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

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

#151

Post by dvlsg »

nickjj wrote: post #63
DinaCoder99 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a lot of overlap between metal and classical music (by which I mean orchestral, symphonic, and chamber, not the specific age). Something about the composition and structure of the music activates similar parts of my brain, and both are excellent to work to. (Of course, there's only so far you can push this—some metal bands are much closer to pop or jazz, and some classical music is quite distinctively its own…

> There's a lot of overlap between metal and classical music (by which I mean orchestral, symphonic, and chamber, not the specific age). Yep, there's a whole bunch of bands in the symphonic deathcore genre. Shadow of Intent, The Archaic Epidemic, Lorna Shore and Immortal Disfigurement are a few that come to mind.

Fleshgod Apocalypse has a classically trained opera singer.

I often hear the joke that Beethoven wrote the best guitar solos. Moonlight Sonata's 3rd movement on guitar is a fun listen .

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

#152

Post by hgs3 »

bogdan wrote: post #12
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 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.

> classical music

Have you heard neo-classical metal? It's shredding at its finest. Yngwie Malmsteen is the OG, but there are many others I recommend like Hizaki and Syu. Guitarists in this subgenre often release solo albums (no vocals) so you won't find yourself distracted by lyrics.

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

#153

Post by valzam »

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.…

If you like the harder blind guardian songs more (like mirror mirror) have a look at the band Persuader. The singer somewhat randomly sounds like Hansi kürsch and all their songs are more towards speed/heavy metal but with clear power metal influence.

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

#154

Post by Klonoar »

a_gnostic wrote: post #148
scop wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t know much about it, other than knowing some of my favorite bands have huge followings there. Can anybody educate me how the Japanese metal scene functions? Are there certain genres that have a hold or is it totally diverse?

https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/apq6je/hows_the_loca...

Eh, if you're gonna link a Reddit thread on it, you may as well just invite /u/tokyometal to this forum and have 'em answer directly - they're effectively the only authority of the underground metal scene over there.

My initial comment was moreso based on the number of limited releases that Japan's gotten from metal albums over the years, coupled with touring there being more complicated - so when bands _do_ get to tour over there, it's usually a crazy good show. Drives demand, etc.

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

#155

Post by gpderetta »

jaxelr wrote: post #139
Tornhoof wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I tend to lean more into the Valhalla crowd chanting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ_VFJn2kJM >

"Valhalla, Deliverance Why've you ever forgotten me"

Some say they are still chanting to this day.

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

#156

Post by gpderetta »

powermetal wrote: post #85
NamTaf wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In fairness, early BG very much aligns more with speed metal, which is a fairly close sibling to thrash. It was that vector that got me into them more than my latter appreciation for power metal in all its bombastic soaring-vocal glory.

European/german power metal bands tend to be more speed metal based. American power metal retained closeness to heavy metal more. I would recommend him to try out bands like Helstar and Jag Panzer next.

Early Savatage (one of my favourite bands) are a rare occurrence of American Power Metal.

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

#157

Post by gpderetta »

ethbr1 wrote: post #64
hypercube33 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

If you ever get a chance, I'd recommend seeing either of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra touring bands. Their show is a pretty spectacular mishmash of everything... and Christmas. Sadly, Vitalij Kuprij just passed. :/ https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/trans-siberian-orchestr...

Saw them a few years ago at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Cramped venue for a Metal concert, still one of the best I have ever been. Of course here in Europe they mostly played Savatage songs.

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

#158

Post by RajT88 »

arrakeen wrote: post #120
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…

Read through some lyrics by these bands and see if your theory holds up:

Dragonforce (of course) Brocas Helm Manowar

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

#159

Post by barbarum »

hn_go_brrrrr wrote: post #79
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…

Scorpions with the Berlin Phil is also fabulous.

Marvellous, I think, but not really fabulous.
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