Power Metal

[wolfking]

And it´s amazing how much focused they got after that, Master Of The Rings is such a great record.

Indeed it is, amazing return to form.

[wolfking]

New Rhapsody of Fire;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__6VtmQxsg0

Not bad at all actually.  The last one was decent.  Great solo.

[jingle.boy]

New Rhapsody of Fire;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__6VtmQxsg0

Not bad at all actually.  The last one was decent.  Great solo.

Yeah, this was not bad at all.  I guess I need to listen to Dark Wings again, because I don't remember jack shit about it.  The two before that were really shit as I recall.

[Lowdz]

New Rhapsody of Fire;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__6VtmQxsg0

Not bad at all actually.  The last one was decent.  Great solo.

Yeah, this was not bad at all.  I guess I need to listen to Dark Wings again, because I don't remember jack shit about it.  The two before that were really shit as I recall.

I haven't enjoyed a Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire album since Dawn of Victory. It all got so serious sounding, which just makes the ridiculousness of it all so much worse.

[NotePad]

A lot of the songs Masterplan rerecords will probably be from Dark Ride. Roland on many occasions has said he thinks that's Helloween's best record. I love the songs he wrote for the album. The Departed and Escalation 666 are awesome, and the title track is badass dark power metal. The Dark Ride is also the album where Deris sounds the best IMO.

[jjrock88]

I agree, The Dark Ride is awesome. I'm interested to hear the re-recorded tracks

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I echo that 100%! The Dark Ride contains some of the best Helloween songs imo. The title track is awesome!

[Art]

Dark Ride is an awesome album indeed. Glad that i got to see them live on that tour.

[TAC]

Dark Ride is an awesome album indeed. Glad that i got to see them live on that tour.

Art, if you don't mind my asking, where in the world are you located?

[jjrock88]

Helloween should have kept Roland and Uli and stayed with this sound IMO.

[Art]

Dark Ride is an awesome album indeed. Glad that i got to see them live on that tour.

Art, if you don't mind my asking, where in the world are you located?

Brazil! São Paulo is the city. (that explains my bad english )

And yeah, the formation with Uli Kusch and Roland is my favorite!

[TAC]

Your English is fine. That wasn't why I asked. I was just wondering.

[Art]

Your English is fine. That wasn't why I asked. I was just wondering.

 

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Helloween should have kept Roland and Uli and stayed with this sound IMO.

Always loved Ulis drumming, he's an underrated drummer imo. His work on Helloweens TDR and his two Masterplan albums are awesome and some of my favourite power metal drumming moments.

[wolfking]

A lot of the songs Masterplan rerecords will probably be from Dark Ride. Roland on many occasions has said he thinks that's Helloween's best record. I love the songs he wrote for the album. The Departed and Escalation 666 are awesome, and the title track is badass dark power metal. The Dark Ride is also the album where Deris sounds the best IMO.

Roland didn't write the Departed, Uli did.

[cramx3]

Sweeeet, got my Pagan's Mind Blu-Ray/CD in the mail, plan on watching it over the weekend 

[wolfking]

I'll get it eventually.

[gazinwales]

Okay what is everyone's best/fave/top power metal releases of the year and WHY?

[wolfking]

If we're talking traditional power metal, I'd go with Stratovarius' Eternal.  Briliant, mature, catchy and well written power metal and IMO a big step up from Nemesis.

[Bolsters]

If we're talking traditional power metal, I'd go with Stratovarius' Eternal.  Briliant, mature, catchy and well written power metal and IMO a big step up from Nemesis.

I couldn't disagree more. Especially on the last part.

[wolfking]

If we're talking traditional power metal, I'd go with Stratovarius' Eternal.  Briliant, mature, catchy and well written power metal and IMO a big step up from Nemesis.

I couldn't disagree more. Especially on the last part.

I think you may have mentioned that once or twice. 

[cramx3]

Finally watched the full Pagans Mind concert. It's a long one so I watched in a few sittings and sometimes multitasked. I was only familiar with a few of the songs so most of it was new to me, but I really like it.

The concert is really quality. I like the sound and the picture on blu Ray is really crisp. It's amazing how a low budget band can put out something with this good audio/visual quality.  It's a no frills concert, just them playing but that's fine because they do a really good performance. The instrument al full circle is awesome! Will definitely be listening to the CDs to get to know the songs before I give another watch though.

[wolfking]

Looks like I should get my ass around to ordering it.  It's still a really good price too.

[cramx3]

Looks like I should get my ass around to ordering it.  It's still a really good price too.

Yea, amazon had a very good price on it.  I'd probably enjoy it a lot more had I known the music.  That's why I want to listen a bunch more before I watch again.  And that adds to the value, for like 14 bucks I got a blu ray AND 2CDs of music.  That's an absurd value.

[ErHaO]

New Van Canto album set for March 2016!

This time a collaboration with fantasy writer Christoph Hardebusch, so the album will be a rock opera that serves as a soundtrack to a new novel. And they also worked with the London Metro Voices choir, which is actually a quite famous choir.

Anyways, more info on their newsfeed: https://vancanto.de/

Color me interested, I often enjoy their music. A previous storytelling effort of theirs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uOhCWvovSE

[NotePad]

And it´s amazing how much focused they got after that, Master Of The Rings is such a great record.

Indeed it is, amazing return to form.

I wouldn't necessarily call Master of The Rings a return to form. It is a return to something harder and faster than the two before it, but it wasn't until Time of The Oath that they really returned to form and started writing classic Helloween style power metal. MoTR was more hard rock than Keepers or ToTO, but obviously still metal, just lacking the power metal of usual Halloween.

[wolfking]

MOTR >>> TTOTO  IMO.

[bl5150]

MOTR >>> TTOTO  IMO.

Same.........and songs like Sole Survivor were some of the heaviest stuff they had done to that point.

[wolfking]

MOTR >>> TTOTO  IMO.

Same.........and songs like Sole Survivor were some of the heaviest stuff they had done to that point.

Absolutely.  The first 5 song run is stellar and the quality doesn't really dip IMO as the album goes on.  TTOTO isn't consistently strong all the way through but songs like the title track, Steel Tormentor and Before the War are great.

[jjrock88]

Both are pretty even for me, but if I had to pick one, it would be TTOTO.  The title track is just spectacular.

And yeah, Steel Tormentor and Before the War are great.

The first four Deris/Helloween albums are my favorite by far of his era; those are my go to.

[wolfking]

Yeah, once Better Than Raw came along, it was another level IMO.  Dark Ride is obviously brilliant too.

[jjrock88]

I  was blown away by Better than Raw

[wolfking]

Such a heavy, well produced, great sounding album, with incredible songs.

[jjrock88]

That was the first album I bought from Helloween and suffice to say, it won me over.

[wolfking]

Dark Ride was actually my first, and it totally floored me.