The Forgotten Heroes of Power Metal Thread

[introclaus]

Sure - we have one for prog metal and one for neo-prog, so why not also add one for Power Metal?

I was reading the forum last night, and Glenn's post about albums that had stood out to him this year let me down the rabbit-hole ... I noticed he mentioned a new band called Deadrisen, which in return let me to think about Mike Lepond's solo stuff, which obviously has none other Alan Tecchio on vocals. Well, Alan is known as a love-him-or-hate-him kind of singer, whether it's in Watchtower, Non-Fiction, Seven Witches, Hades or whatever else he touches, but to me he has always been amazing. I like some over the top high pitched vocal acrobatics now and again, and not many fulfill that need as well as Alan. So, that brought me to think about what I find his absolutely crowning achievement;

POWER - Justice of Fire (1994)



This is a one-off album from New Jersey guitarist Daniel L. Dalley - amazingly skilled guitarist somewhere between Malmsteen and Stump in style. Musically this is however a bit harder hitting than Malmsteen, and almost seem to fit in well with the contemporary outputs by other local NJ band Symphony X (who were on their debut album). Frnting the "Justice of Fire" album is Alan Tecchio, who delivers an incredible performance, making it one of those albums that you never forget about (even 26 years later I can still "pretend to sing along" with the tunes found here ... although I'm sure my neighbors would disagree). Unfortunately, as happened so many times with great bands and albums back then, it disappeared just as quickly as it was here, and by now I'm pretty sure only the most hard core of us old-school metal fans remembers this band.

Official video for "Hands Over Time" single: https://youtu.be/B69-XA3M6Gk


Side Note 1: The band also featured drummer Mike Watt who were in the super-underrated System Addict that created the wonderful 1992 "Sickness & Wealth" demo CD, which is one of the forgotten gems in US prog metal. https://youtu.be/SmXALdpaD_k

Side Note 2: Interestingly enough Daniel hit me up 15 years later and asked for my help finding him a singer for his new project (Chamber Crypt). I got him in touch with Mikkel Sandager (ex-Mercenary) and they recorded one pretty awesome tune, which was never released - although he did finish the album with a different singer (Mike Blair - whoever that is?) - https://youtu.be/xKtGmulpw-M

[GaetanL]

I'm not a mega fan of power metal in general but I like this. Sometimes we have to listen and forget about the tag. The singer sounds better than in Watchtower from what I remember.

[introclaus]

X JAPAN - Art of Life



To call this a "forgotten" band within the power metal scene might be pushing it, as (1) the band is still (or should I say, again?) active and (2) they have sold more albums than any other band within this genre that I can think of. That said, in the western world X JAPAN has been, if not completely ignored, at least side-stepped and shamelessly underrated. From their early punky/speedy beginnings of "Vanishing Visions" (1988) through their visual-kei masterpieces "Blue Blood" (1989) and "Jealousy" (1991), their power metal epic "Art of Life" (1993) or their ballad-focused progressive rock of "Dahlia" (1996) this band has always delivered quality music, led by the amazing vision of drummer/pianist/songwriter Yoshiki, who is as much of a superstar as can possibly be within the genre.

"Art of Life" is one long 29 minute masterpiece in 3 parts. This is the foundation of what power metal is all about; think Angra, Stratovarius, Helloween ... and then add another layer of classical music on top, and combine it with that distinct Japanese sound that you won't find anywhere else on the map, and you have one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. Yoshiki' drumming is phenomenal, and his "act 2" piano suite is just out of this world, Heath's bass playing is right in your face and so great, and guitarists Pata and Hide were on fire. Hide was such a wonderful guitarist and also an icon for the Japanese youth - no wonder he is still celebrated and remembered, even 20+ years after his tragic death. But, the icing on the cake here is vocalist Toshi, who has one of the finest and most expressive voices in metal ever. I rank him up there with Andre Matos and Michael Kiske as the very best in power metal, even if he has a very strong Japanese accent (I swear, most of the time you wouldn't believe that "Art of Life" had English lyrics) and he can be a bit (!) pitchy in times (especially live) ... but man, his voice is chok-full of emotions, and I could listen to him singing all day long.

