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K.D.'s power metal favorites as of 2017
8 years ago
TL;DR version -- Click on words that are bold because it's a link to some sweet, sweet power metal.
Okay, time for another journal that I've spent a few hours on and roughly two people will read. Yaaaaay! I have great prioritization!
Here's a list of some of the best power metal as of 2017, with my personal thoughts and recaps on some things.
Angra - Final Light
Angra has been around since 1991, though I think their breakout album was Temple of Shadows in 2004, which is about when modern power metal started getting good in general. Incidentally, that was the first album featuring lead vocalist Eduardo Falaschi.
Falaschi was replaced as vocalist by Fabio Lione for their 2014 album, Secret Garden. Lione is Italian, and Italian accents are pretty much the best for singing, which is why Japan is obsessed with Italian eurobeat. So I'm expecting many great things from Angra as long as they hang onto Lione.
2nd - Violet Sky
3rd - Running Alone
At Vance - Fly to the Rainbow
Who knew a song about rainbows could be so hardcore?
Fly to the Rainbow has a lot of attributes that make for great power metal. The instrumentation is fast and with many intricate rhythms. The vocals are slower in tempo and clearly cut through the other sounds; it's good poetry in plain, comprehensible English. At about 3:40, he goes up an octave and subtle backing vocals are added to the chorus. The guitar solo is superb as usual, and doesn't overstay its welcome. For the last repeat of the chorus at about 5:40, they get that double bass drum going.
It's one of the finest power metal songs in my library. It just does everything right.
2nd - Now or Never
3rd - Right or Wrong
Battle Beast - Beyond the Burning Skies
Battle Beast is quite the conundrum. On the one hand, some of their songs -- especially older ones -- have some astoundingly trashy lyrics and screechy singing. On the other, some of their singular songs here and there are unique and amazing blends of clean vocals and intricate melodies. Half of their last album (Bringer of War) in particular is some of the best power metal I've ever heard. It's downright bizarre for one group to be on opposite ends of the spectrum at once. There's probably like one guy writing the trashy stuff and saying, "Include this in the album or I quit."
I'm only officially listing the four best here, but consider checking out "We Will Fight", "Dancing With the Beast", "Far From Heaven", "God of War", and "The Eclipse".
2nd - Lost in Wars
3rd - Machine Revolution
4th - Neuromancer
DragonForce - Land of Shattered Dreams
With seven albums released over the course of 14 years, the sound of DragonForce has changed a lot over time. Probably most Americans first become aware of them from their "Through the Fire and Flames" music video, which showcased a lot of very very fast music and men with unusually long hair. A lot of people made fun of it, but since there's no such thing as bad publicity, this naturally led to Sam and Herman starring in a Capital One commercial.
After dropping ZP Theart as lead vocalist and picking up Marc Hudson, the band's sound drifted away from "100% intensity all the time" and started really utilizing Hudson's vocal range and emotive sound. Their album "The Power Within" was kind of "More of the same, but with Hudson instead of ZP", but "Maximum Overload" and "Reaching into Infinity" showcase just how good these guys are after 10 years with some of the most intricate melodies and poetry around. Sometimes less speed is more quality.
2nd - The Sun is Dead
3rd - Tomorrow's Kings
Dreamtale - World's Child (2016 version)
Dreamtale is a very interesting band. Many of their songs are phrased positively, and then some appear to have biting social commentary while still sounding very cheerful and positive. It's impressive.
As usual, the sound has varied considerably for each album as the band spent their early years recruiting lead vocalists, recording an album, and kicking them out. It took them three years to find someone without a severe accent (Jarkko Ahola), and then another five to put out another good album with the next guy (Erkki Seppänen).
Luckily, when you keep at something for that long, it starts to work. Also on their most recent album, they re-recorded several of their older songs to great effect. More bands should do that.
Also, they have a song about a dragoness who wants love and pleasure. I'm assuming it's not a metaphor, but you never can tell with these songs.
