Mandatory.... Power Metal?

[JGMetalhead]

Also, Iron Maiden is not a power metal band.

I never said they were a power metal band.

 

[Omni]

Reread your own post. How could Iron Maiden be the sole inventors of power metal if they weren't a power metal band?

 

[JGMetalhead]

Because they helped invent the elements/essentials of power metal. Why don't you check out some of their albums most especially...

Killers
Number Of The Beast
Powerslave

For some of those inventive elements/essentials

 

[Omni]

I've obviously heard all of those albums considering how extremely well-known they are, but Iron Maiden still definitely isn't power metal or the sole band to invent things that would become staples of the genre.

However, you're a terrible poster, so I'm not going to bother responding to you again if you reply.

 

[JGMetalhead]

http://www.geocities.com/yngwie308/powermetal.html
http://infernality.blogspot.com/2006/06/underground-metal-1980s-1990s-and-2000s.html

 

[Krow]

I'll get to some of this stuff asap. Thanks to Einharjar and OCI for multiple youtube links.

Also... there is no need for someone to post 9 times in a rec thread.... not even the damn topic creator.

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

I may be going out on a limb. But you enjoy CoB... what with the speed, solos and key solos and so on...... so I thought I might post something similar in *some* ways but with a fantastic clean singer.





Speed..shred... but not totally steeped in the neoclassical sounding thing, and nothing I assume may seem overly cheesy to you such as medieval fantasy themed lyrics........be aware this is also very pure 'Euro' style in many ways, just shredded up, atmosphere-d up, and free of much of the dreaded (by some) Baroque stuff...but as I said it comes from the fact you enjoy some similar elements in Bodom.

For the record, the album these are off of is probably also my favorite power metal album.

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

Then, if those are good (and it will take a few listens), the band got more chunky guitar-wise a couple albums later, with some more thrash rhythm influence as a counter to the speed metal influence..

 

[JGMetalhead]

Enjoy sir.




[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZTEmZmo5U4&feature=related[/ame]

 

[genocide roach]

blind guardian is absolutely essential. and the fact there has only been one mention so far is fucking pathetic. one of the few original power metal bands that are still relevant to the genre. and btw, hansi kursch DOES do harsh vocals. not screaming, but harsh non the less. also, hansi was in a band with schaffer of iced earth called demons and wizards. its great stuff

blind guardian




demons and wizards



~gR~

 

[waif]

I would recommend manning up and getting down with the gay vocals, because you can't really listen to power metal without gay/clean vocals. You could try the last Demoniac album, though; essentially early Dragonforce with harsh voxx.

Other than that here are a couple of my favorite power metal albums.

Human Fortress - Lord of Earth and Heaven's Heir (their second is also worth checking out, but I've heard really bad things about the third)

Avantasia - The Metal Opera, pt 1 (Pt 2 is also excellent, but again the third album is supposed to blow colossal chunks according to Ein who's opinions are usually right)

Blind Guardian - Live. Blind Guardian have an extensive discography and this provides both an excellent overview of it as well as a fine example of what european power metal is about - one big fucking sing-along.

Running Wild - Death or Glory. These motherfuckers have a shitload of hooks, and their vocalist has a fairly manly delivery. Probably not their best album, but the only one I have.

Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King. Dunno if this fully falls under power metal, but it has enough elements to make the list. And it owns. A lot.

Fates Warning - Awaken The Guardian. Same story as Hall of the Mountain King; not really power metal, but in related territory and fucking awesome. Arch's vocals are insanely high.

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

Yes. BG is needed, for a cross reference, I would try 'Tales From The Twilight World', 'Imaginations From The Other Side', and 'A Twist In The Myth'. Yes, I neglected 'NIME' on purpose. He'll get to it. It's just that those three offer the most differientating yet high quality stuff you can get from the band. I THINK SO. ALSO DEMONS AND WIZARDS = FAIL.

Running Wild - Death or Glory. These motherfuckers have a shitload of hooks, and their vocalist has a fairly manly delivery. Probably not their best album, but the only one I have.

'Blazon Stone', 'Black Hand Inn', and 'Masquerade' are also essential, but all RW is more or less a blend of meat-and-potatoes galloping heavy metal with that rebellious feel, and German styled speed/power metal. So they aren't a band I would normally put in a topic like this. At the same time, I would put RW in every metal topic because, well, they should be there.

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

...medieval fantasy themed lyrics........ Baroque stuff...

