*And in order to talk about the matter discussed in the end of the video first hand, we will welcome Anton Kabanen of Beast in Black on the show this week*
Some metal wants to make you feel angry, other metal wants to make you feel melancholic or violent, BUT... Power Metal wants you to feel hopeful, courageous and lift your spirit... that's why we love it!
@@amra7004 oh sweet jesus you're my Friend now, i'll follow you alive or undead through the sacrament of sin to get to where the wild wolves have gone 😉👌
Sabaton's bassist and co-founder, Par Sundstrom, has stated numerous times I think, he doesn't consider the band power metal as power metal generally focuses on fantasy styled lyrics and high pitched vocals and they do neither. But since they fit more musically into Power Metal then other genres, that's what they call themselves.
You've also included Gamma Ray twice on the list. That makes it a total of four entries for one Kai Hansen, who founded both Helloween and Gamma Ray. If that isn't proof enough that he's the God father of Power Metal, I don't know what is, haha! Kai is the law! 🎃 ☯️ 🤘
I thought that I've read "Beasts in Black" twice, too. But I'm not a hundred percent sure. Last couple of bands sounded really alike (and really dull).
I'm a fan of both Sabaton and Powerwolf. I'm glad that they're both in this video because they show how metal is growing. No matter what the pop fans say, metal is alive and well. LONG LIVE METAL!!!!!
I've always been into metal, first found it through listening to rainbow rising. I always find myself gravitating towards power metal. It's big, dramatic, isn't afraid to experiment and doesn't take itself too seriously.
Great to see Unleash the Archers on the list. They have really stepped up their game on their last two albums, Apex and Abyss. The Wind That Shapes The Land is one of the best power metal songs. Legacy shows how fresh they can be.
UtA has one of, if not the best, power metal vocalists in the business right now... Brittney has that 80's greasiness combined with the 10's melodic aesthetic in her voice. Apex has to be one of my favorite albums of this decade...
@@gtkall Certainly when compared to singers like Ralph Scheepers and Nils Patrik Johansson, I don't think you can even come close to saying she's superior to anyone else working at the time, but she's definitely fantastic.
Clearly what has happened, is Power Metal has evolved past the idea it's a fusion on Speed Metal, and New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and has taken on an identity of its own. That's kind of how things work. I know this gonna piss people off. Frankly, i don't care. Gloryhammer is just as much Power Metal, as Blind Guardian. Also I want to add that I feel there is an over categorization of genres these days, and ultimately, calling Gloryhammer and others, something else will not do justice to both parties. All it will do, is over complicate things even more. Most people who like Gloryhammer, (and are not narrow minded) also like Blind Guardian, and vise versa. So just call it Power Metal.
It became apparent to me when Avantasia and Kamelot were featured that power metal forked or split in the early 2000’s. Today, those bands may be considered symphonic metal as well. Once upon a time, Nightwish was lumped in with power metal as well. So obviously one branch of power metal has evolved into a more symphonic version with more complexity and less speed, while bands like DragonForce, Alestorm, and Sabaton have kept a lot of the speed but gone for simpler melodies. One branch is stylistically more sophisticated and majestic like Lord of the Rings, and the other is more lighthearted and cheesy like Legend of Zelda. TL;DR: symphonic metal is a niche sub genre that emerged from power metal around 2001. What remains as power metal is distinct from 90’s power metal, but it hasn’t yet been renamed and still carries the old moniker.
I found Kamelot while I was checking out symphonic metal bands. I thought they were symphonic metal because i did hear a lot of symphonic influences and elements into their stuff. Still think they are closer to symphonic metal than power metal personally.
First time I heard this song I remember thinking "How can such classical melody fit so well into a metal song, and yet the song is so powerful". And that's Power Metal to me.
Although I can't name an absolute favorite, these are some of the songs I really enjoy: "Destiny" - Galneryus "warriors" - Freedom Call "Eagle Fly Free" - Helloween "Lady Dragon" - Dreamtale "Operation Ground and Pound" - Dragonforce "Dawn of Victory" - Rhapsody (of fire) "Rise of the Chaos Wizards" - Gloryhammer I just like the uplifting and epic sounding of Power Metal over all
you have my exact taste bro !!! :) i like all of those bands & songs; maybe not my favorites from each of them (except for destiny), but man those are like all in my top pm bands
Someone gave love to Freedom Call. It has all the traditional german power metal pedigree but it goes on and on. They could be put in this video without question.
Galneryus has my vote for most amazing Power Metal band (though the argument that they are more Neo-Classical is valid, but, hey, are you a lumper or a splitter) with Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, and Helloween close behind. Glad to see Galneryus get some love because they have the speed, the power, and pretty much everything else you can ask for.
@@jonathanhubbard4298 I just discovered this amazing genre about 2 years ago. My que of power metal songs is still growing, but those are just the ones that came up to mind
Mirror mirror is one of my favourite songs - but "Journey through the dark" is the song that got me into Blind Guardian! It's my definition of Power Metal, as is Painkiller for Metal in general. But that's just MHO.
I really miss the when BG played songs like the one on the Somewhere Far Beyond album, which was more focused on Speed guitars and drums, the closest one is At The Edge of time album, hope the next release get more of the Kai Hansen influence as was in the SfB and tales from the twilight
Helloween, Primal Fear, and Hammerfall are the Power Metal bands that get me going. Agree with another poster that Dream Evil should have been on this list as well.
Power Metal is my favourite metal subgenre! When I think of Power Metal, I think "Valley of the Damned" by Dragonforce. Hypersonic, epic, high-pitched vocals and fantasy themes!
My favorite band is GloryHammer. They write a full album with a full story that you can feel the "epic" and you can play this in some RPG like D&D. I'm nerd, i love it
Gloryhammer Is basically Sabaton with a fantasy setting. AND i dont mean it's bad, I'm a Sabaton fan, but you really can't tale stuff like "Unicorn Invasión of Dundee" seriously hahaha
Blind Guardian is my favorite band and I love Mirror Mirror, but they've written better. Script For My Requiem, And The Story Ends, Feanor, Time Stands Still (Iron Hill), Ride Into Obsession, Sacred Worlds, Straight Through The Mirror, Age Of False Innocence, Road Of No Release, The Holy Grail, and Ashes Of Eternity are songs I like better. Mirror Mirror is badass though and easily a song that must be included in a video such as this.
Blind Guardian's got a permanent spot in my top 3 alongside Maiden (my #3 fav changes over time, probably Queensryche right now) and the thing that really cements them is how they've managed to continue to be great. I mean, my favorite albums of theirs are 20 years apart (Imaginations and Red Mirror). I'll accept the argument that they haven't been pure power metal for a long time, but power metal can never truly die while they're still going.
For me the whole first Helloween album Walls of Jericho is what really kicked it off. Victims of Fate and How Many Tears hold up even today. Were there earlier roots yes, but that was the trunk of the power metal tree. Salute to you for including Lovebites in there. They blend NWOBHM and power metal elements.
What I like about PM is this clarity of the voice. And the upbeat mood. So, my all time favourite live album is Helloween live in the UK. And my best live experience of PM was a Running Wild concert. In a rather small hall you could understand every word of Rock´n Rolfs lyrics. Impeccable sound technique. On the other hand, Manowar made me deaf for two days.
First of all, Sabaton is great. Second of all, I definitely consider Sabaton heavy metal. I agreee to other comments saying that power metal is nerdy metal, essentially, and Sabaton is slightly nerdy in that all of their songs are about history, but they are, at least in my opinion, heavy metal
I think the evolution of Power Metal can be perfectly observed on HammerFall, which you included on the list. They started as an fast power metal band, and as they said, they played "german power metal" even though they're swedish, but throughout the years, they kinda changed, slowed down and are playing something like Battle Beast or Beast In Black.
Dawn of Victory completely changed my idea of what metal was and could be when I first heard it in high school twenty years ago. It got me started in metal when I had previously been listening to 90s rock. And I only picked it out at the library because I thought the cover was cool. It was also nice to see Twilight Force represented here, even though the chosen song is the least metal one on the album, and was seemingly picked as an example of how far from it's roots "power metal" is straying.
