Top 5 powermetal albums of all time!

[Tennyson]

Only ones I would put down for sure are

Kiuas: Spirit of Ukko
Blind Guardian: Nightfall in Middle Earth

 

[no country for old wainds]

Satan's Host - Metal From Hell

uh yeah this should be on mine somewhere. not sure which i'd knock off though

i guess i need to hear that sanctuary album

 

[SweptbackFlame]

Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side
Helloween - Gambling With The Devil
Stratovarius - Destiny
Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond
Helloween - The Keeper Of The Seven Keys

 

[razoredge]

What's the musical criteria then for power metal?

Like I mentioned earlier you should be able to hear the difference between ATG and Keepers I and all the bands that followed that had that Keepers vib... Stratovarious for example. I havent listened enough to Walls of Jerico to speak back further than KOTSK.

heavy use of steady 16th beat bass drums, same for guitar pedals with less active chord changes, beside the bass drums 16ths most predominant is the "epic" chorus where everyone wants to join in like were all marching through the gates of hell to slay the evil war lords, not a whole lot different that some of the songs used for old WWII movies (in the U.S. anyhow) only applied via metal.

Very little of this was part of Fates or Savatage routene. Helloween was considered one of the first bands to really pin down that style consistantly, there are earlier examples. One guy on the "Old school" forum put up a certain Rainbow song and it had nearly all the aspects of what is now power metal, but that was just one song. Early Fates and Savatage ran the same time period as Helloween and they are not connected to this development. If you start tying early Fates and Savatage into "power metal" you are also bringing Maiden, Priest and early Queensryche into it as well, thus nearly making ALL "heavy metal"... power metal.

No real biggy but there has got to be a line somewhere. IMO

 

[RedFox742]

To some degree "US-style power metal" these days really IS just traditional heavy metal.

If Maiden appeared today, out of Florida, singing about war and fantasy the way they did, they'd be a US-style power metal band.

 

[razoredge]

yeah, the term power metal is felt for the most part to be a horrible tag by most old schoolers because most bands that dont growl or thrash are now getting thrown into it and not even a tag that was around during the mid 80's but "speed" metal was. Iced Earth is considered American power metal but they do have that style chorus often. Still by "american power metal" formula Kamelot out of Florida (IIRC) definantly fits the bill most often where as Savatage (also out of Florida) and Fates most definantly does not.

I put Awaken the Guardian in tonight after my post just to make sure I wasnt forgetting or missing something and hell they hardly even do choruses. Awaken the Guardian is regarded as a staple in early progressive metal and in their early days Fates was considered very radical or at the extreme edge of metal for their abrasive twisted sense of melodic value and continously changing progressions and riff rhythmn pattens. There were other shorter lived bands like that getting midnight air play here in the NE but damned if I can remember any others aside from Watchtower which were still different yet but a similair unusual melodic vocal sense. Where as Maiden, Priest, Savatage and Queensryche was more straight forward with little that would make you tilt your head. John Arch was the most unusual "singing" vocalist... to this day I still dont completely get his sense of melody or timing of his phrases. Charlie Dominici on Dream Theaters debut album seemed to have some of that in him and most likely influenced by Arch.

 

[RedFox742]

Despite how terrible the tag is, I find that I enjoy the vast majority of everything that gets thrown under it (because clean vocals are important for me).

So it's useful for me, and I wince every time I hear Hammerfall or Lost Horizon claiming they're "totally not power metal guyz." Just fucking accept the name (hey, Accept, also power-metal pioneers. ).

 

[razoredge]

clean and or raspy "sung" vocals are part of "heavy metal" "progressive metal" commercial metal and hard rock... doth not = "power metal"

last thing I can say is if someone cant hear the differences its a sad day in hell

 

[TheInsane]

Sometimes the line between havy metal and power metal is a blur and honestly I havent listened to power metal a lot in years. THe records I remember fondly are however:

Blind GUardian - imaginations from the other side
Helloween - keeper of the seven keys pt 2
Hammerfall - glory to the brave
Luca Turilli - king of the nordic twilight


Someone listed Morgana Lefay and I love that band but do not consider them power metal at all. More like "heavy thrash" or soemthing like that. Same goes for Iced Earth really (allthough the only one coming close to a best album would be "burn offerings" I think). I guess its debatable whether Hammerfall or even Blind GUardian is power metal as well though :/

 

[Dungeon Vic]

Khan actually was on The Fourth Legacy. That's the first album where he participated in the songwriting. He sang on Siege Perilous, but you can detect a strong increase in songwriting capability once he offered his input on The Fourth Legacy.

I stand corrected!

 

[razoredge]

Sometimes the line between havy metal and power metal is a blur

This is part of the point I have been expressing, the line is blured now because those that dont get the difference are now just throwing every band that sings rather than barks or growls into a power metal tag. Where I love "heavy metal" and can barely tolerate a full listen to a full on power metal recording.

More like "heavy thrash" or soemthing like that. Same goes for Iced Earth really (allthough the only one coming close to a best album would be "burn offerings" I think). I guess its debatable whether Hammerfall or even Blind GUardian is power metal as well though :/

more like later heavy metal bands that were also influenced by speed and thrash, its a continous melting pot of additional influences but specific sub genres are for bands that stay more singularly directional.

I quite like Dark Saga

 

[Mort Divine]

jag panzer - ample destruction
agent steel - skeptics apocalypse
helstar - nosferatu
virgin steele - the house of atreus act 1
fates warning - awaken the guardian
tyrant - too late to pray
manilla road - crystal logic
slough feg - traveller
paradox - heresy
adramelch - irae melanox
liege lord - master control

 

[Doomguy]

I tend to avoid the genre, but from what I've heard:

1: Blind Guardian
2: Iced Earth
3: Kamelot
4: Fairyland
5: HammerFall

 

[IntoPhagist]

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

maaajor bump

looking for some more opinions.

 

[Necroraven]

Very hard to name only five, but I might as well try:

1. Stratovarius - Episode
2. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2
3. Fairyland - Of Wars in Osyrhia
4. Dark Moor - The Hall of the Olden Dreams
5. Dragonland - The Battle of the Ivory Plains

 

[SkeletonWitch]

Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King

Warlord - Lordian Winds Demo

Dark Moor - The Hall of Olden Dreams

Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

Manowar - Kings of Metal

 

[mutantllama]

Blind Guardian-SOmewhere Far Beyond
Adramelch-Irae Melanox
Helloween-Walls of Jericho
Jag Panzer-Ample Destruction
Riot-Thundersteel
Omen-Battlecry

Not sure after that.

I just can't think of one to take out so I just did 6 instead.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

I keep hearing about Dark Moor, gonna have to have to check them out for sure. I also wouldnt even consider that Helloween album power metal really.

 

[Necroraven]

I keep hearing about Dark Moor, gonna have to have to check them out for sure.

They're awesome, but do yourself a favor and check the first three albums first (I'd start with The Hall of the Olden Dreams), they are a lot better than the new ones, and have a better singer. The new albums are not THAT bad, but the music is getting more orchestrated and boring, pretty much like old vs. new Dimmu Borgir.