Again, it's such a shame how underappreciated this band is in the western world, but I can understand how people have a hard time with the looks (visual-kei is not for everyone, but by the time of "Art of Life" the band had actually toned that down considerably), with the often-hard-to-understand lyrics, and obviously in the situation of X JAPAN a singer like Toshi (who I'll admit is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, so to speak).

Live version of song from 1993:
https://youtu.be/SP8L-Nw3hNE

Album version of song:
https://youtu.be/0eqmkgSeYjI

[Psychotic Symphony]

Forgotten heroes? I am struggling to come up with some since in the previous threads most of it was before 2000. I'll do my best to highlight some and also for bands I still wish were around.

Rough Silk - first four albums. I liked Beyond The Sundown and Symphony of Life (although they aren't for everyone), but everything after has been unlistenable with each one worse than the last.

Kinetic Dissent - I Will Fight No More Forever

Hollow. They laid dormant for 20 years so all but forgotten

Medalyon. Very crunchy power prog from the mid 90s.

Mystic Force. Especially their first two albums.

Oracle. Another William Wren band. What a vocalist.

Titan Force

Destiny's End

Eidolon

Angel Dust

[elendil]

Not a huge fan of this genre, but I'll play...

Swedish female-fronted crunch metallers Amaran should fit here. Both of their albums, _A World Depraved_ and _Pristine in Bondage_, are worthy, but I slightly prefer the former.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQdZL8Iknvk

This might count more as speed metal than power metal strictly defined, but Persuader's thrashy debut album _The Hunter_ was really fun. They later became early-period Blind Guardian clones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GxWNk50nSc

[Mardoch]

I don't spend much time with pure power metal anymore because I'm a joyless bastard, but...you cannot beat Twilightning for pure power cheese, imo. They're one of the few power metal bands I snap back to from time to time. I don't know if this vocalist showed up in any other bands, but man this guy can fuckin WAIL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hvBKjlDJGY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG6WVv-1Gao

[introclaus]

Forgotten heroes? I am struggling to come up with some since in the previous threads most of it was before 2000. I'll do my best to highlight some and also for bands I still wish were around.

Rough Silk - first four albums. I liked Beyond The Sundown and Symphony of Life (although they aren't for everyone), but everything after has been unlistenable with each one worse than the last.

ROUGH SILK



It's been years since I listened to these albums, so inspired by your post I decided to listen to the first 4 albums (I own the first 5, but I probably only listened to "Beyond the Sundown" once - without Jan Barnett on vocals they just doesn't interest me at all). I always felt that this was a band that could create something magnificent or something absolutely horrible, and going back to them now reinforces that opinion; there are moment of brilliance here (the grandiose epic metal symphonies - like a Queen or Savatage tune but still distinct enough to not be a complete copy) but also moments where it either becomes too much (overly symphonic in places) or too basic/simple (some of the songs are pure hard rock and not very good at that). Jan Barnett however was a wonderfully gifted singer and I can't help but wonder what happened to him after those 4 albums?!

Full album stream - "Mephisto" (1997):
https://youtu.be/TcjY4R98_Sk

[introclaus]

Mystic Force. Especially their first two albums.

MYSTIC FORCE



Heck yeah, but not just the first two ... all of their albums have a merit on their own. Yes, "Take Command", "Shripwrecked with the Wicked" and "Eternal Quest" are all great power metal albums, but there's also something to be said for their two more progressive releases "A Step Beyond" and "Man vs Machine". I gave 'em all a spin yesterday and I was a little bit disappointed in "Man vs Machine" - but probably mostly because I've held it really high in regard since it came out 19 years ago but haven't listened for the last 10 or so, and it just doesn't measure up with other prog classics. Still, not a bad album in any way, and William Wren did a great job here (although I've always preferred Bobby Hicks as the Mystic Force vocalist). But yeah, the first 2-3 albums were all classics in US Power Metal, right up there with Jag Panzer, Omen, Helstar, Steel Prophet, etc.

