[QUOTE=LordDargon]^ check the first page for my opinions on Angra.

Then flame me.[/QUOTE]

Dude, I refuse to enter into your useless word battles. Angra is awesome. End of discussion.

crap :-/

I like power metal, though I don't have much. Manowar are just Manowar, Sonata Arctica (who I'm surprised haven't been mentioned) are one of my favourites, along with Blind Guardian.

Dragonforce are alright, I wouldn't have bought the album though (a friend burned a load of random tracks to a CD for me, so that's enough for me). And I was really disappointed with Stratovarius, didn't really like them at all (unfortunately did buy an album though).

Not sure if that can be called "pure" power metal, I guess its a nice blend of power metal and industrial, but still more biased towards metal.., Zapreshennaja Realnost' by Mavrick (Forbidden reality if to translate it) is really, really awesome. Or so I think! It has a bunch of really cool, speedy/hardish guitar and drum plays, which somewhat resemble sonata arctica and stratovarius, but general skill of guitar/vocals is way better in it, imo. Not sure if you can find it anywhere in western europe/usa, though, except for internet or some mail ordering, I only found it because of a good friend living in russia who sent it to me ;p

[QUOTE=manuscriptreplica]

51 Rules for a Power Metal fan to avoid being labelled as gay
([url]http://www.live4metal.com/cradleoffun.htm[/url])
[/QUOTE]

Pretty good. :lol:

And again, here are Dream Evil, LIVE from 2002. Each is in DivX format but well worth it. They're hosted in Germany I believe so forgive slow download speeds from the States.

You'll be able to see Snowy Shaw on the drums. He's my favorite drummer from any of the bands I listen to. His ability to knock off the fills in different ways each and every time, and sometimes when you don't expect them, thrills me. The set used in this gig was CLEAR, could see right through the set.

Gus G also is quite a show on stage. The Prophecy really shows off his skills on the guitar. Peter Stalfors on bass has really long fingers. It's freaky, but that bald head is great.

And while leather pants aren't the most attractive thing, can't argue that the band doesn't look good while playing. The crowd unfortunately wasn't there to see them (they were the opening act) so they're not really into it.

[url=http://www.metalgbg.com:8000/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=43]Chasing the Dragon (DivX) 30MB[/url]

[url=http://www.metalgbg.com:8000/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=39]The Chosen Ones (DivX) 40MB[/url]

[url=http://www.metalgbg.com:8000/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=40]The Prophecy (DivX) 32MB[/url]

Some other useful information:

-Galloglass is finishing up the new album. There are new video clips on their website as well. One shows some guitarwork, and the other shows the violin talent. There are sound samples of the new songs embedded within the videos! You can download and watch them [url=http://galloglass.de/doku5-e.html]at this link[/url].

-Montany broke up :(

-Reviver T-shirt orders now are accompanied by a free demo CD that record companies got which include 2 tracks that aren't available anywhere else. Check out Reviver [url=http://www.reviver.nl]at their website[/url].

That is all.

i hope Galloglass' new album is more memorable than "legends from now and nevermore", i always like the cd when i listen to it but after its over nothing sticks with me.

It seems that the new bands in the power metal genre don't intrigue you at all, and that they have to be set in stone to be likeable, such as Blind Guardian, or Symphony X or Helloween. The bands which don't push the limits are not trying to be inventive. Dream Evil have stated that they're nothing special and nothing new. They just love playing metal. They do it well. Galloglass pushes the violin to limits in metal never before seen, even from Rhapsody (they'd use a synth one anyway hehe). Montany pushed a piano lead into its metal. In their own way, they've done their part to push the genre forward, even if by tiny amounts.

The smaller unknown bands often have a slightly better sound that's not so cookie-cutter that I personally enjoy much more. I don't need to like Iron Maiden, or Blind Guardian. but I love my reviver and galloglass and lost horizon. Metal magazines and online reviewers think "Legends" was a strong debut with its own uniquely wrapped sound.

