The Lord Weird Slough Feg is the best. Bar none.
Yeah, definitely the best newer 'traditional-minded' metal outfit.
My favourite Power Metal bands/albums are:
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction (HEAVY)
Liege Lord - Freedom's Rise (HEV)
Virgin Steele - Marriage of Heaven and Hell 1&2 (Literate, mature and well composed power)
Nocturnal Rites first two albums (Fuck everything else they did, these two albums capture exactly what was great about old Swedish Metal like Mercy, Silver Mountain, Gotham City...)
Helloween - Walls of Jericho and the first Keeper album...so awesome
Blind Guardian - First five, all containing some of the most memorable, catchy, and ass kicking tracks without any of the frilly sleeved nonsense of the later emerging power metal scene (which they would sadly fall into themselves)
Rvnning Wild - Their early "pirate" period (I don't count their first two as Power Metal) - Jolly Roger through Death or Glory - I like it for pretty much the same reason as Blind Guardian (although
these assholes wore puffy shirts...
).
Grave Digger - The Reaper, Tunes of War, Excalibur and Heavy Metal Breakdown are fucking heavy.
Crimson Glory's first album - Dark and expressive, amazing leads and vocals. Dated, yes, but if you like this kind of stuff...
Destiny's End/Onward/Crescent Shield are all awesome newer power metal, catchy and original songs, no wussy constant double bass + keyboards only...I recommend them in this set because they've all shared musicians in common.