Full Album stream - "Shipwrecked with the Wicked" (1990):
https://youtu.be/ZRc8nFsC_wA

[introclaus]

Titan Force

TITAN FORCE



This is one of those bands that I always found to be horribly underrated. I love both albums to death, and I can remember every single song by heart - two of the most amazing US Power Metal albums ever created. In fact, I probably enjoy Harry Conklin even more here than in Jag Panzer and Satan's Host (although I do love those as well).

The debut album was an amazing power metal disc, with such wonderful tunes as "Blaze of Glory", "Master of Disguise", "Chase Your Dreams" and "Toll of Pain".

Full album stream - "Titan Force" (1989):
https://youtu.be/3WwgHa14uOM



"Winner/Loser" took a turn towards the progressive metal genre without sacrificing any of its power, and classics such as "Shadow of a Promise" or "Eyes of the Young" are just unbeatable.

Full album stream - "Winner/Loser" (1991):
https://youtu.be/8xd0v6psuxQ

[introclaus]

Kinetic Dissent - I Will Fight No More Forever

KINETIC DISSENT



Interesting choice! I like the album, but I always found it "second rate" compared to a lot of other bands at the same time. I think the biggest problem was that the band was trying too much all at once, and where other bands were able to make it sound natural, it sounded forced here. There are plenty of old school US Power Metal (Vicious Rumors/Warlord/Omen) in the music, there's a ton of Thrash Metal (Death Angel/Heathen) and there's also some Progressive Metal (Fates W/Qryche/Crimson G) - but it doesn't really flow (for me at least). I think the best comparison would be bands like Toxik or Realm that also straddled that middle-ground between multiple genres with a backbone in thrash/power but with a technical/proggy twist. I will give this another spin, as its obviously not a bad album in any way, just not a favorite of mine.

Full album stream - "I Will Fight No More Forever" (1991):
https://youtu.be/P2znHuO-Az0

[introclaus]

Medalyon. Very crunchy power prog from the mid 90s.

MEDALYON



This is why I love these kind of threads - it gives us a chance to discover a band we either didn't know about, or always passed over for one or the other reason. I don't think I ever listened to Medalyon back in the day, so checking them out based on your post is awesome!

The debut "Visions" from 1995 is giving me some early Savatage and Vicious Rumors vibes, which is stuff I really like. It suffers from a poor production (not just because it's old, but also for the time), which takes away a bit of the enjoyment, but it's definitely cool music and the singer can wail with the best of them...

Full album stream - "Visions" (1995):
https://youtu.be/N7zoc04juJQ



The second album "In the Test of Time" from 1999 goes a bit further into the prog direction, and is much better sounding (and musically also a bit stronger in my opinion). It has that typical US prog-power style of the time (think early Hittman, Lethal, Heir Apparent, Sacred Warrior, early QRyche) Interesting fact, bassist Brian Glodde later appeared in a band I was managing a decade later (Antithesis)!

Full album stream - "In the Test of Time" (1999):
https://youtu.be/mAdVflKqZp4

[introclaus]

Not a huge fan of this genre, but I'll play...

Swedish female-fronted crunch metallers Amaran should fit here. Both of their albums, _A World Depraved_ and _Pristine in Bondage_, are worthy, but I slightly prefer the former.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQdZL8Iknvk

AMARAN



I think I've tried these guys (and girl) before, but it never clicked with me. Trying again now, and for the debut ("A World Depraved") I just ain't feeling it. I think her vocal style bother me too much. "Pristine in Bondage" I might even have on a promo CD somewhere, but can't remember the music - listening now and it's a bit "chaotic" I think. Her vocals are better here, but still not exactly what I prefer. Musically it's also all over the place - definitely a power metal backbone here, but it's drawing from the Gothenburg melo-death style, some darker almost gothic stuff, and there's a technical/prog twist to it as well (perhaps it's like a female fronted Evergrey with a bit more speed?)...

Full album stream - "Pristine in Bondage" (2004):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... cSa5mnTRNX

[Psychotic Symphony]

Some more

Kenziner - Timescape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3foRecL6aU
I'm aware he has released more albums recently (and a new one this week!)