2nd - Reality Reborn
3rd - Each Time I Die
Firewind - Rise from the Ashes
Firewind is an oddball band because their sound has changed so much after 8 studio albums over 15 years, with 4 different lead vocalists along the way. The only constant has been Gus G on lead guitar, which I think you can tell with the unique electric guitar distortion that fingerprints each song as "Firewind". They've had singular songs here and there that have been exceptional, but many others have been plain -- their 2nd-to-most-recent album "Few Against Many" in particular, which was full of muddled vocals, repetitive sound, and subpar mixing.
That changed five years later with 2017's "Immortals". I admit it took me some time to warm up to new vocalist Henning Basse who recalls the "shouty" style of their first two albums, but I think it works when all the songs are about warriors and battles. The lowest point of the whole album is the odd decision on "Ode to Leonidas" to have the backup vocals call "No! Sleep!" on the chorus. It's lame and it bothers me every time. But since that's the worst thing I can say about it, it means the album is pretty darn good.
I also must imagine that Stephen Fredrick sprained something every time he sang "Tomorrow Can Wait". It's the most emotion he showed across 21 songs.
2nd - Insanity
3rd - Cold as Ice
4th - Tomorrow Can Wait
Jorn - A Thousand Cuts
Jørn Lande sings a lot. Technically his solo act here is probably more "hard rock", but only because it's lacking a few of the characteristic power metal techniques. The distinction is razor thin.
Since 1994, he's done lead vocals for over 30 studio albums, and has been guest vocalist on dozens more songs, including playing the role of Karthus in Pentakill, the quasi-fictional League of Legends band. This guy is a living legend in the power metal world, dude. Why does the Guilty Gear series have someone named after Kai Hansen but not Jørn Lande?
It's very hard to pick out just a few songs from his solo acts that are best. Even his worst songs aren't really "bad", just rather plain. Others like "Sunset Station", "Stormcrow", "Something Real", "Man of the Dark", "Promises", "The Inner Road", "Young Forever", and "The Sun Goes Down" could easily be here, and it's near impossible for me to say which is objectively better than another.
Luckily, I'm not some kind of dragonbot that could get caught in an infinite loop, so I can just pick one at random and let it be.
2nd - Starfire
3rd - Burning Chains
Allen-Lande - Reaching for the Stars
See the notes on Jorn above.
2nd - Will You Follow
3rd - The Artist
Luca Turilli - Black Dragon
We black dragons have a power metal theme song. You don't. Ha ha ha.
Masterplan - Falling Sparrow
Masterplan has had a weird history, which has caused dramatic changes in style for each album.
Jørn Lande sang for their first two albums with the expected effect: making awesome music.
Then for their third album, they got rid of Jørn because of "musical differences". I think it's easy to tell why. Jørn probably took one look at what they were writing and was like "Guys, listen. This is never going to work." So he left, and the album was completely different and mostly subpar as one might expect. People, when you have Jørn flippin' Lande on your team, you don't just get rid of him.
Then they brought him back, probably by getting on their knees and begging. Unfortunately their fourth album had some of the most awful mixing I've ever heard for an album so recent, with the far-too-loud guitar pretty much drowning out every word that Jørn sings. I think it's very telling that the song "Time to be King" appears in both a Masterplan album and a Jorn solo album, yet the Jorn version's mixing is far superior. People, when you have Jørn flippin' Lande on your team, let him decide how to mix your power metal songs.
Based on what Wikipedia says, apparently Jørn is a bit high-strung and hard to keep happy. It probably has nothing to do with their bad mixing ruining his vocal efforts. Anyway, their 2013 album was pretty amazing, so I guess it all worked out. At least until 2017's PumpKings where they promptly returned to having terrible mixing again.
You used to be cool, Masterplan. I imagine that their next album will have Jørn again and then not, one album on, one album off forever.
