Power Metal

[Helm]

Damnit, what happened to this genre? I'm listening to Exxplorer's Symphonies of Steel right now and I'm so worked up I could dropkick my mother in the face (to make a reference). If my mother wasn't in the loony bin and I wasn't paralized from the waist down, that is. Next I'm going to play Riot's Thundersteel, then some old Heaven's Gate and Jag Panzer's Ample Destruction to top it off. I love power metal

Anyway, since I just now decided to own every worthwhile power metal album ever produced, I ask you to post any album in said genre you like. Just don't post stuff like Slaughter Xtroy's Winterkill just to make fun of me. Liege Lord! Omen! Brocas Helm! Heavy metaal spiikes and chaaaiiins! BLACK METALL FROM NORWAY! LORDIAN GUARD!!!

 

[lizard]

I think as soon as power metal showed that it was a viable economic entity (especially in Euroland and S. America), the market became flooded with copycats who weaken the entire genre with mediocrity. For every Edguy or Kamelot there are three or five bands writing songs about evil dwarfs and magic swords, bah.

 

[xfer]

Wagner was such a ripper-offer.

 

[Helm]

it's interesting that you mention Edguy and Kamelot, as I think both of these bands are really really bad power metal. I'm not too fond of germanic power metal as a whole (besides Walls of Jericho era Helloween and early Heaven's Gate. Maybe Rage when they're not horrible) I prefer the U.S. power, usually. And who is that Wagner guy anyway, huh? If you can't sing five octaves high and shred a ripping guitar solo in the name of freedom, I don't care how teutonic your blood is!

But you're probably right on what happened to power metal. It is interesting how the genre's message was reduced from a (somewhat naive, I guess) romanticism to pure cheese about swords and goblins. I blame Rhapsody. But then so does everybody.

 

[lizard]

yeah Rhapsody does take their hits, but they practically beg for it with the posturing and such. I like Edguy because its purely simple, catchy riffs with double leads, and I like Kamelot because I think Khan is very possibly the best singer (discounting growlers) that metal has to offer.

 

[Helm]

John Arch back in the day. And Midnight. And Tyrant Colkin. Roy Khan's not bad. Was better in Conception.

 

[lizard]

I like Conception, the little I've heard...that guitar player (Tore Ostby or something like that?) did some good stuff with Ark and Jorn Lande....

 

[Helm]

I haven't heard Ark, but everybody says they're very good. Will check them out. Conception have their good and bad moments. The guitar playing is extremely well-structured and very flowing. For example listen to the song 'Roll the Fire' to see what I mean. Conception's style suited Khan way more than the cookie-cutter power metal of Kamelot. I kinda like some songs in Siege Perilous (sp? it's been a while), though.

And am I the only one that likes Sanctuary more than Nevermore? Weren't the last two Nevermore albums horrible? I dunno how it is possible to like Dane in Politics of Ecstasy and be so completely annoyed by his performance on both later records.

 

[mindspell]

Tyrant Colkin is most probably the most annoying singer I have ever heard, and seen...

 

[Helm]

each to his own.

 

[lizard]

precisely.

I wouldn't really call Ark power metal....Lande's vocals bring an almost Deep Purplish sound to the mix and Ostby's guitar is very distinctive, at least to this untutored ear...

 

[Baliset]

dude rhapsody is SO not the band to blame. they may be cheesy but they do more with their music then 95% of the bands out there who ripped off helloween. just listen to their fuckinf orchestralk arrangements and you'll see. and their riffs. rhapsody are not the problem. i believe the problem started with hammerfall. they are fucking wimps. sorry this thread just got me worked up.

 

[Helm]

Yeah Hammerfall really recieved waaay too much recognition for their debut effort. It paved the way for every second-rate europian used-to-be-death metal band that followed in their footsteps. And it seems Hammerfall never recovered from the instant switch to power metal celebrities.

Although it's fucking strange that Warlord guitarist (and GOD) Bill Tsamis chose the hammerfall singer to sing on their latest warlord album Which was so-so. And no matter how I'd like to say that it was due to the vocals, it wasn't

And Rhapsody used to be so much better in their demo days. The orchestrations aren't too bad (from a musical standpoint) but they're too pomp for anyone's good. And Shasha Paeth may have just a wee bit something to do with the orchestrations anyway, so don't be so sure they're actually writing everything. It's a strange world where the drummer of the once great Sieges Even (back together, by the way!) has to play boring double bass for Rhapsody in order to have a source of income.

Which reminds me, Paradox broke up


Power Metal makes me feel a lot as of late.

 

[Baliset]

dude all you need for power metal is helloween and blind guardian. now go put on tales from the twilight world and cheer the fuck up.

 

[Helm]

Good advice. Right after orphaned land finishes I'll put in some guardian, perhaps some Gamma Ray!

 

[lizard]

I see your point about Rhapsody and the arrangements; I myself can't get past the lyrics. I posted here a while back about the new Luca Turrilli (sp) cd; I purposefully avoided the lyric sheet and definitely enjoyed the symphonic majesty of it all.

perhaps we could extend the cheese lineage back to who, Manowar? at least in image and such.

 

[avi]

I just sold my only Gamma Ray CD last night. meh.

 

[Helm]

Manowar sounded like they ment it back in battle hymns or whatever. At the very least. intent has to count for something. Rhapsody don't seem to mean it, at all. At least Demaio does some fucking research when writing a song about valkyries or the ancient greeks. Rhapsody regutitate (GRIND THAT FUCKER) the same old trolls and goblins tales like anyone would care about medieval fantasy by freakin' italians. Domine and Doomsword are exceptions to this.

And now we have third generation power metal bands immitating the immitators. Next time I hear a band that sounds like a band trying to rip off Freedom Call ripping off Helloween I'm going to make a funeral doom band and write a 50 minute song about it.

 

[Helm]

If it wasn't Land of the Free, good job. If it was, shame

 

[ChromeLife]

I dig on Kamelot... his vocals are quite nice.. I know they are a rip off.. but I also really like Sonata Arctica.. and symphony X.. though they have some progish elements.