If I would bring just one album with me anywhere, from any genre, it would be Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2. It just has everything. The same goes for the title track, so if I had to pick one Power Metal song, it would be that one. Wish I had seen some Dream Evil btw
I agree, but what Helloween, Grave Digger, Blind Guardian, Running Wild did was one thing, Stratovarius was something different, Hammerfall, Gamma Ray, Avantasia are again something different... and also bands like Beast in black or Gloryhammer are totally different things. I would call them different generations or waves of power metal. Those bands made music in totally different times and demands are different. Making non-metalheads listen to metal is not "new power metal" thing, it started even a long time before black album. Sadly it's just a way to earn money fast(and survive in a sea of new music), but that doesn't mean there aren't good new bands out there. Power metal bands were in-your-face answer to what was happening in music industry in 90's but they lost popularity later on... nowdays they are regaining it with a little bit different sound. Problem is that some of those bands are making parody of themselves.
As a Brazilian I love Angra's musics, and, for me, the best power metal song is The Temple of Hate from Angra. And Temple of Shadows is one of the greatest power metal albums! And the new Edu Falaschi "temple of shadows in concert" is one of the greatest art/music work that I ever seen. It is full in TH-cam with you wanna listen.
Helloween, Blind Guardian and, very underrated in my opinion, Stratovarius are my top 3 power metal bands.🤘🏻 All of them were formed almost at the same time. Of course, Helloween was the first but Stratovarius and Blind Guardian followed not long after. Many people forget about them which is unfortunate. Good video.😋
I agree with you whole heartedly on stratovarious. Most people even in the metal community have no idea who they are which is a shame because Timo wrote some really incredible music in his tenure with the band.
@@kylemiller2920 Maan, when I discovered this (that they're not as famous and recognized as I thought), I was just confused. HOW THEY DON'T KNOW FUCKING STRATOVARIUS?!
Man, I'm so surprised (and glad) to see Virgin Steele here, as 1985-2000 VS is one of my all-t-ime top bands (but sadly, they completely lost the plot afterwards)... and for the year 1998, I'd picked pretty much any song from "Invictus", which basically is VS's "Painkiller", masterpiece from A to Z. What I don't like in "moerne" Power Metal, and Metal in general is the lack of cheer musicianship. Guys are good, but they like follow a winning reicipe : heavy riff + sing-along choruses + huge production + fantady/medieval topics... I mean... where did the song build-up go ? Where is the inspired soloing ? Where's Glenn Tipton ? :-D As you said, back in the late 80's, a band like Helloween was somewhat the logical evolution of Maide/Priest-style + Thrash pace and agressivity, but the music was still there, it wasn't only about sing-along choruses and lord of the rings... to me, the apex of Power Metal was the mid-to-late 90's, when Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian were established as the bosses of the scene, and great new talent such as Angra and Rhapsody were rising... but it didn't last long, for me, it was already over with the next bach of bands, Sonata Arctica, Nightwish, Epica etc... they're not bad by any means, but there just was something missing for me.
Yeah, Virgin Steele were really good, David vocals were great too. I asked him recently to do a guest on my album but he declined, he s too busy writing a new album. my top songs by VS Emelaith Kingdom of the Fearless The Sword of The Gods Wow!!!! His last albums were really weird, I hope David will be back with something more in my taste for his upcoming album.
There are 2 camps of Power Metal: American Power Metal and European Power Metal. Both have distinctive sounds with America PM being heavier and faster for the most part while EuroMetal is more melodic and soaring in tone. You focused entirely on EuroMetal with only 2 American bands (Manowar and Kamelot) that fit that bill. If you explored American PM then it wuld have started in the early 80's with bands like Manowar and Queensryche and Metal Church along with bands like Iced Earth and Fates Warning. Sorry, I just found your video a bit one-sided.
Yes, totally agree, and I'm absolutely aware of this. I was originally going to make two videos: one on European and the other on on USPM, yet after thinking about it for a while decided to go with what I personally felt like the most representative songs for each year... and those mostly were from European bands. BUT, since I have all the research ready (and actually around 50% of the video already), I will release a dedicated episode specifically on USPM... and its decay in the 90s
Last time I heard, Virgin Steele is american, too. And Canada (UTA) is is in north america. That makes for a proper division in a genre that is more popular in europe.
Unleash the Archers is Canadian as well btw. But these European/American labels are musically insufficient, because there is no clean divide in style between the two sides of the Atlantic. For example Kamelot is an American band with a melodic "Europian-sounding" style it makes no sense. I think specific subgenre labels like "melodic power" (e.g. Kamelot), "symphonic power" (Avantasia), "prog power" (Symphony X), "thrash power" (Iced Earth) and (maybe) "oldskool power" (Halloween etc.) would be more useful.. In black metal and death metal we see this practice as well. Btw, just to be clear.. I agree that these modern "pop power" or "party power" (how should we call them?) are nothing like the bands from the 90ies I fel in love with.
In my opinion, i sense in the "new Power Metal" lots of pop music influence, its almost like a pop band kinda evolved and started playing metal. Also very nice to see @Angra in the list
@@Suiax exactly: saying "power metal has taken pop music elements" is an mistake, let me explain: pop and melodic music are different things, late power metal has become MORE MELODIC but has nothing to do to nowadays pop music melodically or in its harmonies.
@@mrjustix7379 Yeah, I never bought the idea that power metal is taking pop elements at all. There are a few bands that I think sound like they do, but still.
I remember as a teenager in the 80s, the terms "power metal," "speed metal," and "thrash metal" were used interchangeably in the music press. Not just mainstream rock magazines like Rolling Stone, either, but mags specifically devoted to metal music. It was really only in the 90s and beyond that these three terms developed slightly different meanings. So a band like Helloween is clearly power metal but not thrash or speed metal. And a band like Dragonforce is speed metal but not power metal or thrash. Or... we could just call it all simply "heavy metal" and crank it up! 😉
DragonForce is way more power metal than speed metal bro. Their tempo is more like speed metal, but the melodies, vocals and use of keyboards can't get more power metal than that
I think Imaginations by BG was the first PM album I listened when I was very very young thx to my brother. Today I would say "Born in a Mourning Hall" is a great example of a PM song. In these days Iron Savior is the most consistent and talented band in the genre.
You just included Lovebites but there are some other Japanese bands like X-Japan or Versailles. Japan actually has a very interesting history of metal bands, especially all-female bands.
For those that miss the old style back in the 80s and 90s, the last two albums from Stratovarius as of 12-5-2021 (especially Eternal) combined elements from old school power metal. Even Blind Guardian released a single for their 2022 album, which can mean plenty of potential.
For me the greatest Power Metal bands have been Helloween and Stratovarius, no one else. I was positively taken that there in your list was also my newest discovery Lovebites!! The thing that unites for me these bands is the virtuosity of their talent on their instruments. Weikath-Hansen, Tolkki-Johansson and Midori-Miyako all equals on superiority. Bassists are on fire on every band too, can't forget drummers or singers Kiske, Kotipelto and Asami. Favourite songs of each are: Helloween: Halloween Stratovarius: Hands of Time (Tolkki sings) Father Time (Kotipelto sings) Lovebites: Above the Black Sea Great review!
Most of the time it's "We're Sabaton and this is Ghost Division!" The "we play heavy metal" is usually said at Festivals. I think Joakim wants to get rid of the "Power Metal" label because it's less popular. But as a huge Sabaton fan, I'll always call them power metal.