2nd - Bleeding Eyes
3rd - Black Night of Magic
Nocturnal Rites - What's Killing Me
Nocturnal Rites is a band that performs some very intense music with punchy guitar and prominent vocals, but they stay very tasteful about it with songs including Biblical allusions, personal empowerment, and non-conformity themes. It's a duality I like very much about power metal, that the instrumentation sounds confrontational, but the poetry exposes a deep vulnerability. Roughness is not malice.
After 10 years without an album, they finally put out Phoenix in 2017, and it is awesome.
2nd - A Song For You
3rd - Call Out to the World
Serenity - Fate of Light (EPIC ANATOMY SKETCHING)
Serenity is another one of those bands that seems to be incapable of making anything outright bad. Being a symphonic power metal band with more emphasis on "symphonic" than usual, some of their songs are lacking that power metal flair, but the ones that have it are anywhere from decent to excellent because of that relatively unique sound.
The vocal ability of Georg Neuhauser is also among the best in the business. His voice is extremely melodic and emotive, and fits excellently with the soulful themes of their songs. Also, I'm glad he finally stopped pronouncing "V" sounds as "W", even if it did take him a few years. Not that it isn't funny for him to sing that he might be a "wictim of conspiracy".
2nd - Derelict
3rd - The Art of War
Stratovarius - Nemesis
Fun fact, one of the earliest power metal songs I ever heard was S.O.S by Stratovarius, attached to this combo video for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Dreamcast game. I was instantly like, "This is awesome music! What is it?!"
Stratovarius has one of the longest power metal pedigrees around, forming in 1984 and having their first album out in 1989, although their sound was much different in their early years when they were not so far removed from the genre's hair metal roots. To their credit, the group's sound has evolved with with the times and Timo Kotipelto has gotten slightly more comprehensible. After many years of good-or-bad, their last two albums -- Nemesis and Eternal -- have been second to none.
2nd - Halcyon Days
3rd - My Eternal Dream
Symphonity - Flying
I don't have much to say about Symphonity, except they somehow managed to make two songs that are roughly five times better than everything else they've done. Also, I think dragons should like songs about flying.
Still looking for songs about hoarding, though.
2nd - Live To Tell The Tale
Okay, time for another journal that I've spent a few hours on and roughly two people will read. Yaaaaay! I have great prioritization!
Here's a list of some of the best power metal as of 2017, with my personal thoughts and recaps on some things.
Angra - Final Light
Angra has been around since 1991, though I think their breakout album was Temple of Shadows in 2004, which is about when modern power metal started getting good in general. Incidentally, that was the first album featuring lead vocalist Eduardo Falaschi.
Falaschi was replaced as vocalist by Fabio Lione for their 2014 album, Secret Garden. Lione is Italian, and Italian accents are pretty much the best for singing, which is why Japan is obsessed with Italian eurobeat. So I'm expecting many great things from Angra as long as they hang onto Lione.
2nd - Violet Sky
3rd - Running Alone
At Vance - Fly to the Rainbow
Who knew a song about rainbows could be so hardcore?
Fly to the Rainbow has a lot of attributes that make for great power metal. The instrumentation is fast and with many intricate rhythms. The vocals are slower in tempo and clearly cut through the other sounds; it's good poetry in plain, comprehensible English. At about 3:40, he goes up an octave and subtle backing vocals are added to the chorus. The guitar solo is superb as usual, and doesn't overstay its welcome. For the last repeat of the chorus at about 5:40, they get that double bass drum going.
It's one of the finest power metal songs in my library. It just does everything right.
2nd - Now or Never
3rd - Right or Wrong
Battle Beast - Beyond the Burning Skies
Battle Beast is quite the conundrum. On the one hand, some of their songs -- especially older ones -- have some astoundingly trashy lyrics and screechy singing. On the other, some of their singular songs here and there are unique and amazing blends of clean vocals and intricate melodies. Half of their last album (Bringer of War) in particular is some of the best power metal I've ever heard. It's downright bizarre for one group to be on opposite ends of the spectrum at once. There's probably like one guy writing the trashy stuff and saying, "Include this in the album or I quit."
