List american power metal bands.

Yeah, this label things gets weird. I use it more to give a context, bands sounds cross the boundaries all the time. I see Metal Church get labeled thrash a lot though I don't consider them that.

I noticed last night that the Sardonyx Majestic Serenity reissue is labeled as thrash. Not in my book it isn't.

Metal Church tends to get lumped in with the thrash bands a lot ... I'd say that had their thrashy moments here and there (especially on their first two albums) but I wouldn't classify them as an out-and-out "thrash" band.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Metal Church tends to get lumped in with the thrash bands a lot ... I'd say that had their thrashy moments here and there (especially on their first two albums) but I wouldn't classify them as an out-and-out "thrash" band.

Right. They weren't quite thrash, yet they had some tendencies towards thrash metal which put them outside the traditional heavy metal genre, thus they were POWER METAL. How power metal became this flowery crap like Kamelot is beyond me.

People call Ultimatum thrash, but I tend to think you guys are a power metal band. Anybody with me?

ultmetal wrote:

How power metal became this flowery crap like Kamelot is beyond me.

To try to give the music credibility. Same reason a lot of genres are called "metal" but aren't.

ultmetal wrote:

How power metal became this flowery crap like Kamelot is beyond me.

During the 90s, the Europeans tagged bands like Helloween, HammerFall, etc. as "power metal" while we here in the U.S. weren't looking. By the time we found out about that, it was too late and the label stuck.

SpectreFate wrote:

People call Ultimatum thrash, but I tend to think you guys are a power metal band. Anybody with me?

I always thought they were more of an epic symphonic power/speed/thrash/polka/grindcore combo with just a hint of mint. Y'know, for flavor.

SpectreFate wrote:

People call Ultimatum thrash, but I tend to think you guys are a power metal band. Anybody with me?

Sure. We combine elements of traditional metal and thrash.

Armory
Ravage

I always considered power metal to be the fist pumping, galloping, catchy hooks and chorus sounding metal. In that case, you could very well put Bon Jovi in league with bands like Running Wild. But not always the "clean vocals". Grave Digger gets lumped into the power metal category nowadays, mainly around the "Middle Ages Trilogy" to current. Before that, they straddled the sound- Like Metal Church, I just considered them to be 'metal', as a general term, like Omen, Hallows Eve and Sanctuary. Virgin Steele became more symphony sounding, but not like Rhapsody (of Fire). Is Virgin Steele power metal, like the Kamelot's "flower crap"? (great term by the way). Or Manowar, great power, great sound and singing but a little repetitive and homo-erotic at times, but that's a different topic. Where does one draw the line in power metal as a general term and an EXACT definition with bands that everyone can agree on?

I usually call pretty much everything from America that isn't thrash and isn't straight heavy metal US metal.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

kmorg wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

What makes Saint "Power Metal" and Armored Saint not?

I love semantics...

In this day and age, anything with clean vocals that's not "Hair Metal" gets called Power Metal by someone, somewhere. I've seen people include Iced Earth and Nevermore in Power Metal discussions when I myself do not consider them to be.

While I also disagree that Iced Earth and Nevermore are power metal, they at least fit the original context of the term. They can best be desrcribed as heavier than classic metal but not as heavy as thrash. Both bands use thrash metal elements (mostly riffs), but is clearly not thrash bands.

Nevermore is heavier than most Thrash bands...Iced Earth sounds more like Puppets era Metallica (before Schaffer added all those epic symphonies) than anything close to Power Metal...If Iced Earth had put out Something Wicked in 1987, it would have been labelled Thrash...

Eh, no?

I didn't want a debate, I wanted bands. Bands, you hear me, bands!!
Kidding, it's cool but are there any others, even from Europe but have the sound?

kmorg wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

kmorg wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

What makes Saint "Power Metal" and Armored Saint not?

I love semantics...

In this day and age, anything with clean vocals that's not "Hair Metal" gets called Power Metal by someone, somewhere. I've seen people include Iced Earth and Nevermore in Power Metal discussions when I myself do not consider them to be.

While I also disagree that Iced Earth and Nevermore are power metal, they at least fit the original context of the term. They can best be desrcribed as heavier than classic metal but not as heavy as thrash. Both bands use thrash metal elements (mostly riffs), but is clearly not thrash bands.

Nevermore is heavier than most Thrash bands...Iced Earth sounds more like Puppets era Metallica (before Schaffer added all those epic symphonies) than anything close to Power Metal...If Iced Earth had put out Something Wicked in 1987, it would have been labelled Thrash...

Eh, no?

Sure it would have...put Something Wicked next to Ride The Lightning or Master Of Puppets and they're not too different, IMO. IE has a lot of 80s Thrash influence...that much can't be denied...so much so that IMO they're not a Power Metal band. "Disciples Of The Lie" especially...

How about we compromise and call it "Power Thrash Metal"?

Fat Freddy wrote:

Metal Church tends to get lumped in with the thrash bands a lot ... I'd say that had their thrashy moments here and there (especially on their first two albums) but I wouldn't classify them as an out-and-out "thrash" band.

Agreed.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

kmorg wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

kmorg wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

What makes Saint "Power Metal" and Armored Saint not?

I love semantics...

In this day and age, anything with clean vocals that's not "Hair Metal" gets called Power Metal by someone, somewhere. I've seen people include Iced Earth and Nevermore in Power Metal discussions when I myself do not consider them to be.

While I also disagree that Iced Earth and Nevermore are power metal, they at least fit the original context of the term. They can best be desrcribed as heavier than classic metal but not as heavy as thrash. Both bands use thrash metal elements (mostly riffs), but is clearly not thrash bands.

Nevermore is heavier than most Thrash bands...Iced Earth sounds more like Puppets era Metallica (before Schaffer added all those epic symphonies) than anything close to Power Metal...If Iced Earth had put out Something Wicked in 1987, it would have been labelled Thrash...

Eh, no?

Sure it would have...put Something Wicked next to Ride The Lightning or Master Of Puppets and they're not too different, IMO. IE has a lot of 80s Thrash influence...that much can't be denied...so much so that IMO they're not a Power Metal band. "Disciples Of The Lie" especially...

How about we compromise and call it "Power Thrash Metal"?

Can't remember the name of it right now, but I've read a book where he claims that thrash metal was actually called power metal before the term thrash became the standard. Metallica had a demo named "Power Metal".

So what would you call Iced Earth and Nevermore then.

Armageddon (had to throw a name out there)

Quote :

So what would you call Iced Earth and Nevermore then.

Metal

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Quote :

So what would you call Iced Earth and Nevermore then.

Metal

Good Answer!

Since we're on the subject of classifying bands,How would you guys classify bands like Early Man,The Sword,High On Fire and the such?

Quote :

How would you guys classify bands like Early Man,The Sword,High On Fire and the such?

They go in the "F**KING AWESOME" category.

Thrasher73 wrote:

Since we're on the subject of classifying bands,How would you guys classify bands like Early Man,The Sword,High On Fire and the such?

Metal

I knew I could count on you guys,Haha!

How about Recon or Sacred Warrior?

bassman wrote:

How about Recon or Sacred Warrior?

I always considered them both to progressive heavy metal.

Oliver Magnum
Deadly Blessing
Crimson Glory
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Damien