The most underrated Power Metal album is without a doubt Scanner - Terminal Earth. Running Wild, Gamma Ray and Helloween (pre Pink Bubbles Go ape) is my favorites among the well known bands
The fact that Spirit horse of the Cherokee and Riders of the storm were in this makes me very happy Edit: disappointed you didn't include Warriors of the World D:
It was wonderful to take a trip down the memory lane of Power Metal. I still remember back in '05 or '06 where I was first introduced to Power Metal through Hammerfall and I was immediately smitten. Been a die hard Power lover ever since. Favorite Power Metal song though? That's hard. As you say, Power Metal as a genre is so wide and with such variety, some songs excel at one thing where another does something else perfectly, but their sounds may still be so different that it's hard to judge them on the same merits. Mirror Mirror is absolute one of my favorites, hands down, but Hammerfalls Raven Lord is also an absolute banger. I also quite like Orden Ogan "Ravenhead", Warkings "Gladiator" and Firewind "Cold as Ice". The only style of Power Metal I remotely dislike is when people try to overdo what Dragonforce already took to what I consider is the very limit of where music turns into noise. Oh yea and can't forget to mention Nanowar of Steel. Those guys are whack, but they play some excellent tunes. "Barbie MILF Princess of the Twilight" is a must-hear for any Power lover.
You have one of the most pure hearted people on the left of you're thumbnail he is such a nice guy and grounded. He saw my dad was so excited seeing him and they talked for almost 30 minutes not at once but split up.
Only 1 Japanese band (Lovebites)? Checkout: Aion, Aldious, Animetal, Balflare, Blasdead, Concerto moon, D'erlanger, Double Dealer, Galneryus, Gyze, Mary's blood, Matenrou opera (thought it might be symphonic power metal), Onmyo-Za, Sex Machineguns, Versailles and really famous: X-Japan.
For the people interested the song at 4:44 is actually called 'Bar und Imbiss'. Also thanks for the lovely video MetalPilgrim! Very interesting to see how power metal became a thing
While Sabaton have every right to be among the ranks of the best, they don't really consider themselves power metal. But they work harder than almost any other band. Not many other bands would play for 3 hours in Denver after Priest canceling their tour.
Riders of the storm is not a 1997 song...the album (Crimson Glory) was released on 2002. And I still cannot understand why lots of people consider Manowar power metal.
Brazilian here, thanks for including hibria and of course angra. Hibria is really amazing for me because is from a town (Porto Alegre) that I live and some people don't put that in power metal stuff because it's a cheese genre, but I love it. Another one is Shaman second band from first singer of Angra that I missed it in your list.
"The most aggressive and speedy songs" ... I gotta respectfully disagree with that statement. Yeah, there are some aggressive power metal songs and bands out there to be sure, but you take some of the more aggressive and heavy thrash or death metal bands, or you take some of the more underground but known black metal bands and releases, I guarantee you will hear far more aggression. That's not counting the various subgenres of thrash, death, or black metal and I haven't even mentioned djent or deathcore and its subgenres. I love your vids man, and I'm a sub to your channel but I disagree with that statement. Putting that aside, this was still a great video.
Nice video. All true. Helloween and Blind Guardian are best ever-no discussion. Italians have also good power metal bands. My favorite is not Rhapsody, but Labyrinth-love those guys. There is only one amazing power metal band today-LOVEBITES. These girls are very special.
I think what's happened here is that boundaries have been blurred, so you get power metal now borrowing elements of all other types of metal, from folk, hair/glam, neo classical, symphonic, progressive, even melo-death, and it's all a happy mish-mash of music which (mostly) still works!
@@MetalPilgrim Surprised Galneryus did not make the list, but Lovebites definitely deserved to be there. Personally, I would have put them in every year from 2017. 😉
SOme great bands listed there. I have always had difficulty deciding if a band qualifies as Power Metal or not. But it really doesn't matter. Unleash the Archers, Battle Beast, Kamelot, Beast in Black, Battle Beast and Glory Hammer are all lovely.
I'm surprised how much our musical tastes coincide, Vlad. Heavy and power metal, including Judas Priest and Helloween... That's really fascinating, would be cool to jam and talk shop sometimes in Kyiv :)
My top 5 are probably Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Blind Guardian and a 5th would probably be a fight between Angra and Heavenly. I would have a tough time to figure out what fits in my top 20... there's so many fantastic bands these days. With that said, I generally don't care for the stuff that gets too poppy or meme-tastic. Some of the most fun concerts I've been to have been power metal. Blind Guardian, demons and wizards, unleash the archers were all insanely cool.
We have also Freedom Call, Majestica, Dark Moor, Dynazty, Dreamtale, Cain's Offering, Evergrey, Iron Savior, Masterplan and list can gon on. Many of them have wonderful new stuff. Forget Gloryhammer and few other "mistakes" bands. Every musical genre has its weeds. Power Metal is here, stronger and very powerfull !!!
@@ivansolodkiy7146 not bad but we cannot compare them even in the most beautiful dreams with Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius and other giants. Eventually we can catalog them similar to the genre "baby metal or kiddo metal".
@@mishulaksis Americans usually think the best power metal [or any metal] band are the most gimmicky ones. So then usually love the shittiest ones musically, like Gloryhammer, Sabaton, Powerwolf, Alestorm. The only good power metal which somehow got popular is Unleash the Archers.
Huge Power Metal fan here. Who started it? Helloween in '87 or Accept in '81 or Triumph in '78 or Rainbow in '75??? Love them all and the bands that came after- Stratovarius, Angra, Nevermore, Kamelot, Epica, Gamma Ray, Demons and Wizards, Brainstorm, Nocturnal Rites, etc,etc. Bands like Hammerfall- great first two records(Glory to the Brave and Legacy of Kings) and then they went to CHEESE POP METAL. Unlistenable but unfortunately influenced others- won't name them but they're in the video. Stay Metal my friends!
I can agree there! But, Manowars songs Hail and Kill and Battle Hymn need to be on that list. They're as heavy as power metal can be Edit: I want out is definitely the best, most stereotypical, and well made Power Metal Track though 🖤🤘
To me there's 4 or 5 songs better than Mirror, Mirror on Imaginations From the Other Side, plus Into the Storm and The Curse of Feanor on Nightfall on Middle Earth itself
wow i have a playlist full of Power Metal and i didnt even know it was considered a genre here in my country we just call it heavy metal now im a fan of power metal
You kidding? Power metal is never dead to me because it has it's share of amazing songs with soaring vocals, epic guitar solos and awesome musicianship in between.
I'm a 80th Metalhead an I could not understand the most classifications now. And I couldn't understand people, who only like Bands of one genre, in my ears the most genres overlap to others. There are in any genre a few bands I like or don't.
if you haven't already you should check out Lovebites. i mean on this list they are shown as power metal but they really arent confined to just that one subgenre. i think in general Japanese Metal and rock bands don't really adhere to strict genre classifications.
The thing I think lost me with a lot of current Powermetal or at least some in the mid 2000's were that a lot of the bands never wrote catchy melodic riffs and the majority of the songs were a constant blast of drums at one beat and a single note played until the solo. And some bands tried to compensate the lack of melodic riffs with keyboards, Sabaton are sometimes guilty of this. There have been some bands later on that kind of got back to melodic riffs which is good.
So cool to see the band Hibria here, a bit of a shock to me. I use to know these guys, my 1st concert ever actually, then became friends for a while. Time flies!
I would also include Rhapsody of Fires "The Eight Mountain" and Helloweens "Helloween" I suppose, since they are one of the best recent Power Metal albums. As for a personal favorite song... well it's hard to pick between Helloween, Blind Guardian and Rhapsody for me. In my opinion these three bands defined the EU PM scene. Also a nitpick of mine... for Angra you showed Fabio Lione singing but it would have been better to showcase it with the original singer, Andre Matos in my opinion! Anyways a good video, I would also like to see a more indept analasys of power metal!
Also, there are some amazing power metal bands that were not mentioned in this video: Galneryus, Dreamtale, Freedom Call, Power Quest, etc. Power metal certainly deserve to have subgenres within itself. But I can also see that they have some common roots in their structure, arrangement, and melody. For me, I would call songs from Gloryhammer, Dreamtale, Twilight Force as Fantasy Power Metal because they have the most fantasy element. Rhapsody of Fire and Nightwish are Symphonic Power Metal due to their orchestral aspect. And Helloween is Classic Power metal as one of the pioneers of PM. I think they are all good in their own ways. I enjoy fantasy power metal with a melodic element the most probably because I am also a fan of RPG games.