Ironware https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvyaUsY ... E950F51270

Human Fortress (first two albums): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4XMRCi7MOQ

Letter X https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5BvAGL97DU

Glenmore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GYMYxBziSM

[LarryD]

Some more

Kenziner - Timescape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3foRecL6aU
I'm aware he has released more albums recently (and a new one this week!)

Letter X https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5BvAGL97DU

Glenmore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GYMYxBziSM

***All classics to me .......

[introclaus]

STIGMATA / STIGMATA IV / STYGMA IV

No, Austrian power metal does not consist of only Serenity, although it could very well look like it - in fact, way before Serenity started out, there was this awesome band called Stigmata that released one album, then were forced rename themselves into Stigmata IV, and one album later had to change all over again into Stygma IV.

The band ended up releasing 5 full length albums of which my favorites by far are "The Court of Eternity" (1998) and "Phobia" (2001). Musically we're talking about hard hitting power metal not too far away from bands like Morgana Lefay, Brainstorm, Iced Earth or Angel Dust - lots of power, and some great melodic compositions. Stygma IV also added 2 cover songs from "Jesus Christ Superstar" to their "Phobia" album showcasing the orchestral/symphonic aspect of their music, not unlike Savatage. Vocalist Ritchie Krenmeier is one of those vocalists with a ton of grit to his voice and he really lifts everything up a notch.

The band eventually faded into obscurity, but especially the two albums mentioned are underrated classics in the power metal genre.





Full album stream (The Court of Eternity):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 4_0Pz_VlMP

"Isolation" stream (Phobia):
https://youtu.be/Nn8yhx-7qgg

"Fool IV" stream (Phobia):
https://youtu.be/04crc03E1gU

"Gethsemane" stream (Phobia - originally from Jesus Christ Superstar):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBVoh4B3HxY

[GaetanL]

Sure - we have one for prog metal and one for neo-prog, so why not also add one for Power Metal?

I was reading the forum last night, and Glenn's post about albums that had stood out to him this year let me down the rabbit-hole ... I noticed he mentioned a new band called Deadrisen, which in return let me to think about Mike Lepond's solo stuff, which obviously has none other Alan Tecchio on vocals. Well, Alan is known as a love-him-or-hate-him kind of singer, whether it's in Watchtower, Non-Fiction, Seven Witches, Hades or whatever else he touches, but to me he has always been amazing. I like some over the top high pitched vocal acrobatics now and again, and not many fulfill that need as well as Alan. So, that brought me to think about what I find his absolutely crowning achievement;

POWER - Justice of Fire (1994)



This is a one-off album from New Jersey guitarist Daniel L. Dalley - amazingly skilled guitarist somewhere between Malmsteen and Stump in style. Musically this is however a bit harder hitting than Malmsteen, and almost seem to fit in well with the contemporary outputs by other local NJ band Symphony X (who were on their debut album). Frnting the "Justice of Fire" album is Alan Tecchio, who delivers an incredible performance, making it one of those albums that you never forget about (even 26 years later I can still "pretend to sing along" with the tunes found here ... although I'm sure my neighbors would disagree). Unfortunately, as happened so many times with great bands and albums back then, it disappeared just as quickly as it was here, and by now I'm pretty sure only the most hard core of us old-school metal fans remembers this band.

Official video for "Hands Over Time" single: https://youtu.be/B69-XA3M6Gk


Side Note 1: The band also featured drummer Mike Watt who were in the super-underrated System Addict that created the wonderful 1992 "Sickness & Wealth" demo CD, which is one of the forgotten gems in US prog metal. https://youtu.be/SmXALdpaD_k

Side Note 2: Interestingly enough Daniel hit me up 15 years later and asked for my help finding him a singer for his new project (Chamber Crypt). I got him in touch with Mikkel Sandager (ex-Mercenary) and they recorded one pretty awesome tune, which was never released - although he did finish the album with a different singer (Mike Blair - whoever that is?) - https://youtu.be/xKtGmulpw-M

Awesome! I love it!

The Japanese CD is available cheap on the marketplace. Got it! Trust me, the price is low not because this is not a good album, this is most likely because they are forgotten!

