Are USPM and EUPM good stylistic differentiators for power metal?

[yungstirjoey666]

USPM is generally defined as aggressive and riff-based, with bands including Manowar and Iced Earth, and EUPM is generally the more recognized approach with a lighter sound and keyboards, with bands including Rhapsody and Sonata Arctica.

If I have to be completely honest, I am not entirely sure if they are good differentiators when it comes to "style," because a good amount of the early German power that was associated with EUPM was just as aggressive, with bands like Blind Guardian and Running Wild. It doesn't exactly help that the US power metal scene has faded out since the early 90s, where bands with the softer approach are gaining more recognition in both continents. And finally, this style of riff-based power metal isn't really considered "pure" power metal by many, but more like a blend with traditional heavy metal or speed metal. In extreme cases, some purists may even disregard those bands as anything "power metal."

Now, I understand if we are talking about the scenes themselves, like how Floridan and Swedish death metal are treated more as distinct scenes rather than legitimately different death metal subgenres, or how Louisiana doom metal is not treated as differently as Maryland doom metal. However, in this case, we should consider Japanese power metal as its own scene as much as we do with US and European, which does seem to be the case.

So what are your thoughts? Do you think it's a good idea to divide power metal sound by just America and Europe?

 

[no country for old wainds]

i'm not against it in theory, there definitely needs to be some way of distinguishing the quintessential flowery european style from the 'muscular' american brand. the problem is that these country-based descriptors always end up being used in a confusingly broad way. when you have manilla road, crimson glory, brocas helm, queensryche, helstar and jag panzer all falling under the same label, you might as well just go back to calling that shit heavy metal 'cause you've barely narrowed it down beyond that.

 

[yungstirjoey666]

i'm not against it in theory, there definitely needs to be some way of distinguishing the quintessential flowery european style from the 'muscular' american brand.

Yeah, but not every European power metal band is "flowery." What about 90s Blind Guardian? Even some of the keyboard bands like Sabaton have a rather "aggressive" feel that isn't like that of Sonata Arctica or Avantasia.