As a Sabaton fan that was not the song to pick as their power metal song that is night witches or steel commanders and I feel those pre-1993 ish are are a whole nother category or traditional power/heavy metal
I am a Sabaton fan myself, but as a huge power metal fan, bands like Sabaton and Powerwolf sort of water down the genre if you ask me. I think that's why you saw them at the later end of the video, it's representative of the evolution of Power Metal as a genre and how it's, probably, not as good as it once was.
I still remember the first time I heard power metal: Dream Evil's Dragonslayer album. Possibly the third or fourth metal song I ever heard in my life was The Chosen Ones. Life changing experience.
@@achillesamusic Maybe, but Concerto Moon is still around. X-Japan? Gone but never forgotten.Same with Sex Machinegun. Also, don't forget the "proto" bands that predates them (as in, Heavy/Speed/NWOBHM,etc) like Loudness and D'erlanger. Cheers!🤘
Fates Warning released The Spectre Within in 85 and Awaken the Guardian in 86. Those albums definitely set the groundwork for not only progressive metal but for power metal as well. A lot of these bands were definitely influenced by Fates Warning.
The end take here seems a little bit silly to me, especially as the number one criticism of power-metal as a genre has historically been "the sonic template has never changed since the Keeper albums." So some people think it's changed too much, and some say it's never changed at all? There's a common sonic thread through everything here: strong choruses, a focus on overall melody, emphasis on the vocalist and vocal line, an uplifting/epic atmosphere, frequent gang vocals, and generally playing to one's sense of wonder and valor. Gloryhammer's "Universe on Fire" is an outlier song for them, but most of their other material derives directly from the ancestry of Helloween to be sure.
*And in order to talk about the matter discussed in the end of the video first hand, we will welcome Anton Kabanen of Beast in Black on the show this week*
Walls of Jericho.
Missing Babymetal in this list. But Kawaii metal is maybe not Powermetal?
@@davidornberg Check out HelStar.
I would not have Rhapsody in this list. They're more symphonic metal. Missing the mighty PRIMAL FEAR in there though.
I seen them several times in the late 80's and early 90's. Remnants of War is of my favorite albums.
Some metal wants to make you feel angry, other metal wants to make you feel melancholic or violent, BUT... Power Metal wants you to feel hopeful, courageous and lift your spirit... that's why we love it!
I think power metal just wants you to feel things
Some powermetal can also be humourous like "Ressurection by erection"
And a bunch of alestorm songs if not all
basicaly want's you to feel the need for crusade
Or just make you want to crucify some wolves
@@amra7004 oh sweet jesus you're my Friend now, i'll follow you alive or undead through the sacrament of sin to get to where the wild wolves have gone 😉👌
Sabaton's bassist and co-founder, Par Sundstrom, has stated numerous times I think, he doesn't consider the band power metal as power metal generally focuses on fantasy styled lyrics and high pitched vocals and they do neither.
But since they fit more musically into Power Metal then other genres, that's what they call themselves.
I think Joakim has stated something like that a few times as well.
@@Perseus7567 i mean Joakim even says at the start of each concert “we’re sabaton, and we play heavy metal” instead of saying power metal
Whatever he sad.. My ears detect that they are a power metal band 😃😃
@@scuffedcovers2031 said*
Sabaton is History Metal
Fun fact:
Sabaton is still singing songs.
The two most recent ones are:
Christmas Truce (of 1914),
And Steel Commanders
Listened to Christmas Truce last night for the first time. I told my wife we have a new Christmas song this year. It's a good song.
christmas truce is so good
Let’s be honest we all clicked on this video because we saw him
Twilight Force, Avantasia and Sabaton all put out albums in 2019. The genre is not just alive, it's doing damn good.
@@thelampgaming9717 I just can't not click on a video with Joakim's face as the thumbnail 🤣
Power Metal brings us all hope, adventure, courage, emotion, life, energy.
I hope it never dies.
It won’t unlike other sub genres of metal. The community is almost entirely United behind the genre which keeps it alive.
@@rjm_17 Agreed.
It never will. It lives on inside us.
power metal these days is different for sure, but go to a sabaton concert and tell me you didn't have a good time
yeah
Sabato freakin' rocks! So true.
*Go to a Sabaton concert*
*Bully Sabaton into playing Swedish Pagans by yelling WooooOOOOOOoooooo for 10 minutes straight*
*Enjoy*
Went last month and it was incredible
@@Ballin4Vengeance YEEEES
Power metal is one of the most happiest metal subgenre.
I always think of Power Metal as the pink fluffy unicorn among all metal genres.
But I love it.
@@ShinyStarfire the pink fluffy undead unicorn shooting fireballs making everything die, collapsing buildings to the floor led by the wizard zagothrax
Glam?
@@vanillaicecream2385 Now a days it's just a fluffy black unicorn...
with sunglasses and on a tank!
Listen Vera Cruz, from Edu Falaschi. It was released this year and refers to power metal classics
You've also included Gamma Ray twice on the list. That makes it a total of four entries for one Kai Hansen, who founded both Helloween and Gamma Ray. If that isn't proof enough that he's the God father of Power Metal, I don't know what is, haha! Kai is the law! 🎃 ☯️ 🤘
I thought that I've read "Beasts in Black" twice, too. But I'm not a hundred percent sure. Last couple of bands sounded really alike (and really dull).
@@oliverl.5834 one is battle beast and the other is beast in black
@@StormRiderCL Ah, thanks.
Kai Hansen. Sums it up
Amen brother!
I'm a fan of both Sabaton and Powerwolf. I'm glad that they're both in this video because they show how metal is growing. No matter what the pop fans say, metal is alive and well. LONG LIVE METAL!!!!!
Running Wild is a criminally underrated band, with songs like Conquisdatores, Port Royal and The Rivalry.
black wings of death one of their best songs, I miss in that list some song from savatage, but yeah running wild one of the best bands out there.
I fucking ADORE running wild
Give this man a medal for telling the truth
The Rivalry is criminally underrated album!
I've always been into metal, first found it through listening to rainbow rising. I always find myself gravitating towards power metal. It's big, dramatic, isn't afraid to experiment and doesn't take itself too seriously.
Great to see Unleash the Archers on the list. They have really stepped up their game on their last two albums, Apex and Abyss. The Wind That Shapes The Land is one of the best power metal songs. Legacy shows how fresh they can be.
It surprised me aswell, I've been disconnected from them for a while now but I'll go check the new songs
Love unleash the archers hopefully I will get to see them live in concert next year
UtA has one of, if not the best, power metal vocalists in the business right now... Brittney has that 80's greasiness combined with the 10's melodic aesthetic in her voice. Apex has to be one of my favorite albums of this decade...
On today’s power metal bands , IMO they are the bests together with HammerFall
@@gtkall Certainly when compared to singers like Ralph Scheepers and Nils Patrik Johansson, I don't think you can even come close to saying she's superior to anyone else working at the time, but she's definitely fantastic.
twilight of the gods by helloween. Epic chorus, epic lyrics.
The stuff of legends.
Amen
One of Power Metal's best
Lol no galneryus, they are they most underrated power metal band in history :(
I'm glad You included lovebites.
Clearly what has happened, is Power Metal has evolved past the idea it's a fusion on Speed Metal, and New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and has taken on an identity of its own. That's kind of how things work. I know this gonna piss people off. Frankly, i don't care.
Gloryhammer is just as much Power Metal, as Blind Guardian.
Also I want to add that I feel there is an over categorization of genres these days, and ultimately, calling Gloryhammer and others, something else will not do justice to both parties. All it will do, is over complicate things even more. Most people who like Gloryhammer, (and are not narrow minded) also like Blind Guardian, and vise versa. So just call it Power Metal.
