Power Metal

I'm brand new to this board (first post). I'm not really a metal guy I guess, I like to listen to some metal, but I'm really a banjo/folk guitar player first. Anyway I've recently discovered the music of Blind Guardian and Hammerfall and it's quite awesome indeed. I went looking for similar bands at allmusic.com and found a few. Iced Earth is a little heavy for my taste, but I've enjoyed Gamma Ray and Stratovarious quite a bit.

I was wondering if ya'll could point in the right direction for some similar Power Metal bands because what they have listed can't be all of them, it just doesn't seem like enough.

Thank you much.

Thats really funny man, Blind Guardian and Hammerfall were the first two powermetal bands I was interduced to as well.


Here are some I can think of...

Helloween(speed metal but close enough)
Iron Savior
New Eden
Narnia
Rhapsody(called Rhapsody of fire now)
Avantasia(more melodic/symphonic sounding)
Eterna
Dragonforce
Freedom Call
Conception
Jacobs Dream

I think a lot of people can help with the knowns. Stend listed a lot of good ones. I will chip in to round things out with some unknowns.

Firstly: Labyrinth


Some YouTube links if you or anyone else wants to listen:


Lady Lost In Time

New Horizons

The Prophet (live)

Freeman

"Neoclassical", and with keyboards, but probably with less of what most people would consider 'cheese' (I don't always consider a lot of things that..just trying to come off from a general viewpoint). This is one of my absolute favorite bands.

Virgin Steele

My fav genre

Try these out

Nocturnal Rites
Dream Evil
Edguy
Firewind
Brainstorm

Actually, some of Iron Maiden's stuff should appeal to you, too. They are usually classified "classic metal" but they were a big influence on most power metal bands, especially after Bruce Dickinson joined on Number of the Beast.

Labyrinth is genious, definately make sure to check them.

heres a couple more that I think you'd like...

Wolf (a little intense for powermetal but you may like)
The storyteller
Legend maker
thunderstone
Stormwitch
Running wild
Primal fear

Very nice pick with the Stormwitch although I don't think they fit what he's looking for exactly. Makes me want to start a Stormwitch thread.... have to avenge the poor Dark thread somehow....


I will now add: Dark Moor


Nevermore

The Star

The Silver Key

Silver Lake

The might Savatage. get that before any of these other bands.

Heavenly's Dust To Dust album. Arguably one of the greatest power metal platters in existence.

Edguy - Theater Of Salvation
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica
Pyramaze - Melanchoily Beast
Secret Sphere - A Time Never Come


These might not be as "heavy" as say Blind Guardian, but I think you might find something to like in these releases.

Has anyone mentioned Kamelot yet? One of my fav power bands.

DenimAndLeather wrote:

The might Savatage. get that before any of these other bands.

I have a super hard time thinking of Savatage as a powermetal band. They just don't seem like they fit in that group to me.(talking about sirens/dungeons are calling/hall of the mountain king era)

yep. Great band obviously. I'm just going totally off of this sentence:

Quote :

Iced Earth is a little heavy for my taste, but I've enjoyed Gamma Ray and Stratovarious quite a bit.

Deffinetly Helloween. Someone mentioned them already but they are the greatest so definetly get them. Everyones mentioned a lot of good ones but theres also...

Dragonforce
Power Quest
Symphony X (not so much power metal but i consider just about anything with keyboards power metal)
Nocturnal Rites
Silent Force
Dark Moor
Angra
Aventasia
Ayreon
Mob Rules

Some may or may not be power metal but some of them have elements of it in their music

Angel Dust
Steel Prophet

Stender wrote:

DenimAndLeather wrote:

The might Savatage. get that before any of these other bands.

I have a super hard time thinking of Savatage as a powermetal band. They just don't seem like they fit in that group to me.(talking about sirens/dungeons are calling/hall of the mountain king era)

Power of the Night is the blueprint for real power metal. 'nuff said

Silent Force

some recent stuff:

Revolution Renaissance - New era
Lechery - Violator
Viron - Ferrum Gravis
Lonewolf - Made in Hell

I will slightly elaborate on something stender said:

Quote :

Running wild

pretty much essential listening for anybody who likes any form of classic derived metal (heavy metal, power metal, speed metal, whatever), OR does not spend most of the time drooling over Opeth.

Check out Pharaoh with Tim Aymar from Control Denied /Psycho Scream on vocal - http://www.myspace.com/pharaohmetal

Savage Circus ,which is similar to Blind Guardian - http://www.myspace.com/savagecircus

Not a fan in the slightest. All sounds the same to me. But there is always exceptions. And that exception, to my ears, is Conception. Those guys flat out SHRED!!!! And I recently listened to an Angel Dust album that I did not immediately turn off [Enlighten the Darkness]. So maybe there is hope for me yet? Kmorg - please do not respond to my post. Thank you.

Stender wrote:

DenimAndLeather wrote:

The might Savatage. get that before any of these other bands.

I have a super hard time thinking of Savatage as a powermetal band. They just don't seem like they fit in that group to me.(talking about sirens/dungeons are calling/hall of the mountain king era)

No wonder I like them and don't like most power metal.

DenimAndLeather wrote:

Stender wrote:

DenimAndLeather wrote:

The might Savatage. get that before any of these other bands.

I have a super hard time thinking of Savatage as a powermetal band. They just don't seem like they fit in that group to me.(talking about sirens/dungeons are calling/hall of the mountain king era)

No wonder I like them and don't like most power metal.

I love Savatage and powermetal both...your just a weirdo I think.