Yes this is Power Metal but I file it under Progressive Power Metal! My advise to the prog metal fans here not much into power metal in general like me is just simply listen to it!

I can't remove the damn disc!

[introclaus]

Awesome! I love it!

The Japanese CD is available cheap on the marketplace. Got it! Trust me, the price is low not because this is not a good album, this is most likely because they are forgotten!

Yes this is Power Metal but I file it under Progressive Power Metal! My advise to the prog metal fans here not much into power metal in general like me is just simply listen to it!

I can't remove the damn disc!

So happy to hear you love it. It’s one of those discs that I enjoy thoroughly every time I pick it up. Amazing guitar playing and Tecchio singing at his very best.

[introclaus]

OPUS ATLANTICA - Opus Atlantica
2002



When Jonas Reinholdz (the guitar wiz of Andromeda, Skyfire, Nonexist - and currently in Dark Tranquility) originally hit the scene as a young guitarist in the early 2000's, he apparently had already 5-6 full albums of material in various genres (prog, death, melo-death, tech, hard rock...) ready to launch according to what his record label boss told me back then. Several of these turned into glorious albums: Andromaeda - Extension of the Wish, Nonexist - Deus Deceptor, and the self-titled Opus Atlantica debut album.

Opus Atlantica is what would happen if a bunch of super talented musicians (guys from Karmakanic, Flower Kings, Midnight Sun...) plays music right along the style of Malmsteen, Symphony X, Adagio, Majestic and gives it an extra nudge towards prog at times, yet also hints at melodic hard rock at other times ... It's really over-the-top, and Pete Sandberg's voice is obviously gonna be a deal breaker here for some as his way of singing is very light in the loafers, to put it mildly. That said, this is one of those albums that brings a smile to my face every time I listen to it. Really a happy symphonic power metal album of the kind you don't see much like these days.

Stream of song "Endless Slaughter": https://youtu.be/xPdrkXgRf6Y
Stream of song "Holy Graal": https://youtu.be/FGKQV2uGX2M
Stream of song "Line of Fire": https://youtu.be/Z8IZq5yj7DE

[Sir Exar Kun]

OPUS ATLANTICA - Opus Atlantica
2002

Image

When Jonas Reinholdz (the guitar wiz of Andromeda, Skyfire, Nonexist - and currently in Dark Tranquility) originally hit the scene as a young guitarist in the early 2000's, he apparently had already 5-6 full albums of material in various genres (prog, death, melo-death, tech, hard rock...) ready to launch according to what his record label boss told me back then. Several of these turned into glorious albums: Andromaeda - Extension of the Wish, Nonexist - Deus Deceptor, and the self-titled Opus Atlantica debut album.

Opus Atlantica is what would happen if a bunch of super talented musicians (guys from Karmakanic, Flower Kings, Midnight Sun...) plays music right along the style of Malmsteen, Symphony X, Adagio, Majestic and gives it an extra nudge towards prog at times, yet also hints at melodic hard rock at other times ... It's really over-the-top, and Pete Sandberg's voice is obviously gonna be a deal breaker here for some as his way of singing is very light in the loafers, to put it mildly. That said, this is one of those albums that brings a smile to my face every time I listen to it. Really a happy symphonic power metal album of the kind you don't see much like these days

I so love this album..... I was very bummed that this was essentially a "one and done" project, as it did a great job of genre blending a whole lot of styles into a very fun, catchy, and engaging combination.... Alas, as I recall, it was also a bit of a SHORT album too.

Good callout!