True, I like pretty much like all bands he showed and I still listen to most of them. New and old stuff
The first time I saw Gloryhammer, they were supporting Blind Guardian!
Power Metal took on a clear identity of its own in the mid 90s.
And Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards is such a banger of an album
@@golub2585 Indeed it is. Though, the more I listen to Return to the Kingdom of Fife, the more I prefer. I dunno man. Sozos did an amazing job.
LoveBites, hell yeah! Thanks for including those ladies kick total ass! Does Frozen Crown count as power metal? They have become one of my faves.
Yes, they count!
It became apparent to me when Avantasia and Kamelot were featured that power metal forked or split in the early 2000’s. Today, those bands may be considered symphonic metal as well. Once upon a time, Nightwish was lumped in with power metal as well. So obviously one branch of power metal has evolved into a more symphonic version with more complexity and less speed, while bands like DragonForce, Alestorm, and Sabaton have kept a lot of the speed but gone for simpler melodies. One branch is stylistically more sophisticated and majestic like Lord of the Rings, and the other is more lighthearted and cheesy like Legend of Zelda.
TL;DR: symphonic metal is a niche sub genre that emerged from power metal around 2001. What remains as power metal is distinct from 90’s power metal, but it hasn’t yet been renamed and still carries the old moniker.
I found Kamelot while I was checking out symphonic metal bands. I thought they were symphonic metal because i did hear a lot of symphonic influences and elements into their stuff. Still think they are closer to symphonic metal than power metal personally.
Greatest power metal song ever:
EAGLE FLY FREE
HELLOWEEN!
First time I heard this song I remember thinking "How can such classical melody fit so well into a metal song, and yet the song is so powerful". And that's Power Metal to me.
Hold my "wolf and Raven"
@@jeremendoza5492 Blank File - Sonata Arctica 🤏😎
@@wedthurfri443 YES, in fact I think any song of ecliptica or silence can be considered a candidate for best power metal track 😎
Although I can't name an absolute favorite, these are some of the songs I really enjoy:
"Destiny" - Galneryus
"warriors" - Freedom Call
"Eagle Fly Free" - Helloween
"Lady Dragon" - Dreamtale
"Operation Ground and Pound" - Dragonforce
"Dawn of Victory" - Rhapsody (of fire)
"Rise of the Chaos Wizards" - Gloryhammer
I just like the uplifting and epic sounding of Power Metal over all
you have my exact taste bro !!! :) i like all of those bands & songs; maybe not my favorites from each of them (except for destiny), but man those are like all in my top pm bands
@@andyeleven that's so cool. Glad you also like them
Someone gave love to Freedom Call. It has all the traditional german power metal pedigree but it goes on and on. They could be put in this video without question.
Galneryus has my vote for most amazing Power Metal band (though the argument that they are more Neo-Classical is valid, but, hey, are you a lumper or a splitter) with Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, and Helloween close behind. Glad to see Galneryus get some love because they have the speed, the power, and pretty much everything else you can ask for.
@@jonathanhubbard4298 I just discovered this amazing genre about 2 years ago. My que of power metal songs is still growing, but those are just the ones that came up to mind
Mirror mirror is one of my favourite songs - but "Journey through the dark" is the song that got me into Blind Guardian! It's my definition of Power Metal, as is Painkiller for Metal in general. But that's just MHO.
I really miss the when BG played songs like the one on the Somewhere Far Beyond album, which was more focused on Speed guitars and drums, the closest one is At The Edge of time album, hope the next release get more of the Kai Hansen influence as was in the SfB and tales from the twilight
Helloween, Primal Fear, and Hammerfall are the Power Metal bands that get me going.
Agree with another poster that Dream Evil should have been on this list as well.
primal fear have to be one of the most underrated bands out there
Listen Vera Cruz, from Edu Falaschi. It was released this year and refers to power metal classics
pretty sure primal fear is heavy metal. But I could be wrong
Power Metal is my favourite metal subgenre! When I think of Power Metal, I think "Valley of the Damned" by Dragonforce. Hypersonic, epic, high-pitched vocals and fantasy themes!
DragonForce is Power Metal at its finest
Have you heard their song called Extreme Power Metal?
@@gustavoaraujo6923 That's the album name, not a song name. But yes, I've heard it, and yes, I love it.
@@MysticMindAnalysis no, I'm not talking about the new album. There is, indeed, a song with the same name. Search it, you won't regret
My favorite band is GloryHammer. They write a full album with a full story that you can feel the "epic" and you can play this in some RPG like D&D. I'm nerd, i love it
This
Agreed, Gloryhammer is just way to awesome
Gloryhammer Is basically Sabaton with a fantasy setting. AND i dont mean it's bad, I'm a Sabaton fan, but you really can't tale stuff like "Unicorn Invasión of Dundee" seriously hahaha
Blind Guardian is my favorite band and I love Mirror Mirror, but they've written better. Script For My Requiem, And The Story Ends, Feanor, Time Stands Still (Iron Hill), Ride Into Obsession, Sacred Worlds, Straight Through The Mirror, Age Of False Innocence, Road Of No Release, The Holy Grail, and Ashes Of Eternity are songs I like better. Mirror Mirror is badass though and easily a song that must be included in a video such as this.
I would also throw in And Then There Was Silence in that list as well.
@@BoUrnNe26 My favorite from them!
Blind Guardian's got a permanent spot in my top 3 alongside Maiden (my #3 fav changes over time, probably Queensryche right now) and the thing that really cements them is how they've managed to continue to be great. I mean, my favorite albums of theirs are 20 years apart (Imaginations and Red Mirror). I'll accept the argument that they haven't been pure power metal for a long time, but power metal can never truly die while they're still going.
@@BoUrnNe26 absolutely!
Throw there The Ninth Wave and The Last Candle
For me the whole first Helloween album Walls of Jericho is what really kicked it off. Victims of Fate and How Many Tears hold up even today. Were there earlier roots yes, but that was the trunk of the power metal tree. Salute to you for including Lovebites in there. They blend NWOBHM and power metal elements.
that album is more speed metal than anything else.
What I like about PM is this clarity of the voice. And the upbeat mood. So, my all time favourite live album is Helloween live in the UK. And my best live experience of PM was a Running Wild concert. In a rather small hall you could understand every word of Rock´n Rolfs lyrics. Impeccable sound technique. On the other hand, Manowar made me deaf for two days.
First of all, Sabaton is great. Second of all, I definitely consider Sabaton heavy metal. I agreee to other comments saying that power metal is nerdy metal, essentially, and Sabaton is slightly nerdy in that all of their songs are about history, but they are, at least in my opinion, heavy metal
They are awesome. What else must be said?
Most of them are about history, not all.
Fine. 95% counts as most I guess
@@seancartinella6260 Ye, I brought that up since there are some really cool songs that aren't history related, such as "In the army now" or 7734
@@drrakw2432 true, but "in the army now" is about Vietnam, maybe about the draft imparticular, but true. 7734 isn't really historical
Props for including Soundchaser. Such a great song a well as the whole album, and it seems that people often overlook it
Rage overall is way overlooked. The way they mix heavy, speed, power and sometimes thrash is mindblowing.
I think the evolution of Power Metal can be perfectly observed on HammerFall, which you included on the list. They started as an fast power metal band, and as they said, they played "german power metal" even though they're swedish, but throughout the years, they kinda changed, slowed down and are playing something like Battle Beast or Beast In Black.
Where is US Power Metal and the Giants like Jag Panzer , Manilla Road, Riot, Vicious Rumors !?? Have you forgot or never heard about them ?
I actually described this in a different thread. There will be a separate video on USPM specifically 😉🤘
@@MetalPilgrim
Sounds good to me. I'll be waiting for that video.
Dawn of Victory completely changed my idea of what metal was and could be when I first heard it in high school twenty years ago. It got me started in metal when I had previously been listening to 90s rock. And I only picked it out at the library because I thought the cover was cool. It was also nice to see Twilight Force represented here, even though the chosen song is the least metal one on the album, and was seemingly picked as an example of how far from it's roots "power metal" is straying.
