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

notes.atomutek.org

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

#3
post #2

This is lovely! Since I always struggle with the ton of subgenres, some lyric based clustering is as good as anything to separate genres. Maybe we should run this on all that has electric guitars...

"some lyric based clustering is as good as anything to separate genres"

I think melody and rhythm are kind of important, too (otherwise a minstrels verbal recitation could count as power metal). But it definitely is a good metric.

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

#5
Impressive work. I believe Encyclopaedia Metallum[0] would be a better source for the corpus, though the noise rate would be higher as there are many one-song/single/demo album bands, along with bands making music in multiple genres in different eras in their lifetime.

0. https://www.metal-archives.com/

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

#6
post #3
post #2

This is lovely! Since I always struggle with the ton of subgenres, some lyric based clustering is as good as anything to separate genres. Maybe we should run this on all that has electric guitars...

"some lyric based clustering is as good as anything to separate genres" I think melody and rhythm are kind of important, too (otherwise a minstrels verbal recitation could count as power metal). But it definitely is a good metric.

I wonder whether bands are more consistent in style of play over their lifetime, as compared to lyrics or other 'metrics'. It's probably easy to find all types of variance/consistency.

My hunch would be that the more specific and entrenched a genre is, the closer these bands stick to their styles (and lyrics).

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

#7

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’m not big into power metal (I prefer death, violence and satanism ;)), but let me recommend you an extremely positive power metal band that I absolutely love: Fellowship from the UK https://fellowshipmetal.bandcamp.com/album/the-saberlight-ch...

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

#9

I listen to Power Metal only because it is the closest genre to classical Heavy Metal (Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne,Motörhead, Judas Priest) and almost no band sings classical Heavy Metal anymore.

> almost no band sings classical Heavy Metal anymore.

That’s just not true, at all. Just look for the "trad[itional]" genre. I don’t enjoy it, but there are a lot of releases there.

edit: Or just combine heavy metal and either hard rock or thrash on something like RYM, that should also give you a lot of those. Here’s Hard Rock + Heavy Metal for the 2020s: https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/2020s/g:all,hard%...

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