[QUOTE=ExitWound]
Metal magazines and online reviewers think "Legends" was a strong debut with its own uniquely wrapped sound.[/QUOTE]

Okay, but Frail didn't..what's the problem with him liking more traditional bands? A band doesn't need to be different from the norm to be good.

It's often the argument about metal bands that they're not innovative enough, and therefore "mediocre". There are a plethora of bands that either follow tradition or just go with the flow of what the current sound is. It doesn't mean they are bad. Not every band has to change the sound of music to be good. Bands will put their own spin on the sound though. Galloglass uses the violin, and Montany the piano, to cite two examples. It's nothing "innovative", but it's also something a little different from the norm that makes them stand out. It's just been my experience that people who argue against new metal bands on the scene usually say "they're nothing special" implying that originality comes with innovation, rather than the smaller touches the band puts to the metal itself.

Frail's bands "don't stick with him", which to me translates to, "They're all the same and not original enough". Perhaps I'm taking it too literally, and I certainly have no intentions of flaming him or starting a kerfuffle. But personally, that line just bugs me a lot and rubs me the wrong way. Anyone can listen to what they please. Just bugs me I guess when i hear poeple saying that because the band isn't completely redefining the scene, it's automatically "mediocre".

honestly some people i belive take pride in listening to more underground bands regardless if they enjoy the music as much as traditional bands. I listen to plenty of lesser known power metal bands like Zandele, Heavenly, Theroin, Lost Horizon, Freedom Call, Human Fortress, Firewind, Pagen's Mind, etc..and when it comes down to who writes the best music its obvious to me that Stratovarious, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, Helloween, etc...are what i like better. The songs are more memorable, uplifting, and timeless for me. I never listen to magazines, regardless if they are an online metal magazine written by metal purists or an article in hit parader written to make people buy an album. magazines are writen by people just like you and me who have their own opinions, ill read them but never let it effect if im going to buy an album or not. to many metal purists seem to push underground bands onto fans who arnt ready for them. i belive in sticking to what you like, i started off with the obvious power metal band and Iron Maiden and havent found anything to be nearly as enjoyable as them. granted i would put Lost Horizon and Freedom Call up there with my favourites now. Simple as that, some bands focus to much big over the top production but forget a hook in their songs and when its over it leaves you with a blank look at the band, which ultimatly is what i think is important. fans in a more undergound metal scene like power metal are more open to try new bands than alot of other genres and look who they still listen to the most, the originals.

its not that i think they are mediocre, people can be great musicians and weak song writers....which is the case with alot of bands.

I just picked up finntroll, but there is not folk metal thread, and folk metal is close enough to power.


finntroll-noises of the swamp, brutal black metal voclas, finnish lyrics, polka dance songs, uses kazzo, digery doos, accordians and every other crazy folk/polka instrument out there.

highly recommended

as well as bal-sagoth: most impressive use of symphonic keyboard playing, the vocalist has the best hold on the english language, the lyrics are stories not songs, deep triumpent vocals all the way to high raspy screams, insane drumming.

unfornutaly much of bal-sagoth you will find is bad quality.

Bal-Sagoth are a great band!!! ive never listened to them enough to really follow the lyrics, but i enjoyed their playing very much. Finntroll my only complaint if the finish lyrics, but the folk sound with metal goes very well...i first heard them when an Elvenking fan recomended them to me about a year ago, not the kind of band id listen toften but now and than i can be in the mood for it. ive still been meaning to pick up a bal-sagoth album, any recomendations of which one for starters? i forget what songs my friend had downloaded or id tell you.

[QUOTE=FrailandBedazzled1979]I listen to plenty of lesser known power metal bands like Zandele, Heavenly, Theroin, Lost Horizon, Freedom Call, Human Fortress, Firewind, Pagen's Mind, etc..and when it comes down to who writes the best music its obvious to me that Stratovarious, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, Helloween, etc...are what i like better. [/QUOTE]
I listen to Heavenly, Lost Horizon, Freedom Call and Pagan's Mind as well... but your second sentence confuses me. "best music" = "what I like better" is basically what you said which is where I disagree.