^ The above, which is not what I have posted thusfar at all, will now be posted in *this* post. See and compare for great contrasts in color. Also, in case anyone else watches, I want you to pay some fair attention to this song and realize why this song is as heavy and as full of energy as it is. DYNAMICS. Go ahead and say a keyboard solo is gay, or whatever you want to call it. Listen to the double kick under the 'holy, force' choir part, and the stabs during the verses. Listen to the perfect call and response between the keys and the guitar in the soloing, and the way the solo ends EXACTLY how you hear it in your head, the way you think it should end. Now think of everything being played outside of the studio, on a stage, at an enormous volume, and tell me it's not heavy or exciting. Kids, yeah, this band has put out some crappy stuff, but their best stuff and the best stuff of this style follows suit to the craft displayed in this song, and the more modern metal gets the less of it is there. This is also the reason lumped in bands such as Sonata Arctica have such a huge amount of suck. In other words, this is indeed old school simply dressed up in some new or faster clothing and shouldn't be ignored simply because of the Engrish lyrics or keys or whatever. Get your heads out from wherever they are and at least realize there is a lot of real merit to a lot of music out there.

Rant over.

 

[Xorv]

How could I forget demons and wizards? fiddler on the green (the song) brings back soo many memories.

 

[Krow]

So much to check out... so far I really liked Kiuas and Sabaton. What album by Sabaton, in particular, would be worth checking out?

 

[Einherjar86]

I'd suggest Primo Victoria, Attero Dominatus, and The Art of War. All are very close and very consistent; I honestly couldn't choose one over another, they all have great songs. If you're really looking for one in particular, go ahead and start with Primo Victoria.

Also, in response to OCI's mention of Joakim's voice, I really don't like him on their first record (Fist For Fight); on that album his voice sounds extremely strained. So if you're listening to songs from that record and thinking the vocals are sub-par, I would agree.

 

[genocide roach]

kiuas is great. i've been playing spirit of ukko a lot lately

and i dont think you can really leave out nightfall in middle earth. its without a doubt their defining album
~gR~

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

I'm just trying to get a bit away from the 'power metal for people who don't like power metal' thing as you can easily find it anywhere else on the board and it's roughly the same thing as going into the death metal thread and recing Dark Tranquillity followed up by some 'Ithyphallic'. Now, 'NIME' does not really fall into that, but it does fall into the 'you only need these 5 albums from each genre' kind of thought, which I'm also trying to avoid. I'm slowly trying to be as comprehensive and balanced as I can while being aware of what will probably be latched onto in the end anyway.

 

[SweptbackFlame]

OCI and Systematic Riffage are probably the best people to ask about power metal.

Like someone said you can't have Power Metal without clean vocals, well you can but it's rare I suppose)

I don't consider myself super informative on Power Metal, but the 7 you must listen too IMO are:

Blind Guardian
Rhapsody (Of Fire)
Angra
Edguy
Hammerfall
Helloween (Mostly the 1st 2 albums, but the 2 latest ones are also pretty good)
Sonata Arctica

As far as the rest go here is my list:

Adagio (I am hooked on this band, this band is pretty along the lines of what you're looking for)
Amoral (The "Show Your Colors" album)
Angel Dust (More Speed Metal, but there later albums are Power and it's quite good)
Anubis Gate (Similar to Mercenary)
Ari Koivunen (Fuck all the haters, I actually think he is quite good)
Assailant (Specifically the "Wicked Dreams" album)
Avantasia (Tobias Sammet's other project)
Bob Katsionis (Ex-Firewind's Instrumental project)
Dark Moor
Delain
Demons & Wizards
Dignity
Dragonland (I'd highly recommend checking this one out)
Dream Evil
Elvenking (mostly the earlier albums and Demo's)
Evergrey (You could consider it Power Metal, but more on the Progressive lines)
Fairyland
Falconer
Firewind (Great Power metal with Gus G on the Axe)
Freedom Call
Gamma Ray (Kai Hansen former vocalisr of Helloween plays in this band, check these guys out for sure)
Grave Digger
Hibria (They are full of awesome )
Imperanon (More on the lines of CoB)
Iron Fire
Iron Savior
Kamelot (Like other people have said (Epica) is all you need)
Kotipelto (Stratovarius' vocalists solo project)
Lost Horizon (Krigloch will agree)
Luca Turilli
Magica (Female Fronted)
Manigance (Pretty good Power Metal from France, even though the lyrics are french)
Masterplan (I'd highly recommend checking these guys out)
Metalium (One of my favorites)
Mystic Prophecy
Nightwish
Nocturnal Rites (To me they have one of the best Power Metal vocalists)
Pagan's Mind (Please check these guys out, they covered a King Diamond song probably the best I've ever heard)
Pyramaze
Serenity
Sinergy
The Storyteller (You'll surely like this one)
Stratovarius (albums from 1998 to 2003 are there best IMO)
Symphony X
Thy Majestie
Warmen (CoB's Keyboardist's project, good stuff)


I think that's pretty much it for me that I thoroughly enjoy, it's upto you to decide what you like in that list, I'm sure some people can suggest some more, but this is my two scents.

 

[genocide roach]

here's another fun power metal band, SACRED STEEL. but really only the later stuff. big speed metal/early blind guardian influence. some harsh vocals too



~gR~