[introclaus]

ZOOL - ZOOL
2002



Back in the mid 90's 3 Swedish musicians made some of the best damn progressive symphonic hard rock I've ever heard in their short-lived Moahni Moahna band. After they sadly split up, vocalist Martin Hagstrom and guitarist Henrik Flyman continued under the banner of Zool, which turned out to be even shorter lived. I was lucky enough to be involved with the band in management capacity, and first-hand witnessed the incredible songs on the one-off self-titled album come to life on disc. From fast-tempo'ed opened "Snake Eyes", through the stomping viking hymns of "Throne of Thor" and "Balder (son of Odin)", the epic "The Shepherd and the Lamb", to the final notes of "Cross of Greed", this is an album that balances between Dio-era Rainbow and Martin-era Black Sabbath, with a slight power metal backbone (mainly in the thick layers of neo-classical keyboards - listen to "Dragon Chaser" - and the heavy production). The band occasionally ventures into symphonic and cinematic territory ("Valley of the Witch"), but never to the point of where Moahni Moahna went, and they definitely aren't as progressive in any way. While I in some ways prefer MM, I believe Zool created a more coherent result and had they gotten the right break at the right time they could have become a big band in the scene.

https://youtu.be/QQySPMBioLU (The Shepherd and the Lamb)
https://youtu.be/wP0TG_ughSk (Dragon Chaser)
https://youtu.be/qo1Rz5lWT1A (Valley of the Witch)
https://youtu.be/wSU3qRFtpOU (Throne of Thor)

[GaetanL]

Maybe between heavy metal and power metal?

Twilight - Eye for an Eye (1994)



Title track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_0TXWw3XfA

Come Night Come Evil:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0HghrzcqNY

The band changed his name after for Beyond Twlight (prog metal). Many people here already know I guess.

[introclaus]

Maybe between heavy metal and power metal?

Twilight - Eye for an Eye (1994)



Title track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_0TXWw3XfA

Come Night Come Evil:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0HghrzcqNY

The band changed his name after for Beyond Twlight (prog metal). Many people here already know I guess.

Wonderful choice! I love this album ever since I heard the single “Sail Away” for the first time. Years later I got to work with the band, where we managed to have not only “Eye for an Eye” rereleased but also got the “demo” (“The Edge”) put out officially on CD, and obviously worked on Beyond Twilight, finding Jorn Lande for the first album and then Kelly for the second. Lots of great memories with Finn and his band, and also personally as Finn and I were close friends for a bunch of years.

[prog_powermetal99]

great posts here.......
One of my favorite power metal albums is Cloudscape self title album. It doesn't get much love around here, but I'm not sure if it's power metal or power metal borderline prog, but probably mostly power metal............

[Sir Exar Kun]

One of my favorite power metal albums is Cloudscape self title album. It doesn't get much love around here, but I'm not sure if it's power metal or power metal borderline prog, but probably mostly power metal............

It definitely did back in the day. Several of us are big Cloudscape fans. I'd love to see them resurface, honestly! Great band!

[introclaus]

One of my favorite power metal albums is Cloudscape self title album. It doesn't get much love around here, but I'm not sure if it's power metal or power metal borderline prog, but probably mostly power metal............

It definitely did back in the day. Several of us are big Cloudscape fans. I'd love to see them resurface, honestly! Great band!

I was never a big fan of them - just didn't catch my ear to be honest. I have a few of their albums, but can't remember when I last listened to them. I might go give them another spin now. Which one do you suggest?

Also, just realized that the vocalist is now in a band with Anders Johansson (Malmsteen/Hammerfall...) + Anders' two sons. Interesting little side note I think

[Sir Exar Kun]

I was never a big fan of them - just didn't catch my ear to be honest. I have a few of their albums, but can't remember when I last listened to them. I might go give them another spin now. Which one do you suggest?

"Global Drama" is my favorite; seem to recall the album after that ("New Era") had a more mainstream hard rock approach to it, before they went a bit more proggy again on "Voice of Reason". "PROGGY" being a VERY loose term of course here.... No new ground at all, just covering the well-tread path very admirably.

[LarryD]

Claus --

Check out "Crimson Skies" when you can ......... MIke Andersson has such a powerful / melodic voice ....... to me, CS is their most "proggy" ...... but also their most powerful as well .......

[introclaus]

Claus --

Check out "Crimson Skies" when you can ......... MIke Andersson has such a powerful / melodic voice ....... to me, CS is their most "proggy" ...... but also their most powerful as well .......

You and I disagree on what a good voice is LOL
I gave both this one and "Global Drama" a listen and both of them have pretty boring songwriting and there's definitely something about his voice that bugs me. Sorry.