Bands like Lost Horizon and Iron Maiden are indeed huge when it comes to image and production. It doesn't make them any better, though, than Therion or Primal Fear. All of power metal shares the shredding and arpeggios in the guitars, and the double bass rolls, and the uplifting vocals and choruses. I agree, some do it better than others. But it doesn't mean that what doesn't click for you, won't click for me. I fell in love with the Choruses of Galloglass, the way the vocals are layered, and the violins. I also fell in love with Patrick von Maurik's personal touch on the vocals in Montany and Reviver, even though most find him annoying. The simplicity of the Wizard discs grabs my attention immediately.

It doens't have to be drastically complex or complicated in signatures to be 'good' in the power metal scene. The song formulas in Freedom Call are just as simple as Wizard's when you tear them down. Gamma Ray is just as simple. Iron Maiden are written exactly the same. What makes them likable is their personal touches. And what makes Iron Maiden so special to you drives me nuts. I couldn't tell you what it is, but it just "doesn't stick with me". Doens't sound like much of a defense though, does it? ON the other hand, Wizard sticks with me very much. Why? No clue.

Bottom line is that we all love music, and we don't know why. :) I've listened to all of the bands you mentioned except for Firewind, but now I shall since I had never heard of them before. If it doesn't stick, so be it. Doesn't mean it's not good.

good call, good discussion :) power metal is power metal and when you find something that you really enjoy in the genre, thats where the magic happens....for some of us one band over another, all in all...were all power metal fiends :)

[QUOTE=ExitWound]Bands like Lost Horizon and Iron Maiden are indeed huge when it comes to image and production. It doesn't make them any better, though, than Therion or Primal Fear.[/QUOTE]

Are Primal Fear considered power metal? I've only heard one song, but it didn't seem very much like power metal.

Ralf Scheepers will always sound Power Metal to me. It's more heavy metal, but with a voice like his, it just doesn't seem right to lump him in anything other than Power Metal. I love his voice too.

Oh and I downloaded FireWind's video from their site, and it's pretty cool. i'll have to snag a few more mp3's before I decide if I'm attracted to them or not. I'm not sure yet.

[QUOTE=FrailandBedazzled1979]Bal-Sagoth are a great band!!! ive never listened to them enough to really follow the lyrics, but i enjoyed their playing very much. Finntroll my only complaint if the finish lyrics, but the folk sound with metal goes very well...i first heard them when an Elvenking fan recomended them to me about a year ago, not the kind of band id listen toften but now and than i can be in the mood for it. ive still been meaning to pick up a bal-sagoth album, any recomendations of which one for starters? i forget what songs my friend had downloaded or id tell you.[/QUOTE]

Bal-Sagoth is indeed a great band. Get Atlantis Ascendant and work your way downwards.

Anyone into Nocturnal Rites?

What are some good Galloglass songs?

[QUOTE=manuscriptreplica]Emerald Sword i think is the best track on Symphony of Enchanted Lands.

