Author Topic: Power Metal (Read 93502 times)

Evermind · « **Reply #245 on:** April 11, 2014, 12:54:28 PM »

I gave it a listen, and my first impression is that it's fucking awesome. The only songs I don't like are Pale Rider and Born to Fly, while Avalon, Hellbent, Master of Confusion, Time for Deliverance, Seven and the title track are top notch. This is a huge improvement over their last effort, I agree. I didn't hold much hope for this record, but it actually exceeded all my expectations.
Looking forward to see them live, but I think I'll get some place near the bar this time. Last time (on their tour with Helloween) the audience turned into a mosh pit on Empire of the Undead, and that wasn't a pleasant time. The song is thrashy indeed, but still, no need to lose your head.

wolfking · « **Reply #246 on:** April 11, 2014, 04:10:01 PM »

Born to Fly is actually one of my favs, it's pretty generic but I love it. I Will Return is incredible too. Demonseed is something different for the band too.

Evermind · « **Reply #247 on:** April 11, 2014, 04:15:57 PM »

Yeah, I Will Return is pretty good, just loved the other songs more from the first listen. Demonseed may grow on me, but as of now, I remember only the quite jarring intro and some bits here and there.
I think there are no weak tracks, just the ones I don't like. Born to Fly happens to be one of those, but it may change over the days. I'm certainly gonna spin this album few times more.

wolfking · « **Reply #248 on:** April 11, 2014, 04:27:30 PM »

The only semi weak song for me is Time For Deliverance. It's a classic GR ballad, but a shameless We Are the Champions rip off, and pretty much a reworking of No Need to Cry.

Evermind · « **Reply #249 on:** April 11, 2014, 04:32:21 PM »

I'm a sucker for ballads so I love it.

wolfking · « **Reply #250 on:** April 11, 2014, 04:35:14 PM »

Gamma Ray have always done some of the greatest metal ballads I've ever heard.

wolfking · « **Reply #251 on:** April 15, 2014, 05:21:44 AM »

Some vids of Tobi performing with Gamma Ray. Apparantely, Kai's voice has some issues so they got Tobi to sing. Also Fabio Lione helped out too.

Besides Tobi not really knowing the songs, he sounds great on these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cwdu0TLvXMc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xt07-yfUdbo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z8K1dkAcv-M

Evermind · « **Reply #252 on:** April 15, 2014, 11:04:58 AM »

Yeah, he's fine. I also like they've dropped Pale Rider off the setlist, hope it stays that way.

edit: I'm worrying though, will Kai recover until the Moscow concert? I know Tobi's awesome, but I kinda want to hear Kai singing again. He's got this certain charisma when singing.

TAC · « **Reply #253 on:** April 15, 2014, 04:48:31 PM »

Oh my, Fabio Leone doing some vocals for Gamma Ray?? WOW!

gazinwales · « **Reply #254 on:** April 22, 2014, 01:52:29 AM »

One of my fave bands, Falconer, that is always so consistent, is releasing a new album in June.
https://youtu.be/Y595heHNifs

ErHaO · « **Reply #255 on:** April 22, 2014, 02:47:23 AM »

Good to hear! I love the vocals of Mathias Blad.

NotePad · « **Reply #256 on:** April 24, 2014, 03:11:58 AM »

i really need to get into more power metal bands. The only ones i'm really into are Edguy and Helloween. And i guess Masterplan, but they're new singer is not the greatest.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #257 on:** April 25, 2014, 05:35:52 AM »

Quote from: NotePad on April 24, 2014, 03:11:58 AM

i really need to get into more power metal bands. The only ones i'm really into are Edguy and Helloween. And i guess Masterplan, but they're new singer is not the greatest.

Rick Altzi is amazing.

NotePad · « **Reply #258 on:** April 26, 2014, 03:03:05 AM »

Quote from: jingle.boy on April 25, 2014, 05:35:52 AM

Quote from: NotePad on April 24, 2014, 03:11:58 AM
i really need to get into more power metal bands. The only ones i'm really into are Edguy and Helloween. And i guess Masterplan, but they're new singer is not the greatest.

Rick Altzi is amazing.

I don't know the name of the guy who sang on MKII, but he was good. That guy was a pretty good replacement for Lande. But this Rick Altzi guy? He's ok, but he is just missing something. He doesn't have the range, he can't do the high notes like Jorn, and i think that is a Masterplan singer needs to be able to do. It bugs me kinda how they have to keep going for these 'husky' sounding singers when replacing Jorn. Doesn't hurt to try something new. But i can get past Altzi's shortcomings, i just wish he had more range. The songs on the new album though are quite good IMO. Lots of melody. That Grapow guys knows what makes a great Power Metal song. I do need to listen to the album more though, because I'm thinking of the last songs where Grapow sings with Altzi, and I don't remember being very impressed..

wolfking · « **Reply #259 on:** April 26, 2014, 05:47:31 AM »

Mike Dimeo sang on MK2 and he was great. Altzi IMO is an even better replacement and the last album was one of the best of the year.

