Power Metal in America

Yeah, I agree. I also want to state for the record that I am an American, and I am a female. Most Americans don't like power metal for some reason. Like most others here said, they really just don't even like Metal as a whole. I'm friends with a lot of metalheads and a lot of them don't like power metal either. They say it's mostly the vocals and a lot of the people who I know who are into a lot of Black metal call it a "sissy" form of metal. I guess they just need those horrible growling or screaming vocals with a bunch of mushed fast instrument playing behind it (Now, this is just in some cases, I'm actually a big fan of a lot of metal myself). And for the people who don't like metal in general, I just don't think they really understand the genre. Most people are also just too lazy to search for good music themselves, so they just listen to the junk on the radio, TV, etc. that's right in front of them. And the kids who think they don't listen to mainstream aren't too far away from the kids listening to the mainstream for all they listen to is Ax7 and Disturbed along with a few other bands that sound just like them along with Linkin Park and rock bands who sound just like them (and trust me... there's lots). I don't know why people don't like variety in their music... I guess they're just THAT narrow minded. I've even tried to get people to listen to the bands I like and only a few people accept them. Most people I show Theocracy to, though, really dig them, so that's good. At least some people haven't gone completely coo-coo. It's weird though.. Most of the people who like the metal I show them are female. So, I guess there's more females into metal than we think. I just don't think they know it yet.
 
SeaStorm said:
There has definitely been a huge change in power metal's popularity in the US from 1997 to now. Even 10 years ago, no power metal band could tour the US and ProgPower in Atlanta each fall was the only way to see power metal bands live (just about all of the major bands made their US debuts at ProgPower). Now, all the major bands can tour the US and make ProgPower just one stop on a US tour.
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I only wish ProgPower weren't all the way in Atlanta! I actually got to catch the first ProgPower in February 2001, which was just outside of Chicago about five minutes from where I grew up! I got to see the US debut of Pain Of Salvation. I think it was one of Symphony X's first live performances as well, as they didn't tour more heavily until after V. And there were just about 300 people there in a tiny bar. ProgPower has grown as well in the past ten years!
 
a lot of the people who I know who are into a lot of Black metal call it a "sissy" form of metal.
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They're just tone-deaf and have no musical taste and they're insecure about it.
 
JayArby said:
They're just tone-deaf and have no musical taste and they're insecure about it.
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The local radio station is big into playing non-mainstream music. Saturday nights, they have a DJ who plays metal. 6 hours of metal from 2100 to 0300. It's called The Asylum. "Black, Doom, Death, Grindcore, Hardcore, any kind of metal!" he says. So I call him up this week, and ask him if he could fire up some Narnia. "Whut? Who's that? I mean, I own all the station's metal and I've never heard of them." I told them they're power metal, and he quickly says, "Oh man, I never listen to any of that kind of stuff. Do you want me to play anything else?" I had a list in my head, but once I thought about it, they were all prog, symphonic, power, or goth. I just sighed and told him I had my heart set on Narnia, and to keep doing his thing.
So yes, I've encountered it, too. I almost asked him if he had Stryper, considering they've been out since he probably bought his first record (he's older), but judging from how "hardcore" he was, I didn't bother.
I was disappointed that he wouldn't even give it a chance. I almost want to burn a disc of something and drop it off at the station. Does anyone have a suggestion of something in the christian-power-metal niche that could appeal to the more "hardcore" folk?
By the way I think the whole "hardcore" thing is just as dumb as the term "hardcore gamer" which really just means "guy with a 360 who plays only FPS and Madden"... :yuk:
 
Its because America, my foolish homeland, has been tainted by pop, rap, and hip hop. The masses are all fools, and so follow satan's music like sheep. Rock is the music of the devil? yeah right. Rap is. And honestly, Ill listen to anything if its metal, regardless of lyrical themes unless they promote satanism, but the music must take talent in some way to produce. Unfortunately, America is ruled by the computer and what it can generate.
 
Darknight6606 said:
Rock is the music of the devil? yeah right. Rap is.
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This comment is quite ridiculous. First, there are Christian rappers. Anything can be used for the glory of God. Secondly, Lucifer cannot create. He can twist what already exists, but really, all music (and everything else) is intrinsically of God until Lucifer perverts it. Thus, only the rap controlled by the devil is of the devil, since he cannot create.
 
Ah well, I guess you are right. I should have said "mainstream rap" is the music of the devil, seeing as you wont hear any christian rap on the radio where I live, and all the mainstream is from eminem, lil wayne, and similar artist who talk about rape, murder and other unappealing subjects. But yeah, I do like righteous B, and hes christian rap. But theres not a lot, I only found him cuz he played at La Salette Extreme.
 
Metal as a whole really isn't popular in the U.S. anymore, at least compared to other genres. There still are a lot of people who mostly listen to rap/hip hop, but as hipsterdom has become more mainstream(ironic, eh?), 'indy rock' as a genre has become more popular.

And, although I know I have a relatively low sample size, the vast majority of my metalhead friends only listen to hardcore/metalcore.(August burns red, As I Lay Dying, etc.)
 
This issue sounds familiar, unfortunately. Last week one of my friends introduced me to 'The Chariot'. Now it may be true that my musical interest is as broad as a barn door, but I just couldn't get myself to like it, no matter how hard I tried. I find As I Lay Dying to be listenable only during my most agressive of moods, but this, with respect, naaah!!:guh:

Lucky as I am to be born and raised in Europe and have all the talented metalbands rocking in my backyard (ok not entirely true, but heck), I sometimes fear great syphonic, power and prog metal bands might one day disappear because of this and be overrun by metalcore, death metal and maybe even, God forbid, hipster dubstep metal.:puke: Now I'm not pointing fingers to anyone who likes these genres (I'm a big fan of Demon Hunter myself), but I just hope they won't kick power/progmetal from the scene in the near future.

Or am I just being worried about something that will never happen?:rolleyes:
 
Well, there are certian genres that are pretty much extinct (grunge, hair metal (for the most part), nu metal, etc), however these are all "flash" genres - they get popular overnight, until the next thing comes along. Power/prog metal has NEVER been popular or mainstream (at least not in the States), and it's endured all these years.
 
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