If I would bring just one album with me anywhere, from any genre, it would be Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2. It just has everything. The same goes for the title track, so if I had to pick one Power Metal song, it would be that one.
Wish I had seen some Dream Evil btw
I agree, but what Helloween, Grave Digger, Blind Guardian, Running Wild did was one thing, Stratovarius was something different, Hammerfall, Gamma Ray, Avantasia are again something different... and also bands like Beast in black or Gloryhammer are totally different things. I would call them different generations or waves of power metal.
Those bands made music in totally different times and demands are different. Making non-metalheads listen to metal is not "new power metal" thing, it started even a long time before black album. Sadly it's just a way to earn money fast(and survive in a sea of new music), but that doesn't mean there aren't good new bands out there.
Power metal bands were in-your-face answer to what was happening in music industry in 90's but they lost popularity later on... nowdays they are regaining it with a little bit different sound. Problem is that some of those bands are making parody of themselves.
indeed avantasia, luca turilly and company they are called epic metal for some people.
As a Brazilian I love Angra's musics, and, for me, the best power metal song is The Temple of Hate from Angra. And Temple of Shadows is one of the greatest power metal albums!
And the new Edu Falaschi "temple of shadows in concert" is one of the greatest art/music work that I ever seen. It is full in TH-cam with you wanna listen.
Kinda triggered that for the only angra song they chose they didnt spotlight andre matos
Helloween, Blind Guardian and, very underrated in my opinion, Stratovarius are my top 3 power metal bands.🤘🏻 All of them were formed almost at the same time. Of course, Helloween was the first but Stratovarius and Blind Guardian followed not long after. Many people forget about them which is unfortunate. Good video.😋
STRATOOOO
I agree with you whole heartedly on stratovarious. Most people even in the metal community have no idea who they are which is a shame because Timo wrote some really incredible music in his tenure with the band.
@@kylemiller2920 most metalheads dont know the epicness of the "Power Metal Universe"
@@kylemiller2920 Maan, when I discovered this (that they're not as famous and recognized as I thought), I was just confused. HOW THEY DON'T KNOW FUCKING STRATOVARIUS?!
Add Rhapsody to the list and I'll fully agree!
Man, I'm so surprised (and glad) to see Virgin Steele here, as 1985-2000 VS is one of my all-t-ime top bands (but sadly, they completely lost the plot afterwards)... and for the year 1998, I'd picked pretty much any song from "Invictus", which basically is VS's "Painkiller", masterpiece from A to Z.
What I don't like in "moerne" Power Metal, and Metal in general is the lack of cheer musicianship.
Guys are good, but they like follow a winning reicipe : heavy riff + sing-along choruses + huge production + fantady/medieval topics... I mean... where did the song build-up go ? Where is the inspired soloing ? Where's Glenn Tipton ? :-D
As you said, back in the late 80's, a band like Helloween was somewhat the logical evolution of Maide/Priest-style + Thrash pace and agressivity, but the music was still there, it wasn't only about sing-along choruses and lord of the rings... to me, the apex of Power Metal was the mid-to-late 90's, when Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian were established as the bosses of the scene, and great new talent such as Angra and Rhapsody were rising... but it didn't last long, for me, it was already over with the next bach of bands, Sonata Arctica, Nightwish, Epica etc... they're not bad by any means, but there just was something missing for me.
Yeah, Virgin Steele were really good, David vocals were great too.
I asked him recently to do a guest on my album but he declined, he s too busy writing a new album.
my top songs by VS
Emelaith
Kingdom of the Fearless
The Sword of The Gods
Wow!!!!
His last albums were really weird, I hope David will be back with something more in my taste for his upcoming album.
Nice comment :)
There are 2 camps of Power Metal: American Power Metal and European Power Metal. Both have distinctive sounds with America PM being heavier and faster for the most part while EuroMetal is more melodic and soaring in tone. You focused entirely on EuroMetal with only 2 American bands (Manowar and Kamelot) that fit that bill. If you explored American PM then it wuld have started in the early 80's with bands like Manowar and Queensryche and Metal Church along with bands like Iced Earth and Fates Warning. Sorry, I just found your video a bit one-sided.
Yes, totally agree, and I'm absolutely aware of this. I was originally going to make two videos: one on European and the other on on USPM, yet after thinking about it for a while decided to go with what I personally felt like the most representative songs for each year... and those mostly were from European bands. BUT, since I have all the research ready (and actually around 50% of the video already), I will release a dedicated episode specifically on USPM... and its decay in the 90s
@@MetalPilgrim So there's basically 50Hz and 60Hz Power Metal, right?
Not going to criticize or anything (since the owner of the channel himself agreed) but he also brought Angra, a Brazilian band
Last time I heard, Virgin Steele is american, too. And Canada (UTA) is is in north america. That makes for a proper division in a genre that is more popular in europe.
Unleash the Archers is Canadian as well btw. But these European/American labels are musically insufficient, because there is no clean divide in style between the two sides of the Atlantic. For example Kamelot is an American band with a melodic "Europian-sounding" style it makes no sense. I think specific subgenre labels like "melodic power" (e.g. Kamelot), "symphonic power" (Avantasia), "prog power" (Symphony X), "thrash power" (Iced Earth) and (maybe) "oldskool power" (Halloween etc.) would be more useful.. In black metal and death metal we see this practice as well.
Btw, just to be clear.. I agree that these modern "pop power" or "party power" (how should we call them?) are nothing like the bands from the 90ies I fel in love with.
Sabaton tells the story's of soldiers keeping the soldiers legacy's alive
In my opinion, i sense in the "new Power Metal" lots of pop music influence, its almost like a pop band kinda evolved and started playing metal. Also very nice to see @Angra in the list
You haven't listen to much Pop in the last 20 years.
@@Suiax exactly: saying "power metal has taken pop music elements" is an mistake, let me explain: pop and melodic music are different things, late power metal has become MORE MELODIC but has nothing to do to nowadays pop music melodically or in its harmonies.
It's a fortunate thing that you have no fucking idea.
OP agree.
@@mrjustix7379 Yeah, I never bought the idea that power metal is taking pop elements at all. There are a few bands that I think sound like they do, but still.
I remember as a teenager in the 80s, the terms "power metal," "speed metal," and "thrash metal" were used interchangeably in the music press. Not just mainstream rock magazines like Rolling Stone, either, but mags specifically devoted to metal music.
It was really only in the 90s and beyond that these three terms developed slightly different meanings. So a band like Helloween is clearly power metal but not thrash or speed metal. And a band like Dragonforce is speed metal but not power metal or thrash.
Or... we could just call it all simply "heavy metal" and crank it up! 😉
Dragonforce could be power metal these days hence speed metal for many is the Walls of Jericho.
DragonForce is way more power metal than speed metal bro. Their tempo is more like speed metal, but the melodies, vocals and use of keyboards can't get more power metal than that
Falconer has always been a favorite of mine... Something about their vox and melodies when I first heard them won me over.
Shame they are no longer around. :(
@@AndyD070568 It is a shame... they are basically the only power/folk metal band that I like.
Falconer stands alone. Unique is so many ways.
I think Imaginations by BG was the first PM album I listened when I was very very young thx to my brother. Today I would say "Born in a Mourning Hall" is a great example of a PM song.
In these days Iron Savior is the most consistent and talented band in the genre.
You just included Lovebites but there are some other Japanese bands like X-Japan or Versailles. Japan actually has a very interesting history of metal bands, especially all-female bands.
when you have almost all of these artists on your spotify playlist🤘
And you compulsively sing along with half the songs...
I recently got into metal couple years ago and I genuinely don't understand why everyone shits on power metal
For those that miss the old style back in the 80s and 90s, the last two albums from Stratovarius as of 12-5-2021 (especially Eternal) combined elements from old school power metal. Even Blind Guardian released a single for their 2022 album, which can mean plenty of potential.