I'm only officially listing the four best here, but consider checking out "We Will Fight", "Dancing With the Beast", "Far From Heaven", "God of War", and "The Eclipse".
2nd - Lost in Wars
3rd - Machine Revolution
4th - Neuromancer
DragonForce - Land of Shattered Dreams
With seven albums released over the course of 14 years, the sound of DragonForce has changed a lot over time. Probably most Americans first become aware of them from their "Through the Fire and Flames" music video, which showcased a lot of very very fast music and men with unusually long hair. A lot of people made fun of it, but since there's no such thing as bad publicity, this naturally led to Sam and Herman starring in a Capital One commercial.
After dropping ZP Theart as lead vocalist and picking up Marc Hudson, the band's sound drifted away from "100% intensity all the time" and started really utilizing Hudson's vocal range and emotive sound. Their album "The Power Within" was kind of "More of the same, but with Hudson instead of ZP", but "Maximum Overload" and "Reaching into Infinity" showcase just how good these guys are after 10 years with some of the most intricate melodies and poetry around. Sometimes less speed is more quality.
2nd - The Sun is Dead
3rd - Tomorrow's Kings
Dreamtale - World's Child (2016 version)
Dreamtale is a very interesting band. Many of their songs are phrased positively, and then some appear to have biting social commentary while still sounding very cheerful and positive. It's impressive.
As usual, the sound has varied considerably for each album as the band spent their early years recruiting lead vocalists, recording an album, and kicking them out. It took them three years to find someone without a severe accent (Jarkko Ahola), and then another five to put out another good album with the next guy (Erkki Seppänen).
Luckily, when you keep at something for that long, it starts to work. Also on their most recent album, they re-recorded several of their older songs to great effect. More bands should do that.
Also, they have a song about a dragoness who wants love and pleasure. I'm assuming it's not a metaphor, but you never can tell with these songs.
2nd - Reality Reborn
3rd - Each Time I Die
Firewind - Rise from the Ashes
Firewind is an oddball band because their sound has changed so much after 8 studio albums over 15 years, with 4 different lead vocalists along the way. The only constant has been Gus G on lead guitar, which I think you can tell with the unique electric guitar distortion that fingerprints each song as "Firewind". They've had singular songs here and there that have been exceptional, but many others have been plain -- their 2nd-to-most-recent album "Few Against Many" in particular, which was full of muddled vocals, repetitive sound, and subpar mixing.
That changed five years later with 2017's "Immortals". I admit it took me some time to warm up to new vocalist Henning Basse who recalls the "shouty" style of their first two albums, but I think it works when all the songs are about warriors and battles. The lowest point of the whole album is the odd decision on "Ode to Leonidas" to have the backup vocals call "No! Sleep!" on the chorus. It's lame and it bothers me every time. But since that's the worst thing I can say about it, it means the album is pretty darn good.
I also must imagine that Stephen Fredrick sprained something every time he sang "Tomorrow Can Wait". It's the most emotion he showed across 21 songs.
2nd - Insanity
3rd - Cold as Ice
4th - Tomorrow Can Wait
Jorn - A Thousand Cuts
Jørn Lande sings a lot. Technically his solo act here is probably more "hard rock", but only because it's lacking a few of the characteristic power metal techniques. The distinction is razor thin.
Since 1994, he's done lead vocals for over 30 studio albums, and has been guest vocalist on dozens more songs, including playing the role of Karthus in Pentakill, the quasi-fictional League of Legends band. This guy is a living legend in the power metal world, dude. Why does the Guilty Gear series have someone named after Kai Hansen but not Jørn Lande?
It's very hard to pick out just a few songs from his solo acts that are best. Even his worst songs aren't really "bad", just rather plain. Others like "Sunset Station", "Stormcrow", "Something Real", "Man of the Dark", "Promises", "The Inner Road", "Young Forever", and "The Sun Goes Down" could easily be here, and it's near impossible for me to say which is objectively better than another.