TAC · « **Reply #260 on:** April 30, 2014, 06:18:27 PM »

One listen into Gamma Ray's new album, and I freaking love it!!! WOW!!

wolfking · « **Reply #261 on:** May 01, 2014, 05:30:33 AM »

Quote from: TAC on April 30, 2014, 06:18:27 PM

One listen into Gamma Ray's new album, and I freaking love it!!! WOW!!

It's definitely good. It doesn't seem to have the lasting power that I look for in a classic album, but they certainly did deliver.

snapple · « **Reply #262 on:** May 01, 2014, 05:33:02 AM »

Fairyland is GOAT

wolfking · « **Reply #263 on:** May 01, 2014, 05:39:49 AM »

Quote from: snapple on May 01, 2014, 05:33:02 AM

Fairyland is GOAT

I've only got Score to a New Beginning, but it's fucking awesome.

snapple · « **Reply #264 on:** May 01, 2014, 05:55:10 AM »

Quote from: wolfking on May 01, 2014, 05:39:49 AM

Quote from: snapple on May 01, 2014, 05:33:02 AM
Fairyland is GOAT

I've only got Score to a New Beginning, but it's fucking awesome.

Of Wars in Osyrhia is probably my favorite. But they're all unapologetic power metal. For that, I can respect and love them. Similarly, Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire (the ones with Fabio).

Jaq · « **Reply #265 on:** May 01, 2014, 08:43:45 AM »

So my latest ultra cheesy symphonic power metal love is Ancient Bards' new one, A New Dawn Ending. It steps a little outside of the Rhapsody cheese box because the singer is female, but other than that, it's pretty much very well done Rhapsody styled power metal, down to the cringe worthy spoken word moments and the mandatory epic length song with the Forces of Evil represented by extreme metal vocals. Plus Fabio Leone sings on one song and it's pretty brilliant. Can't imagine anyone who likes Rhapsody wouldn't like this band.

Scorpion · « **Reply #266 on:** May 01, 2014, 11:22:01 PM »

Yeah, Ancients Bards are pretty solid. Though you did hit the nail on the head with your descriptulion - if Ancient Bards wouldn't have a chick singing, then they could pretty much BE Rhapsody, for all intents and purposes.

Speaking of Rhapsody, I have been listening to their early stuff quite a bit, and I have to say that the debut album contains some of my favourite guitar playing from Luca Turili - I'm not quite sure what it is, but especially his soloing had something magical on that album that I find missing on later records. Check out the solos in Lord of the Thunder, for example, that's one of Rhapsody's best instrumental sections, if not THE best.

Jaq · « **Reply #267 on:** May 02, 2014, 07:20:59 AM »

I do have a soft spot for the first two Rhapsody albums, before they went insanely over the top. The debut album in particular is far more stripped back and reliant on some really good, occasionally long instrumental sections, rather than 80 piece orchestras and huge choirs and over the top instrumentation. That's it, pulling out the debut later.

Scorpion · « **Reply #268 on:** May 02, 2014, 12:51:46 PM »

I'm with you on Legendary Tales, but Symphony of Enchanted Lands is a total dud for me. Not as bad as Triumph or Agony, or SoEL2, but still lower half of their discog. The only song I really like is Wisdom of the Kings.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #269 on:** May 03, 2014, 05:59:25 AM »

I checked out Ancient Bards after Sara sung on Ayreon's album. I listened to Soulless Child, and thought it was fabulous. Alas, I haven't gone back to it.

My soft spot for Rhapsody is with Dawn of Victory... it was probably my first truly POWER metal album, so my opinion is biased. I love Turilli... also have his solo album Kings of the Nordic Twilight. Now that I think about it, that is the album that led me to Rhapsody.

NotePad · « **Reply #270 on:** May 09, 2014, 08:12:06 PM »

I'v listened to the first Unisonic album a few times and it doesn't do too much for me. It sounds kinda bland, to be honest. It's not really power metal either. But I don't think they said they were making music like that. They've described their music as hard rock mainly.

But I'v just heard the couples clips from their upcoming EP and I gotta say they were impressive. They definitely sounded like power metal songs to me. That's cool. It's too bad they never formed this band back in the 90s or something, I bet they could have been huge.

Lowdz · « **Reply #271 on:** May 10, 2014, 11:31:12 AM »

Quote from: jingle.boy on May 03, 2014, 05:59:25 AM

I checked out Ancient Bards after Sara sung on Ayreon's album. I listened to Soulless Child, and thought it was fabulous. Alas, I haven't gone back to it.

My soft spot for Rhapsody is with Dawn of Victory... it was probably my first truly POWER metal album, so my opinion is biased. I love Turilli... also have his solo album Kings of the Nordic Twilight. Now that I think about it, that is the album that led me to Rhapsody.

