power metal

Information about power metal

This article refers to the sub-genre of heavy metal music. For the Pantera album, see Power Metal (album).
Power metal
Stylistic origins: Heavy metal
Speed metal
NWOBHM
Cultural origins: Early to Mid 1980s Europe Early to Mid 1980s, United States
Typical instruments: Vocals - Electric guitar - Bass guitar - Drums - Keyboards
Mainstream popularity: Underground, but some bands have had mainstream success.
Derivative forms:Symphonic Metal
Folk metal
Other topics
Timeline of heavy metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal music typically with the aim of evoking an "epic" feel, combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a later more widespread and popular style based in Europe (Especially Germany, Italy and Scandinavia) with a lighter, more melodic sound and making frequent use of keyboards. With mainstream metal's fall from popularity and the growth of the underground metal scene, power metal can be seen as a parallel counterpart to extreme metal within the metalhead subculture. It is one of the most popular genres amongst metalheads yet has achieved low mainstream success in the United States compared to thrash metal.

Musical characteristics

Power metal is today associated with an epic sound tempered by characteristics of speed metal, power metal's musical forerunner. Power metal's lyrical themes, though as varied as metal itself, typically focus on fantasy and mythology (eg. Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire), comradeship and hope (eg. Lost Horizon, Highland Glory), war (eg. Manowar, Iced Earth), personal struggles and emotions (eg. Sonata Arctica, Evergrey) or combinations of the listed themes. Many typical metal themes such as anti-Christianity and politics are comparatively rare but not unheard of.

Power metal is highly focused on the vocalist, with "clean" vocals being much more prevalent than the growling vocals often associated with death metal and black metal. Following in the tradition of Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford and other heavy metal vocalists, power metal vocals are often in a high register. The majority of the genre's vocalists sing in the tenor range, capable of hitting very high notes. There are however many exceptions such as Pyramaze/ex-Iced Earth frontman Matt Barlow, Falconer frontman Mathias Blad, and Sabaton frontman Joakim Broden; they sing in either baritone or bass range, though in certain songs like Creator Failure, Barlow hits very high notes reminiscent of Rob Halford. Power metal vocalists Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian and Matt Smith of Theocracy record multi-layered vocals reminiscent of Queen, creating a choral effect.[1][2] Few power metal vocalists double as instrumentalists, but the setup is not unheard of.

Power metal guitarists and bassists generally play rapid streams of notes, but change chords comparatively slowly, with a harmonic tempo of once per measure or slower. Fast and demanding guitar solos, however, are almost guaranteed.

A number of power metal drummers generally play with two bass drums for added speed, utilizing them to play a constant stream of sixteenth notes (semiquavers) with snare drum accents on the beat. This style is fairly common in power metal as in other heavy metal subgenres, though it is by no means universal.

Power metal bands often incorporate keyboards into their musical arrangements, though their usage varies from subtle accents to a full-blown melody line. Some Symphonic Power Metal bands such as Rhapsody of Fire and Nightwish have also been known to record with more symphonic elements, and as such, they utilize a full orchestra to fill the role a keyboard plays in other power metal bands.

This style is very popular in Europe, Japan, and some countries of South America (including Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina and Chile), and has a slow popularity in North America, notably in the province of Quebec, Canada, where it has a very strong fan base.

Types of power metal

American/classic power metal

American power metal emerged in 1980s America as an offshoot of heavy metal and speed metal. It is usually fast, straightforward and somewhat heavy and aggressive, but with a distinct epic 'fighting' feel. Keyboards never take a major role in this style, with the focus on vocals and riffs. The music is very similar to its influences but coined the term 'power metal' and was vital in inspiring the later melodic power metal movement. Europe has its own bands playing in a very similar style such as Grave Digger.
Main Influences: Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Rainbow, Accept, Van Halen
Examples: Manowar, Jag Panzer, Crimson Glory, Metal Church, Savatage

European/melodic power metal

Enlarge picture
Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1, an important album in the development of Power metal.
This style emerged in 1980s Europe with Germany's Helloween and Finland's Stratovarius with a strong focus on melody and uplifting, positive themes. Helloween mixed fast palm muted speed metal riffs with high pitched clean vocals and guitar inspired by bands like Iron Maiden. Stratovarius further developed this melodic direction by making heavy use of keyboards and neo-classical guitar solos. This genre branched and spread over Europe and into most of power metal's subgenres, incorporating further influences from classical and folk music and reinforcing the high fantasy imagery as well as sometimes developing a more emotional, romantic edge. The style has become one of the largest metal subgenres (outside the alternative metal movement) and its popularity is far from waning. It should be noted that America also has its share of European style power metal bands, examples of which include Symphony X and Kamelot.
Main Influences: Queen[1][4], Iron Maiden[5], Rush, Scorpions, Rainbow, Europe
Examples: Stratovarius, Blind Guardian, HammerFall, Sonata Arctica, DragonForce

Extreme power metal

The harsh vocals and aggressive feel of melodic death metal/melodic black metal mixed with with the neo-classical guitar and keyboard melodies of power metal. It is often debated whether these bands can truely be called power metal as many see melodic singing as what most sets power metal apart from extreme metal. This genre is heavily based in Finland.