For me the greatest Power Metal bands have been Helloween and Stratovarius, no one else. I was positively taken that there in your list was also my newest discovery Lovebites!! The thing that unites for me these bands is the virtuosity of their talent on their instruments. Weikath-Hansen, Tolkki-Johansson and Midori-Miyako all equals on superiority. Bassists are on fire on every band too, can't forget drummers or singers Kiske, Kotipelto and Asami.
Favourite songs of each are:
Helloween: Halloween
Stratovarius: Hands of Time (Tolkki sings) Father Time (Kotipelto sings)
Lovebites: Above the Black Sea
Great review!
symphony x even if fans dont labeled them as power metal also rhapsody are amazing
When I've seen Sabaton he always screams; we are sabaton and we play heavy metal. so thats's that.
Lemmy: "We are Motorhead, and we play Rock 'n' Roll"
Most of the time it's "We're Sabaton and this is Ghost Division!"
The "we play heavy metal" is usually said at Festivals. I think Joakim wants to get rid of the "Power Metal" label because it's less popular.
But as a huge Sabaton fan, I'll always call them power metal.
@@sealandjack891 they're musically a heavy metal band with power metal elements. Primo Victoria sounds more Heavy Metal
They really are in that in between area between heavy and power
@@markc5728 prolly cuz the demo for that song was made in like 2005
The most underrated Power Metal album is without a doubt Scanner - Terminal Earth. Running Wild, Gamma Ray and Helloween (pre Pink Bubbles Go ape) is my favorites among the well known bands
same
The fact that Spirit horse of the Cherokee and Riders of the storm were in this makes me very happy
Edit: disappointed you didn't include Warriors of the World D:
VIRGIN STEELE
Exactly. WAS.
@@blindg7092 is this band alive?
The same way we got from Crimson Glory, Helstar and Queensryche to Mirror Mirror. Terms change meaning over time.
Stratovarius is my favorite power metal band
It was wonderful to take a trip down the memory lane of Power Metal. I still remember back in '05 or '06 where I was first introduced to Power Metal through Hammerfall and I was immediately smitten. Been a die hard Power lover ever since.
Favorite Power Metal song though? That's hard. As you say, Power Metal as a genre is so wide and with such variety, some songs excel at one thing where another does something else perfectly, but their sounds may still be so different that it's hard to judge them on the same merits. Mirror Mirror is absolute one of my favorites, hands down, but Hammerfalls Raven Lord is also an absolute banger. I also quite like Orden Ogan "Ravenhead", Warkings "Gladiator" and Firewind "Cold as Ice". The only style of Power Metal I remotely dislike is when people try to overdo what Dragonforce already took to what I consider is the very limit of where music turns into noise.
Oh yea and can't forget to mention Nanowar of Steel. Those guys are whack, but they play some excellent tunes. "Barbie MILF Princess of the Twilight" is a must-hear for any Power lover.
Just gotta love Blind Guardian with the tales they tell😭💪🏻🔥🔥🖤🖤🖤 The Bard's Songs will remain 🖤
You have one of the most pure hearted people on the left of you're thumbnail he is such a nice guy and grounded. He saw my dad was so excited seeing him and they talked for almost 30 minutes not at once but split up.
Only 1 Japanese band (Lovebites)? Checkout: Aion, Aldious, Animetal, Balflare, Blasdead, Concerto moon, D'erlanger, Double Dealer, Galneryus, Gyze, Mary's blood, Matenrou opera (thought it might be symphonic power metal), Onmyo-Za, Sex Machineguns, Versailles and really famous: X-Japan.
Isn't DragonForce from Japan too?
@@vitaliitomas8121 Nope, DragonForce is from England.
For the people interested the song at 4:44 is actually called 'Bar und Imbiss'. Also thanks for the lovely video MetalPilgrim! Very interesting to see how power metal became a thing
More alive than ever.
While Sabaton have every right to be among the ranks of the best, they don't really consider themselves power metal. But they work harder than almost any other band. Not many other bands would play for 3 hours in Denver after Priest canceling their tour.
@Sabino70 you're absolutely right.
Or replace Manowar for a full set the day after they played their own on a few minutes notice, and continue playing after the singer lost his voice.
My favorite bands from your list are Firewind and Manowar. Best new Band for me is Warrior Path.
Riders of the storm is not a 1997 song...the album (Crimson Glory) was released on 2002. And I still cannot understand why lots of people consider Manowar power metal.
Stratovarius - Black Diamond is the best power metal song ever written
So nice to see Angra in this list. Angra is a proud into the brazilian's metal bands. Nice video.
but instead of puting an Andre Matos live back on 90's they put Fabio Lione... What a shame XD
@@jorgeportillogil9560 that's true. André was a prince of Metal.
Music genres are very minor to me (as an amateur musician). As long as you love the sound of it you can play or listen to anything.
Brazilian here, thanks for including hibria and of course angra. Hibria is really amazing for me because is from a town (Porto Alegre) that I live and some people don't put that in power metal stuff because it's a cheese genre, but I love it.
Another one is Shaman second band from first singer of Angra that I missed it in your list.
ANGRAAAAAAAA
SHAMANNNNNN
"The most aggressive and speedy songs" ... I gotta respectfully disagree with that statement. Yeah, there are some aggressive power metal songs and bands out there to be sure, but you take some of the more aggressive and heavy thrash or death metal bands, or you take some of the more underground but known black metal bands and releases, I guarantee you will hear far more aggression. That's not counting the various subgenres of thrash, death, or black metal and I haven't even mentioned djent or deathcore and its subgenres. I love your vids man, and I'm a sub to your channel but I disagree with that statement. Putting that aside, this was still a great video.
Speediest for sure, not the most aggressive tho.
Thank you so much for including FullMoon, my favorite song from my favorite band ever
Nice video. All true. Helloween and Blind Guardian are best ever-no discussion. Italians have also good power metal bands. My favorite is not Rhapsody, but Labyrinth-love those guys.
There is only one amazing power metal band today-LOVEBITES. These girls are very special.
Agreed. Return to Heaven Denied by Labyrinth has to be one of the best albums of the genre for me, hand down.
Meh, Unleash the Archers is much better than Lovebites. And you forgot Stratovarius, without them you would have no Lovebites.
Of course it's not dead. Age 50 and I still listen power metal ( since 1986 )
LOVEBITES! LOVEBITES! LOVEBITES! They are the current #1 power-metal band on the planet! HAIL to the princesses from JAPAN!
I think what's happened here is that boundaries have been blurred, so you get power metal now borrowing elements of all other types of metal, from folk, hair/glam, neo classical, symphonic, progressive, even melo-death, and it's all a happy mish-mash of music which (mostly) still works!
Power Metal never dies we love it \m/ \m/
Power metal can't die, it's way way too wholesome
Lovebites recognition, love it! Another great video.
Thank you! They are very talented indeed
@@MetalPilgrim Surprised Galneryus did not make the list, but Lovebites definitely deserved to be there. Personally, I would have put them in every year from 2017. 😉
SOme great bands listed there. I have always had difficulty deciding if a band qualifies as Power Metal or not. But it really doesn't matter.
Unleash the Archers, Battle Beast, Kamelot, Beast in Black, Battle Beast and Glory Hammer are all lovely.
I'm surprised how much our musical tastes coincide, Vlad. Heavy and power metal, including Judas Priest and Helloween... That's really fascinating, would be cool to jam and talk shop sometimes in Kyiv :)
Would absolutely love to, Andrii. Hope we'll find some time that works for both ;)
My top 5 are probably Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Blind Guardian and a 5th would probably be a fight between Angra and Heavenly. I would have a tough time to figure out what fits in my top 20... there's so many fantastic bands these days. With that said, I generally don't care for the stuff that gets too poppy or meme-tastic.
Some of the most fun concerts I've been to have been power metal. Blind Guardian, demons and wizards, unleash the archers were all insanely cool.