Yeah, I love Dawn Of Veeektooorrrrreeeeeee too. No other Rhapsody album comes close. I like that Luca album too but probably prefer the follow up, Prophet of the Last Eclipse. The Ancient Forest of Elves takes some beating for unintentionally funny metal track of all time.

wolfking · « **Reply #272 on:** May 11, 2014, 06:01:22 AM »

For some reason I could never really get into Rhapsody. I have a couple of albums but nothing that really grabbed me.

gazinwales · « **Reply #273 on:** May 11, 2014, 04:33:44 PM »

Been a Rhapsody fan since pretty much day one, since I saw the name the artwork, concepts and finally the music.
Their catalogue has always been fairly strong, not everything they have done has been perfect, but in general very solid.

NotePad · « **Reply #274 on:** May 12, 2014, 02:11:02 AM »

Funny, Tobi used to be kind of a Kiske 'clone' on the early Edguy records. He would go pretty goddamn high with the notes, and very frequently. But listening to him these days really shows how hard he was trying in those days, and how easy it is for Kiske because Kiske can still do it effortlessly not just on recordings but while live. Watching those tapes of Tobi with Gamma Ray, one can see he is no Kiske. And I don't mean that as a bad thing. It just seems like in those days he wanted to be Kiske and Dickinson, but now he embraces his own unique voice.

Just and observation

Something else that has crossed my mind recently is that a lot of power metal bands have a neo-classical sound to them. I think Stratovarius has this neo-classical feel to them. And despite the fact that I think early Edguy is the closest anyone has gotten to REALLY REALLY sounding like the keepers albums, early Edguy has this neo-classical style to them. Not new Edguy tho. But Helloween doesn't and never has had this in their sound. It's funny, i was watching a YouTube comparison of Stratovarius and Helloween. They had songs like Mirror Mirror and Steel Tormentor up against Stratovarius songs. And the difference is huge. Helloween actually has a much more modern sound to them. Recent stuff is comparable to dark Judas Priest stuff like Painkiller, yet this band is the founder of the genre that Stratovarius plays, yet the two bands have such a different feeling to them.

I guess what it comes down to is Helloween being a Speed Metal band, not just Power Metal. And Stratovarius is 'symphonic' power metal. What I'm saying is, the whole thing about these 'Helloween clone' bands has been blown out of proportion. Sure they had an influence on the genre and set the groundwork, but they never had that symphonic, neo-classical style to them that so many of these 'clones' use to excess.

That's my weekly Power Metal rant

gazinwales · « **Reply #275 on:** May 12, 2014, 03:22:26 AM »

I might have said this already, but Helloween were always a speed metal band, back in their glory days of the Keeper albums.
Back then there was no such genre or term as power metal.
I can remember reading about them in magazines and speed metal was the tag, that they were quite rightly given.

wolfking · « **Reply #276 on:** May 12, 2014, 05:32:45 AM »

Yeah, Walls of Jericho is just nuts, definite speed metal.

Lowdz · « **Reply #277 on:** May 12, 2014, 11:08:37 AM »

Quote from: wolfking on May 12, 2014, 05:32:45 AM

Yeah, Walls of Jericho is just nuts, definite speed metal.

I always just thought of them as a German Iron Maiden, a bit heavier, certainly. But yeah, I remember the speed metal tag being used.

NotePad · « **Reply #278 on:** May 12, 2014, 12:20:16 PM »

Yes, but that was before the term power metal came to be. Now they are known as the originators of the power metal genre.

Not all power metal bands have a symphonic or neoclassical element to their music,that's true. But most have fantasy lyrics. Its interesting to me how they are the one of the few power metal bands without these elements in their music, yet they are the inventors of the genre. But these things do kinda make them the German iron maiden, but faster. And Maiden is very influential on the genre.

And I don't really consider speed metal a genre. It's a very vague and loosely used term. Metallica is also speed metal, and obviously Helloween and Metallica are far from similar. (and I know about walls of Jericho, but that was a different time for the band. He closest things since is 7 Sinners, and it's not very similar to WoJ)

wolfking · « **Reply #279 on:** May 15, 2014, 05:19:57 AM »

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/blackwelder-featuring-primal-fear-dio-disciples-ex-angra-members-the-night-of-new-moon-song-streaming/

Click to hear a song from the new band called Blackwelder. The lineup is;

Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR, ex-GAMMA RAY) - Vocals
Andrew Szucs (SEVEN SERAPHIM) - Guitar
Bjorn Englen (DIO DISCIPLES, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Bass
Aquiles Priester (HANGAR, ex-ANGRA) - Drums

Solid power metal, nothing more, nothing less. Ralf makes this an instant check out.

News: Paralyzed official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7m7l8iqGAk

Author Topic: Power Metal (Read 93502 times)