Power Metal

In a genre of music dominated by death, corruption, hatred and despair, power metal shines as a brilliant example of a subversion of expectations. Influenced heavily by heavy metal pioneers like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and particularly Dio, power metal boasts upped grandiosity, machismo, and energy of truly epic proportions. Fast and heavy yet melodic and clean, with soaring, operatic clean vocals telling tales of bards, wizards, demons and dragons. Yes, my friends. The fantasy-lover's favorite metal style. Allow me to introduce you to power metal.

Before I begin to divulge the timeline of power metal, I must establish something key: there are two very different types of power metal, and both arose around the same time in the mid-1980s. The first hails from the United States. United States power metal, referred to henceforth as simply USPM, draws directly from heavier, rawer styles such as heavy metal and thrash metal. Singing methods are often much more gruff, and the lyricism leaning more towards war or metal themes. European power metal, known sometimes as melodic or "true" power metal, is significantly lighter in essence, and is generally what folks think of when the term power metal is used. It is much more rooted in fantasy literature and media, and in Western classical music in songwriting.

USPM is the much more short-lived sound in the power metal timeline, having seen its glory days nearly immediately in its inception. Many bands came bursting onto the scene hot and ready to go, with the most notorious being Manowar. Their simple but effective headbanging riffs combined with their rippling oiled pecs created the perfect outlet for every overly-macho metalhead out there. Soon to follow were many precursors to the progressive metal movement, such as Crimson Glory and Fates Warning. Other key bands included Riot, Helstar, and Omen. Their style revolved around inserting a very grand, orchestrally-influenced sound into the simplistic riffage where heavy metal found its origin. Into the 1990s, bands like Iced Earth and Virgin Steele would carry the torch, but often pale in representation considering the booming culture of its European counterpart.

Recommended classic USPM listening:
1. Manowar - Hail to England (1984)
2. Crimson Glory - Crimson Glory (1986)
3. Riot - ThunderSteel (1988)
4. Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part Two (1995)
5. Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998)

European power metal, on the other hand, continued to grow in relative splendor. Taking major influence from speed metal, the neoclassical stylings of bands like Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Stratovarius captivated audiences. Influence from Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings reigned true with the band Blind Guardian, retelling the tale through song. Other bands like Rhapsody, Sonata Arctica, and Kamelot would introduce full orchestras into their sound, effectively leading to the symphonic metal subgenre. Still, other bands like HammerFall, Running Wild, Grave Digger, Cloven Hoof, and Edguy would remain influenced by classic heavy metal, giving nods to the USPM scene. Soon, oodles of melodic power metal bands began to pop up here and there, sometimes not even in Europe, such as Angra from Brazil, or X Japan from Japan.

Recommended classic melodic power metal listening:
1. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I & II (1988)
2. Gamma Ray - Land of the Free (1995)
3. Stratovarius - Visions (1997)
4. Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998)
5. Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands (1998)

In the new era, power metal bands began to show themselves in a variety of forms. Some of the genre's biggest artists like Kamelot and Sonata Arctica found influence from the progressive and symphonic metal they'd influenced, sometimes allowing these styles to overtake the power metal that had initially skyrocketed their careers. Some bands, like DragonForce, take their speed metal influence to the extreme, playing with such technical proficiency that it took the household implementation of Guitar Hero for their band to even be noticed. That's just a joke, by the way. DragonForce is a great band and deserve the following it has. Other bands like Sabaton did the exact opposite, slowing down the flashy leads that European power metal had become so characterized by, and lowering the octave of the lead vocalist to create a much heavier, headbanging sound. Continuing to push the envelope are artists such as Avantasia, which creates a sort of "power metal opera" with artists from other bands collaborating into a gigantic tour de force of powerful greatness. Bands like Theocracy, Gloryhammer, Powerwolf, and Galneryus continue into the 2010s; invoking different influences and sounds to the power metal formula.

Recommended new power metal listening:
1. Sonata Arctica - Silence (2001)
2. Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath (2003)
3. Kamelot - The Black Halo (2005)
4. Galneryus - Resurrection (2010)
5. Sabaton - Carolus Rex (2012)

Overall, power metal exists to appeal to the glorious and fantastical mindset that dwells within all of our hearts. To go from town to town on horseback, becoming the daring knight to overtake the dragon and claim its treasures, all the while getting the girl and winning the admiration of the folks of the land. This fantasy adventure lies as a subtle reminder of the banality we see so often in our world, and from which we desperately wish to escape. Power metal is, at its core, a brilliantly cheesy form of escapism, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Note: Hey everyone! Sorry that this entry is so short. It's nearly midnight and I'm really tired, but I wanted to whip this bad boy up since I was already two days late. Hope everyone is doing well, hope you're continuing to learn from and enjoy my writings, and stay tuned for next time!