My new car listening rotation

[Random Axe]

With all of the craziness I've had in the last two months, my tastes have oncecagain shifted into more of the melodic power metal leanings.

Centaur - I'd posted about them earlier this year. I've now had a chance to explore their back catalog. Really nice, pleasing and well crafted. God Complex is the clear winner, but I'm really digging these guys. Kinda like a mashup of PNC and Hollow.

Platitude - I'd never really given them a chance till now. There's some fine stuff going on here. I haven't had a lot of time with them, but I've got a good feeling.

Lord - where I thought once they'd be a little on the cheesy side and too much so for me, I was quite wrong. This is tasty, heavy and riffalicious. Tim is an excellent vocalist. I'm happy to have finally tried them out.

Supreme Majesty - Pretty cool, melodic but maybe forgettable. The quality is there, but I'm not finding anything sticking. I've got three albums to try and I've barely begun so there's still a chance.

Medusa- I'm mostly unfamiliar with them so I only have the album with Apollo. I dig this a little more than Sandalinas and Majestic.

Sweet Oblivion - I didn't give this a chance. Now that I've been following Geoff and his travels and tours, I've decided to give these a fair shake. Glad I did cause I'm really liking it. Yeah, his voice isn't what it was. He's like 65 so that's to be expected a bit. However, he still has enough chops left for me to declare his best work since Empire.

Section A - I love me some Andy vocals. When I heard the new Sorcerer single it reminded me how good he is. I've had these for 15 plus years and never fully appreciated them till now. Stunning and highly undervalued work.

Grace and Fire - Totally new to me. Never heard before a few days ago. I like the energy and vibe. Singer is on the lighter side, but with me being such a DeYoung fan boy I can appreciate. Need to dig in more.

Last Tribe - This is like my ninth try to really like these guys. They have all the elementscI like, it just doesn't fully work for me. I don't think the vocalist fits the music very well, and I'm not terribly impressed with him overall. If I like Cloudscape I should like this.

So what else do I need to try? I'm wide open on suggestions.

[Sir Exar Kun]

Really solid list!!!! Only bands on the list I'm not familiar with are Platitude (tried them back in the day but it didn't click) and Grace and Fire (never heard).

Glad you are digging the Sweet Oblivion albums. I think these are VERY underrated, and truly prove that Geoff can absolutely still SING, he just can't write for shit!!! Give him an outside writer and he's still more than capable....

So much else in this general vein to hit though.... Off the cuff, without any real though, I'd put Altaria alongside Supreme Majesty..... Maybe throw Morifade in there also? Centaur maybe alongside House of Spheres? Hard rock with a touch of prog sprinkled in..... Section A naturally segues into the first few Lions Share albums with Andy. (Cant wait for the new Sorcerer album!!!) And Last Tribe..... Hells, pick ANY Magnus Karlsson project based around your vocal tastes. I know hes a bit repetitive, but (outside of Primal Fear) anyting he does is a blind by for me. The Codex (with Mark Boals) might be my favorite, followed closely by the first Allen/Lande project.

[introclaus]

With all of the craziness I've had in the last two months, my tastes have oncecagain shifted into more of the melodic power metal leanings.

Centaur - I'd posted about them earlier this year. I've now had a chance to explore their back catalog. Really nice, pleasing and well crafted. God Complex is the clear winner, but I'm really digging these guys. Kinda like a mashup of PNC and Hollow.

Platitude - I'd never really given them a chance till now. There's some fine stuff going on here. I haven't had a lot of time with them, but I've got a good feeling.

Lord - where I thought once they'd be a little on the cheesy side and too much so for me, I was quite wrong. This is tasty, heavy and riffalicious. Tim is an excellent vocalist. I'm happy to have finally tried them out.

Supreme Majesty - Pretty cool, melodic but maybe forgettable. The quality is there, but I'm not finding anything sticking. I've got three albums to try and I've barely begun so there's still a chance.

Medusa- I'm mostly unfamiliar with them so I only have the album with Apollo. I dig this a little more than Sandalinas and Majestic.

Sweet Oblivion - I didn't give this a chance. Now that I've been following Geoff and his travels and tours, I've decided to give these a fair shake. Glad I did cause I'm really liking it. Yeah, his voice isn't what it was. He's like 65 so that's to be expected a bit. However, he still has enough chops left for me to declare his best work since Empire.

Section A - I love me some Andy vocals. When I heard the new Sorcerer single it reminded me how good he is. I've had these for 15 plus years and never fully appreciated them till now. Stunning and highly undervalued work.

Grace and Fire - Totally new to me. Never heard before a few days ago. I like the energy and vibe. Singer is on the lighter side, but with me being such a DeYoung fan boy I can appreciate. Need to dig in more.

Last Tribe - This is like my ninth try to really like these guys. They have all the elementscI like, it just doesn't fully work for me. I don't think the vocalist fits the music very well, and I'm not terribly impressed with him overall. If I like Cloudscape I should like this.

So what else do I need to try? I'm wide open on suggestions.

I'm biased towards MEDUZA (with a "z") and PLATITUDE since I used to manage those bands. Found both when they were just demo acts, got them their record deals, put them in the studio, etc. Both are some of the best neoclassical power metal of that era. Funny side-note: After both bands broke up, Meduza tried a comeback a few years ago and released one single, with EZ from Platitude on vocals.

Of the other bands you mentioned I enjoy Supreme Majesty (super cheesy power metal somewhere between Nocturnal Rites and Europe), Section A (the first one is a great semi-progressive power metal album, the following two are good as well, but the final one sucks) and Last Tribe (I enjoy it for what it is, but it's rarely a band I reach for).

Other bands you might not know in these styles, I suggest taking a look at:
Opus Atlantica
Fatal Force (same guitarist as Section A)
Asperity

I second the recommendations for Morifade and Lions Share.

[introclaus]

Centaur maybe alongside House of Spheres?

Who is House of Spheres? Never heard of them ...

[Sir Exar Kun]

Who is House of Spheres? Never heard of them ...

Lol..... House of SPIRITS. Had a senior moment there.