:

Anacrusis - Screams & Whispers
Cynic - Focus
Destiny's End - Breathe Deep the Dark
Skyclad - The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea
Control Denied - Fragile Art of Existence
Spastic Ink - Ink Complete

there is your homework for now.

Ryan

 

[SavaHexe]

that is so hard to answer!!! impossible really!!
I have like 900 CDs and ~ 300 Vinyls and there is NO WAY I could pick only 12 as "the best" and "must haves"......but here comes my choice of the day, today .......albums I would never give away again:


Savatage - Hall Of The Mountain KIng
Symphorce - Phorceful Ahead
Pagan's Mind - Celestial Entrance
Morgana Lefay - Maleficium
Nevermore - Enemies Of Reality
Vanden Plas - The God Thing
Nikolo Kotzev's Nostradamus
Arena - Contagion
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Savatage - Dead Winter Dead
Rush - 2112
ARK - Burn The Sun

 

[Ninkasi]

prog rock:
Rush - Caress of Steel
Rush - 2112
Rush - A Farewell to Kings
Rush - Hemipsheres
Rush - Grace Under Pressure
Rush - Power Windows
(there are many other good prog rock bands as well such as Gentle Giant, King Crimson, and Yes but Rush is by far my favorite band - not just in prog rock but also overall)

prog metal:
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory
Pain of Salvation - Entropia
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane
Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian
Watchtower - Control and Resistence (I have to be in the right mood for it, though )
honorable mention to Secrecy - Art in Motion

power metal:
Angra - Angels Cry
Angra - Holy Land
Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond
Blind Guardian - Imaginations From the Other Side
Helloween - Keeper part 2
Sea of Dreams - Land of Flames
honorable mention to Abraxas - Tomorrow's World

 

[TheGraveDigger]

Symphony X - The Odyssey
Running Wild - Masquerade
Grave Digger - Rheingold
Helloween - Better Than Raw
Gamma Ray - No World Order
Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond

 

[Pellaz]

nighwish
blind gardian
My ruin
voltaire
Kamalot

and of course the ones you know
rhapsody
Iced earth

Voltaire? Excellent performer and raconteur, and a good friend o' mine, but I don't think he's power- or prog-metal.

"...just another night at the Vampire Club......"