Luckily, I'm not some kind of dragonbot that could get caught in an infinite loop, so I can just pick one at random and let it be.
2nd - Starfire
3rd - Burning Chains
Allen-Lande - Reaching for the Stars
See the notes on Jorn above.
2nd - Will You Follow
3rd - The Artist
Luca Turilli - Black Dragon
We black dragons have a power metal theme song. You don't. Ha ha ha.
Masterplan - Falling Sparrow
Masterplan has had a weird history, which has caused dramatic changes in style for each album.
Jørn Lande sang for their first two albums with the expected effect: making awesome music.
Then for their third album, they got rid of Jørn because of "musical differences". I think it's easy to tell why. Jørn probably took one look at what they were writing and was like "Guys, listen. This is never going to work." So he left, and the album was completely different and mostly subpar as one might expect. People, when you have Jørn flippin' Lande on your team, you don't just get rid of him.
Then they brought him back, probably by getting on their knees and begging. Unfortunately their fourth album had some of the most awful mixing I've ever heard for an album so recent, with the far-too-loud guitar pretty much drowning out every word that Jørn sings. I think it's very telling that the song "Time to be King" appears in both a Masterplan album and a Jorn solo album, yet the Jorn version's mixing is far superior. People, when you have Jørn flippin' Lande on your team, let him decide how to mix your power metal songs.
Based on what Wikipedia says, apparently Jørn is a bit high-strung and hard to keep happy. It probably has nothing to do with their bad mixing ruining his vocal efforts. Anyway, their 2013 album was pretty amazing, so I guess it all worked out. At least until 2017's PumpKings where they promptly returned to having terrible mixing again.
You used to be cool, Masterplan. I imagine that their next album will have Jørn again and then not, one album on, one album off forever.
2nd - Bleeding Eyes
3rd - Black Night of Magic
Nocturnal Rites - What's Killing Me
Nocturnal Rites is a band that performs some very intense music with punchy guitar and prominent vocals, but they stay very tasteful about it with songs including Biblical allusions, personal empowerment, and non-conformity themes. It's a duality I like very much about power metal, that the instrumentation sounds confrontational, but the poetry exposes a deep vulnerability. Roughness is not malice.
After 10 years without an album, they finally put out Phoenix in 2017, and it is awesome.
2nd - A Song For You
3rd - Call Out to the World
Serenity - Fate of Light (EPIC ANATOMY SKETCHING)
Serenity is another one of those bands that seems to be incapable of making anything outright bad. Being a symphonic power metal band with more emphasis on "symphonic" than usual, some of their songs are lacking that power metal flair, but the ones that have it are anywhere from decent to excellent because of that relatively unique sound.
The vocal ability of Georg Neuhauser is also among the best in the business. His voice is extremely melodic and emotive, and fits excellently with the soulful themes of their songs. Also, I'm glad he finally stopped pronouncing "V" sounds as "W", even if it did take him a few years. Not that it isn't funny for him to sing that he might be a "wictim of conspiracy".
2nd - Derelict
3rd - The Art of War
Stratovarius - Nemesis
Fun fact, one of the earliest power metal songs I ever heard was S.O.S by Stratovarius, attached to this combo video for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Dreamcast game. I was instantly like, "This is awesome music! What is it?!"
Stratovarius has one of the longest power metal pedigrees around, forming in 1984 and having their first album out in 1989, although their sound was much different in their early years when they were not so far removed from the genre's hair metal roots. To their credit, the group's sound has evolved with with the times and Timo Kotipelto has gotten slightly more comprehensible. After many years of good-or-bad, their last two albums -- Nemesis and Eternal -- have been second to none.
2nd - Halcyon Days
3rd - My Eternal Dream
Symphonity - Flying
I don't have much to say about Symphonity, except they somehow managed to make two songs that are roughly five times better than everything else they've done. Also, I think dragons should like songs about flying.
Still looking for songs about hoarding, though.
2nd - Live To Tell The Tale
I will read through this on a later time