Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

notes.atomutek.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 159 posts

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#111

Post by mlinhares »

a_gnostic wrote: post #81
Helmut10001 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Blind Guardian is well known in Europe, but very little overseas. I went to a concert once and the mood was really good. The crowd sang for themselves for half an hour. The band was going for 3 hours altogether. Everyone was friendly (nothing else I expected with power metal).

> but very little overseas Except in Japan (1). 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwPlMB_dAo8

And all of South America. They could do a concert in almost any big city in Brazil and fill up the place. And also not sing, as people would sing every single song for them.

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#112

Post by mlinhares »

mlinhares wrote: post #111
a_gnostic wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but very little overseas Except in Japan (1). 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwPlMB_dAo8

And all of South America. They could do a concert in almost any big city in Brazil and fill up the place. And also not sing, as people would sing every single song for them.

A Blind Guardian concert in Latin America might have been the closest thing I've ever had to a religious experience, now that I think about it.

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#113

Post by RajT88 »

Slartie wrote: post #106
RajT88 wrote: post #73

Big 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'…

That seems fair. Unless the band has really worked the crowd up, which then you might get mosh pits and crowd surfing. I saw Haken last night, and it was as you said, bunch of people standing around (granted the venue was an old movie theater, so it's not like you could move around much with the seats in the way). Meshuggah a couple years back was pretty similar.

Bands like GWAR never disappoint, though. Some bands back in the day which were like that as well: Pantera, System of a Down, Metallica (pre-black album). In Flames recently had a decent mosh pit going on when I saw them.

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#114

Post by aerhardt »

senderista wrote: post #110
aerhardt wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I had forgotten about that one - it was actually my favorite cut too. The chorus is indeed a banger - extremely creative. I think Mirror Mirror was the more popular track because it had an anthem quality to it. Easier to sing with your friends at a bar or a concert, while Precious Jerusalem is pretty much progressive metal.

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#115

Post by necromantic »

lukan wrote: post #100
powermetal wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want that, ideally you should spin up a new band name for a project thats too different in style from a band whose style you have already established. Its not that people resist change, thats how thrash metal bands changed into death metal slowly and the invention of death metal is highly celebrated. But it was a slow and organic change. Typically bands that have some sense about this tend to spin up a differe…

In general, for sure. Only some big bands have managed to change their style and have their fans follow them. For most a different band would make the most sense. And I am only guessing about Turisas, but they probably should have done so, but it was probably more comfortable to make money with the established hits and name. Starting something new is not easy, after all.

If the musicians are already famous from one or other particular band, then they should easily pull up a strong fan following for their other projects too. Just look at how many people look up the large number of random projects of Speckmann even if say they had found out the band "Master" first.

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#116

Post by swman »

justforasingle wrote: post #4

I 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 enjoy death metal because it is aggressive and brutal. It also spans everything from just good ol' vengeance music to literally galactic conquest.

Whatever the case, this kind of music helps me CRUSH the problem at hand. When nothing seems to be working, headbang for a little bit or make a solo mosh pit in my office, and then get back to DESTROYING the problem.

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#117

Post by ponector »

aerhardt wrote: post #58
scop wrote: post #40

I 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…

Powerwolf is another great band with orchestrated metal albums.

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#118

Post by dalmo3 »

senderista wrote: post #110
aerhardt wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Oh the little bridge before the chorus is even more majestic, gives me goosebumps every time.

I used to "hate" ANATO for a long time but now it's easily my favourite from them and every time I listen to it it gets better. It's one of a handful of albums that to this day I can sit down and do nothing but listen to the music. No multitasking. (Though I guess trying to pick out each vocal track is a very multitasking activity).

Re: Power Metal: is it really about dragons? (2018)

#120

Post by arrakeen »

RajT88 wrote: post #73

Big 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…

> My working theory is one of culture...

my theory is that because most of the bands are writing lyrics in english and it's not their native language, they don't quite grasp just HOW ridiculous their lyrics tend to be.

please don't take this as a negative, because to me it's a positive. they sing those ridiculous lyrics with full passion without a hint of irony-- and that's why i love them. american power metal is a bit too wink-wink-nudge-nudge-amirite-guys?

Post reply on HN