51 Rules for a Power Metal fan to avoid being labelled as gay
([url]http://www.live4metal.com/cradleoffun.htm[/url])

1. No matter what you do, you are gay
2. Don’t enjoy ManOwar, they are gay
3. Never go outside carrying a sword.
4. Don’t hold you sword and scream “poweeeeeer of steeel�. That is gay
5. Do not talk about fantasy lyrics as if they belong in metal.
6. Do not talk about fantasy worlds.
7. Never talk about hobbits. Hobbits are gay
8. Do not have a band that has the word or variation of the word Elf in it.
9. Don’t say Hail and Kill. That is quite homosexual.
10. Avoid saying, “man that guy sure has a great falsetto!�
11. If most of the singers in the bands you enjoy have voices higher than your girlfriend, you are gay
12. Scratch that, you have no girlfriend.
13. Do not buy a cd that has the word Dragon in it. Dragons are not gay but you cannot push your luck.
14. Avoid referring to Hammerfall as “the saviours“, or “the templars�.
15. Don’t listen to Hammerfall more that twice a year. Hammerfall are gay
16. Do not live in your parents basement.
17. Do not live with your parents.
18. Do not ask your mother to wash your Tolkien underwear.
19. Try to play chords that do not sound like 2nd rate Helloween.
20. That’s all you know? You are gay
21. Do not go to Renaissance fairs. That is beyond gay
22. If you go do not wear a Peter Pan outfit.
23. Do NOT carry your sword.
24. If you see a maiden ask for a blowjob.
25. Don’t talk to her about ManOwar. Refer to rule 2.
26. Do not refer to intercourse as “returning the dragon to its lair�
27. Scratch that. You do not have intercourse.
28. Do not listen to faggoth.
29. Power Metal and Faggoth combined make you a drag queen.
30. Do not get offended when people say that Stratovarius sounds like Helloween.
31. Do not write personal letters to Timo Tolkki.
32. Avoid saying “Slays.�
33. Don’t refer to Death Metal as “cookie monster crap�.
34. If you do not like Death Metal, pretend to know something about it.
35. Cradle of Filth are not Death Metal. Fag!
36. Cradle of Filth are not Black Metal. Fag!
37. Never enjoy Cradle of Filth. See 101 Rules of Black Metal.
38. Don’t masturbate to a picture of Yngwie Malmsteen.
39. Don’t masturbate to a picture of ManOwar. Cretin.
40. Don’t masturbate wearing leather.
41. Don’t masturbate wearing armour.
42. Switch hands.
43. Avoid saying the word “Power� too often.
44. If you have a band do not use the following words in your song titles: Metal, False, True, Metal, Sword, Steel, Heathen, Warrior, Metal, Kings, Battles.
45. Try to communicate with non-metal listeners. Do not brush them off as Posers.
46. Do not wear frilly shirts. Leave that up to Boy George.
47. Never say “Heavy metal or no metal at all�. In other words, don't be gay
48. Don’t wear loin cloths. You know what’s coming. gay
49. Don’t scream “metal brother� at concerts unless you like beatings.
50. Don't be Dani Filth...err i mean, NEVER carry your sword outside your house!
51. Refer to rule 1.

I thought 10, 13 and 30 are the best. 30 especially I laughed quite hard at.[/QUOTE]

lol that was great

Yeah, that list is great.

Is Destiny by Stratovarius a good Stratovarius song? I found it on my computer a couple of weeks ago, and it was pretty good. What other Stratovarius songs are good, and similar to Destiny?

*reads the 51 Rules for a Power Metal fan to avoid being labelled as gay and flatly denies that he has 'Brother of Metal above his avatar!

[b]Galloglass[/b]
You can listen to 30s samples of the entire disc [url=http://www.limb-music.de/cgi-bin/limb.cgi?page=artists_galloglass&s=5&cd=1]here[/url]. Their label [url=http://www.limb-music.de]Limb Records[/url] had the entire song of The Dragon's Revenge but they pulled it. A Winter Tale is good as well as Ancient Times. The quest will be called a Blind Guardian ripoff, but it's not. It's far better.

Speaking of Limb Music, head to [url=http://www.limb-music.de/cgi-bin/limb.cgi]their website[/url] if you like Power Metal. they sign nothing but power and progressive metal and offer songs for download on their new releases as well as have information up to date regarding releases by already signed bands. This is where I discovered Montany and Galloglass and even Wizard. Rhapsody's on their label as well.

Sheesh guys I get banned for a couple of weeks and look what happens.


ExitWound: I love LIMB but other than Rhapsody their stuff is pretty hard to get in Australia.

What were you banned for?

I'm not sure...some sort of R&M infringment I think.

Seems likely. Welcome back anyway.

Thanks.

I like 'Hammerfall - Renegades'

Good song.