Okay, a couple of things. 1. This was my first time seeing Brainstorm and they definitely were in my top 3, along with Primal Fear and Fates Warning for bands to see. There was a problem with Andy, which could've been any number of problems, but honestly we're talking about a couple of songs. The rest of the set was kickass to me.
2. I don't think they should've played new songs. It's been a number of years since they last played progpower, so it wasn't necessary, especially since the new stuff they did play was slower paced than usual. I personally think if a band does play something new and the album isn't out, it should be something ROCKING and easy to get into. Those songs weren't, which is weird for Brainstorm.
3. Let's face facts. Brainstorm is a really heavy band for power metal. I still don't know if I even fully consider them power metal, but they are NOT the most technically gifted band by far. They have a lot of energy, can make catchy choruses and riffs and are just a lot of fun. They just don't have the chops that the majority of the other bands have, and I love them.
4. You know I never tried listening to Symphorce and thought they were just another blah metal band. Now that I know Andy sings for them, I'm definitely checking them out. The thing is about Andy is he has a distinctive voice and Brainstorm in general I think doesn't sound like anyone else. So generic power metal? I don't think so because they don't sound like anyone else, but I see where you're going. They don't do anything outside of the norm, but what they do, they do well.