Influences: Scandinavian death metal bands

Examples: Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Norther, Wintersun, Eternal Tears of Sorrow

Folk-power metal

There are some folk metal and viking metal bands that take more influence from power metal then the darker atmosphere of black metal and some bands go as far as to replace extreme metal screaming with melodic singing. Lyrics may cross into both power metal and folk metal, sometimes featuring themes of both nature and fantasy. The genre may cross into extreme power metal.

Influences: Skyclad

Examples: Elvenking, Falconer, Ensiferum, Turisas

Prog-power metal

Music that combines the long insturmetal passages and unusual time signatures of progressive metal like Dream Theater with the uplifting vocals and neo-classical guitar and keyboards of power metal. Lyrics often are more introspective than the optimistic fantasy based lyircs of typical power metal, and some bands like Evergrey present a darker atmosphere to their music.


Influences: Savatage

Examples: Symphony X, Evergrey, Angra, Kamelot, Shadow Gallery

Symphonic power metal

Power metal bands that make extensive usage of instruments normally found in classical music or keyboards imitating them similar to symphonic metal. These additional elements are often used as key elements of the music when compared to normal power metal, contributing not only an extra layer to the music, but a greater variety of sound. Keyboard heavy bands such as Sonata Arctica who use their keyboards simply as synths without an orchestral sound are not truly part of this genre.


Influences: Stratovarius

Examples: Rhapsody of Fire, Fairyland, Nightwish, Edenbridge, Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Thrash-power metal

Power metal with musical influences from thrash metal. The high clean vocals and melodies of power metal are always retained (setting the genre apart from extreme power metal), but often with aggressive riffing, some shouted vocals and lyrical themes inherited from Thrash Metal


Influences: Metallica

Examples: Iced Earth, Nevermore, Agent Steel, Demons & Wizards

Epic metal

Heavy metal with fantasy/warrior themes or an overall epic feel to the instruments. This term often crosses over into gothic metal, symphonic metal and viking metal.

Influences: Rainbow

Examples: 3 Inches of Blood, Manilla Road, Virgin Steele, Cirith Ungol, Rage

See also

References

External links

Heavy metal
Alternative Metal - Black metal - Classic metal - Death metal - Doom metal - Folk metal - Glam metal - Gothic metal - Industrial metal - Metalcore - Neo-classical metal - Nu metal - Post-metal - Power metal - Progressive metal - Rap metal - Speed metal - Symphonic metal - Thrash metal
Regional scenes
Scandinavian death metal - New Wave of British Heavy Metal - Bay Area thrash metal
Fashion - Bands - Umlaut
Heavy metal (sometimes referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music[1] that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[2] With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, heavy,
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Power Metal
(1988) Cowboys from Hell
(1990)

Power Metal is an album by heavy metal band Pantera, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music).
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Heavy metal (sometimes referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music[1] that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[2] With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, heavy,
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Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by
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The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (frequently abbreviated as NWOBHM or N.W.O.B.H.M.) emerged in the late 1970s and reached mainstream attention in the early 1980s, in the United Kingdom, as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as
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Symphonic metal is a term used to describe metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that sound similar to a classical symphony. Symphonic metal is both a genre of metal and a name given to several subgenres of other metal genres, and as such, both forms of
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Folk metal is a diverse collection of music, encompassing a wide variety of different styles and approaches. As the name suggests, the one common ground between folk metal bands is a shared interest in fusing heavy metal music with elements of folk music.
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Heavy metal (sometimes referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music[1] that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[2] With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, heavy,
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Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by
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Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by
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Extreme metal is an umbrella term, somewhat loosely defined, for a variety of heavy metal subgenres developed since the 1980s. Though the term does not refer to any specific style or sound, it most commonly refers to music which either is a member of, or incorporates elements of,
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Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that spawned in the early 1980s and was the direct musical progenitor of thrash metal[1] [2]. When speed metal first emerged as a genre, it innovatively increased the tempo of the music template set forth by
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