We have also Freedom Call, Majestica, Dark Moor, Dynazty, Dreamtale, Cain's Offering, Evergrey, Iron Savior, Masterplan and list can gon on. Many of them have wonderful new stuff. Forget Gloryhammer and few other "mistakes" bands. Every musical genre has its weeds. Power Metal is here, stronger and very powerfull !!!
What's wrong with Gloryhammer? Good half-ironic band with few catchy songs, in my opinion.
@@ivansolodkiy7146 not bad but we cannot compare them even in the most beautiful dreams with Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius and other giants. Eventually we can catalog them similar to the genre "baby metal or kiddo metal".
@@mishulaksis well, that's truth, I agree.
@@mishulaksis Americans usually think the best power metal [or any metal] band are the most gimmicky ones. So then usually love the shittiest ones musically, like Gloryhammer, Sabaton, Powerwolf, Alestorm. The only good power metal which somehow got popular is Unleash the Archers.
@@Hy-jg8ow Agreed but Sabaton are really good. Don't put them in the same spot with Gloryhammer as they don't compare.
Huge Power Metal fan here. Who started it? Helloween in '87 or Accept in '81 or Triumph in '78 or Rainbow in '75??? Love them all and the bands that came after- Stratovarius, Angra, Nevermore, Kamelot, Epica, Gamma Ray, Demons and Wizards, Brainstorm, Nocturnal Rites, etc,etc. Bands like Hammerfall- great first two records(Glory to the Brave and Legacy of Kings) and then they went to CHEESE POP METAL. Unlistenable but unfortunately influenced others- won't name them but they're in the video. Stay Metal my friends!
*Yes, you heard it right: I Want Out and Mirror, Mirror are the greatest Power Metal songs ever written*
Sounds that you don't know "The Last Candle". 😜
Emerald Sword 🤘
I can agree there! But, Manowars songs Hail and Kill and Battle Hymn need to be on that list.
They're as heavy as power metal can be
Edit: I want out is definitely the best, most stereotypical, and well made Power Metal Track though 🖤🤘
I'd give the honor to Halloween and Keeper Of The Seven Keys, the song.
To me there's 4 or 5 songs better than Mirror, Mirror on Imaginations From the Other Side, plus Into the Storm and The Curse of Feanor on Nightfall on Middle Earth itself
The Angra vídeo is not from 2003. I believe it was a typo cause that seems to be from the DVD made for the 20th anniversary of Angel's Cry in 2013.
No matter how you say it, but LOVEBITES is in their own league of metal and the rest have some serious catching up to do.
That's true, they are actually the most talented power metal band.
I don't suit with their vocalist, I would prefer vocalist of Frozen Crown or Vandroya, but their music is great.
wow i have a playlist full of Power Metal and i didnt even know it was considered a genre
here in my country we just call it heavy metal
now im a fan of power metal
You kidding? Power metal is never dead to me because it has it's share of amazing songs with soaring vocals, epic guitar solos and awesome musicianship in between.
Thanks!
Mostly clueless about sub genres!
Some new to me favorites in there like Kamelot! Glad u picked one showing Melissa Bonny for Warkings!
👏🙏😈🤘🤘
I'm a 80th Metalhead an I could not understand the most classifications now.
And I couldn't understand people, who only like Bands of one genre, in my ears the most genres overlap to others.
There are in any genre a few bands I like or don't.
if you haven't already you should check out Lovebites. i mean on this list they are shown as power metal but they really arent confined to just that one subgenre. i think in general Japanese Metal and rock bands don't really adhere to strict genre classifications.
@@cius2112 I think their name was inspired by Halestorm's song "Love Bites (but so do I)" I think the singer also performed live with Halestorm.
The thing I think lost me with a lot of current Powermetal or at least some in the mid 2000's were that a lot of the bands never wrote catchy melodic riffs and the majority of the songs were a constant blast of drums at one beat and a single note played until the solo. And some bands tried to compensate the lack of melodic riffs with keyboards, Sabaton are sometimes guilty of this. There have been some bands later on that kind of got back to melodic riffs which is good.
2 things:
1. How the fuck did Alestorm get on this list.
2. I would say Iron Maiden is technically the first PM band.
Pirate metal is a sub-class of power metal?
@@weerwolfproductions pirate metal is a sub class of folk and power metal actually
@@ostrogothiccyoutube8118 I would say Pirate Metal is more akin to Folk metal than Power Metal.
So cool to see the band Hibria here, a bit of a shock to me. I use to know these guys, my 1st concert ever actually, then became friends for a while. Time flies!
I would also include Rhapsody of Fires "The Eight Mountain" and Helloweens "Helloween" I suppose, since they are one of the best recent Power Metal albums.
As for a personal favorite song... well it's hard to pick between Helloween, Blind Guardian and Rhapsody for me. In my opinion these three bands defined the EU PM scene.
Also a nitpick of mine... for Angra you showed Fabio Lione singing but it would have been better to showcase it with the original singer, Andre Matos in my opinion!
Anyways a good video, I would also like to see a more indept analasys of power metal!
Also, there are some amazing power metal bands that were not mentioned in this video: Galneryus, Dreamtale, Freedom Call, Power Quest, etc.
Power metal certainly deserve to have subgenres within itself. But I can also see that they have some common roots in their structure, arrangement, and melody. For me, I would call songs from Gloryhammer, Dreamtale, Twilight Force as Fantasy Power Metal because they have the most fantasy element. Rhapsody of Fire and Nightwish are Symphonic Power Metal due to their orchestral aspect. And Helloween is Classic Power metal as one of the pioneers of PM. I think they are all good in their own ways. I enjoy fantasy power metal with a melodic element the most probably because I am also a fan of RPG games.
As a Sabaton fan that was not the song to pick as their power metal song that is night witches or steel commanders and I feel those pre-1993 ish are are a whole nother category or traditional power/heavy metal
I am a Sabaton fan myself, but as a huge power metal fan, bands like Sabaton and Powerwolf sort of water down the genre if you ask me. I think that's why you saw them at the later end of the video, it's representative of the evolution of Power Metal as a genre and how it's, probably, not as good as it once was.
Did you actually cut off the clip before kamelot started singing?
Galneryus is surely one of the best Power Metal bands by far.
For real. Them, Unlucky Morpheus, Demetori, Iron Attack are also really good. Japan has lots of amazing bands that are overlooked
I still remember the first time I heard power metal: Dream Evil's Dragonslayer album. Possibly the third or fourth metal song I ever heard in my life was The Chosen Ones. Life changing experience.
Dragonslayer got me into metal as a whole. Fantastic album.
BIG Disclaimer : They only Japan power metal band that still stands tall and keeping it alive to day is Galneryus.Period
Minstrelix have released a new album too but Galneyrus is the top of the mountain for Japanese power metal
I’ll check them out!
What about Versailles/Jupiter and Unlucky Morpheus?
@@SeymoreSparda I'm aware but Galneryus is their daddy
@@achillesamusic Maybe, but Concerto Moon is still around. X-Japan? Gone but never forgotten.Same with Sex Machinegun. Also, don't forget the "proto" bands that predates them (as in, Heavy/Speed/NWOBHM,etc) like Loudness and D'erlanger. Cheers!🤘
Fates Warning released The Spectre Within in 85 and Awaken the Guardian in 86. Those albums definitely set the groundwork for not only progressive metal but for power metal as well. A lot of these bands were definitely influenced by Fates Warning.
"Is Power Metal DEAD?" ... no.
Is Power Metal hard to explain? Fuck no. Fast and loud Metal-style beat paired with emotionally powerful stories.
NEXT.
The end take here seems a little bit silly to me, especially as the number one criticism of power-metal as a genre has historically been "the sonic template has never changed since the Keeper albums." So some people think it's changed too much, and some say it's never changed at all? There's a common sonic thread through everything here: strong choruses, a focus on overall melody, emphasis on the vocalist and vocal line, an uplifting/epic atmosphere, frequent gang vocals, and generally playing to one's sense of wonder and valor. Gloryhammer's "Universe on Fire" is an outlier song for them, but most of their other material derives directly from the ancestry of Helloween to be sure.