Similar post in this context: Symphonic Metal Bands: Nerdiness vs Kickassery — A statistical analysis
https://medium.com/@WolframHempel_82303/symphonic-metal-band...
Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
101–110 of 159 posts
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#102For those who like metal and are open to more experimental and avant garde, progressive styles I highly recommend the 2023 albums by Thantifaxath and Blut Aus Nord. But the best metal album of 2023 (surely! IMHO) is Terrasite by Cattle Decapitation. These bands are producing complex, esoteric, heavy music, no dragons.
terrasite is a phenomenal nomination for AotY 2023.
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#103I only recently discovered Blind Guardian. Typically listened to thrash, rarely power metal. Man, what excellence. Brilliant vocals, great choruses, distinct and unique sense of melody both on guitar and vocals. Something I really love about them is that vocals, guitars, and drums all have very prominent and distinct parts. In many bands I feel like one instrument will often dominate and the band becomes boring. I.e.…
One thing that's changed my metal taste is going to metal festivals that mish mash everything together and making an effort to just go see bands who I have no idea about even if I listen to their music and am unsure about liking it. One of my favorite things about metal is how diverse it is and sometimes it just gets silly even if it appears absolutely serious - I think seeing the bands when they are having the most…
> There are also a few metal cruises I've been on that are absolutely not what you'd expect and are mostly people hugging everyone and have things like cupcake decorating classes.
What cruises are you talking about? I've been on seven iterations of the US-based 70kTons cruise, which AFAIK is the oldest and biggest metal cruise. And while people there are generally very friendly and awesome, I've never seen cupcake decorating classes. Instead, people were discussing drum techniques, beer and whisky, metal music and concerts...pretty much exactly what you'd expect on such an event. The most exquisite topics were probably politics and costumes (there's sort of an unofficial costume contest on the last day of that cruise).
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#104> For people who might not know, Rhapsody of Fire broke into in two bands, one keeping the original name and the other becoming Rhapsody. Ehm, this is not what happened. In 2006 Rhapsody became Rhapsody of Fire to avoid some trademark dispute. Then they split around 2009, though the main chunk is still called Rhapsody of Fire whereas the spinoff is called Luca Turilli's Rhapsody.
The trademark dispute was with the Rhapsody streaming service - I don't think it was ever announced, but I suspect the streaming service paid them money to change their name since the band definitely came first.
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#105I have to say, despite my closest approach to power metal being doom/stoner rock, I am very much enjoying everyone geeking out on their preferred niche genre. No matter where you look, there's history to learn and jargon to master.
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#106Big metal fan here, as are some of my friends. The Power Metal genre is less popular here in the US for sure. For example as great as the playing is for bands like Rhapsody my friends and I always found them too silly to get into. Some other bands make the cut of course. But why this resistence to the genre in general? My working theory is one of culture: Songs about dragons and shit probably resonate a lot better if…
A friend from the US I got to know on a US-based metal cruise (I'm German myself) told me that US metal concerts and European concerts are quite different: there's a lot of clapping, hopping and similar engagement routines in European concerts, while US concerts, at least according to him, apparently are more static, with maybe some fist pumping, but otherwise mostly people with crossed arms looking serious.
If that's true, there might indeed be a cultural difference in the breadth of metal fans from the US and Europe, which might as well lead to the more "happy" metal styles like power metal be more favored in Europe.
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#107I found power metal because I was looking for a more positive sub-genre of metal. What I was listening to before often had ahrimanic themes - death, violence, satanism etc.
I grew up on power metal and nowadays I mainly listen to two genres: black metal and classical music. One of the things they have in common is that I can't understand a word in either. I really appreciate that because I find lyrics in songs distracting and most of the time cringy.
I listen to mostly non-English European black metal at work for the same reason.
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#108I only recently discovered Blind Guardian. Typically listened to thrash, rarely power metal. Man, what excellence. Brilliant vocals, great choruses, distinct and unique sense of melody both on guitar and vocals. Something I really love about them is that vocals, guitars, and drums all have very prominent and distinct parts. In many bands I feel like one instrument will often dominate and the band becomes boring. I.e.…
A thread about Blind Guardian and there is no obligatory link to a crowd singing The Bard's Song?
Let me remedy this https://youtu.be/i-IcX_bccFc
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#109I only recently discovered Blind Guardian. Typically listened to thrash, rarely power metal. Man, what excellence. Brilliant vocals, great choruses, distinct and unique sense of melody both on guitar and vocals. Something I really love about them is that vocals, guitars, and drums all have very prominent and distinct parts. In many bands I feel like one instrument will often dominate and the band becomes boring. I.e.…
I still consider "Nightfall in middle earth" one of the best albums of all times. I remember waiting in front of the recordstore on the releasday in 1998, came home and listened to it from start to finish a few times while reading the newest "Rock Hard" magazine, good times. Even today it's one of the few albums I still enjoy listening from start to finish.
I discovered that album in 1999 (via Hansi's "Demons and Wizards" project with Iced Earth), and it's one of the few metal albums I still listen to regularly 25 years later. (It really helps if you've read some of the Silmarillion, of course.) Hard to pick a favorite track since it's so consistently excellent, but maybe "The Curse of Feanor" gets the most play.
Also, attending a BG concert at the old Graceland in Seattle back in 2004 or so and singing along to "The Bard's Song" with a few hundred other fans who knew all the words was definitely a peak geek moment.
Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)
#110I only recently discovered Blind Guardian. Typically listened to thrash, rarely power metal. Man, what excellence. Brilliant vocals, great choruses, distinct and unique sense of melody both on guitar and vocals. Something I really love about them is that vocals, guitars, and drums all have very prominent and distinct parts. In many bands I feel like one instrument will often dominate and the band becomes boring. I.e.…
Here in Spain they were arguably the biggest power metal band ever. Shirts with their art were very common - a tier below Maiden shirts, but putting up a respectable fight in popularity. They also filled some of the best venues - not stadiums, but the tier right below, the premium venues, which I think is a great achievement for such a niche genre. When I was a kid I loved some of their classics like Mirror Mirror, b…
It's funny, "Mirror Mirror" is the biggest hit from NIME but it's my least favorite track on the album. I'm not a huge fan overall of ANATO but "Precious Jerusalem" might be their most epic chorus ever.