Top 10 European Power Metal: 1- Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2 2- Running Wild - Death or Glory 3- Stratovarius - Destiny 4- Gamma Ray - Insanity and Genius 5- Malmsteen - The Seventh Sign 6- Grave Digger - Knights Of The Cross 7- Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side 8- Axel Rudi Pell - Oceans Of Time 9- Angel Dust - Border Of Reality 10- Edguy - Hellfire Club
Great show this one. Some of my favorites: Helloween: Keeper of the seven keys II Stratovarius: Visions Gamma Ray: Land of the free Blind Guardian: Nightfall in Middle Earth Symphony X: Divine Wings of tragedy Iced Earth: The dark saga Edguy: Vain glory opera ANGRA: Holy land Primal Fear: S/T
You guys, this was such a perfect episode, I have watched it twice already. Very cool to hear about my absolute favorite sub genre, which I like because of the imagery, the themes that the lyrics are about and of course the powerful music which raises my spirit and gives me a lot of positive energy to face any situation in life. Very cool! What is the best is that power metal has its roots in such legendary bands like Rainbow, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio and Saxon, among others. I absolutely love Helloween, Primal Fear, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Epica, Nightwish, Kamelot, Rhapsody (the original one), Edguy, Avantasia, Running Wild, etc. I have also enjoyed the fact that Pete has been giving much more attention to talk about all this bands. A lot of friends have mentioned great bands in the comments section. I would also add this bands: Iron Savior, Cain's Offering, At Vance, Dream Evil, Helion Prime, Iron Fire, Kiske/Somerville, Lords of Black, Mob Rules, Orden Ogan, Unisonic, The Ferrymen... all of which I highly recommend to dive into the power metal world!
My top 10: 1 - Iced Earth - The Dark Saga 2 - Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes 3 - Primal Fear - Nuclear Fire 4 - Helloween - Walls of Jericho 5 - Gamma Ray - Power Plant 6 - Primal Fear - Seven Seals 7 - Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part 2 8 - Edguy - Hellfire Club 9 - Primal Fear - Black Sun 10 - Gamma Ray - No World Order
Blind Guardian are great. Tales from Twilight World, Somewhere Far Beyond, Imaginations, Nightfall. All classic stuff. They kinda lost me with A Night at the Opera, but came back strong with A Twist in the Myth, and At the Edge of Time.
Amazing how influential Rainbow was. The “Rising” album changed the game forever going forward. If Ritchie and Ronnie never did anything else they would be legends for Rising alone. BTW Riot’s Thundersteel album is a underrated classic absolute killer album.
POWER METAL: Primal Fear, Kamelot, Stratovarius, Hammerfall, Edguy, Accept, Astral Doors, Axel Rudi Pell, Battle Beast, Beast In Black, Yngwie Malmsteen ETC Love this genre! Great discussion guys!
These are some of my favorite Power Metal albums: Omen - Battle Cry Banshee - Race Against Time Savage Circus - Dreamland Manor Vicious Rumors - Vicious Rumors Fifth Angel - Fifth Angel HammerFall - Renegade Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part 1 Sonata Arctica - Pariah's Child Rainbow - Rising Black Sabbath - TYR (Their only true Power Metal album). Warlord - Deliver Us X-Caliber - Warriors of the Night Lizzy Borden - Love You to Pieces Warrior - Fighting for the Earth Manowar - Fighting the World Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey Witch Cross - Fit for Fight Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth Queensryche - Queensryche EP Crimson Glory - Transcendence Nightwish - Once Saxon - Lionheart (When they tried Power Metal and it worked). Malice - In the Beginning... Epica - The Quantum Enigma Dionysus - Anima Mundi Freedom Call - Crystal Empire Saint Deamon - In Shadows Lost from the Brave Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King Riot - Thundersteel Warlock - Triumph and Agony Helstar - A Distant Thunder Kryst the Conqueror - Deliver Us from Evil (A Christian Power Metal side project formed by Jerry and Doyle from The Misfits. They were very inspired by Manowar. Jeff Scott Soto is on it, but despite the bad production, it's a phenomenal album). Pretty Maids - Future World Europe - Europe TNT - Knights of the New Thunder Queen - Queen II (Not totally Power Metal, but hugely influential to the genre). Legend - From the Fjords
@@joelutz4348 That first Fifth Angel album was great, that was when Terry Date really came on the scene with prominence as a epic producer/engineer. Additionally Ted Pilot the original vocalist was my dentist, unfortunately he put that part of his life in a box and left it in the past.
excellent choice, love Warlord, Crimson Glory and I would add Fate's Warning "Awaken the Guardian", Jag Panzer's Ample Destruction, Elegy "labyrinth of Dreams", Heaven's Gate "Living in Hysteria", Liege Lord. Heir Apparent, Savage Grace old school 80's stuff
Running Wild have an amazing run of albums. Under Jolly Roger, Port Royal, Death or Glory, Blazon Stone, Pile of Skulls, Black Hand Inn, Masquerade and finally The Rivalry. Heavy riffs, Epic feeling, Great Storytelling. Just listen to Treasure Island. So many talentless bands get more credit and attention instead.
I loved seeing Rhapsody on here. They were the first power metal band I really got into. I started getting into power metal earlier this year and I've been hooked. I know Rich mentioned Avantasia a little. Their first two Metal Opera albums are up there for me when it comes the more symphonic side of power metal. Their later albums got more symphonic, and are still good, but the two albums that started the band were the best.
I'd trade KotNT for “Prophet of the Last Eclipse” by the same Rhapsody’s guitar player. It brings much more interesting elements without being another weak clone of Rhapsody.
I'll never understand why Virgin Steele does not get much more credit than a honorable mention. Their songwriting is so much superior than that of e.g. Manowar. Songs like "The Burning of Rome" or "Mind, Body, Spirit" are just perfect Power Metal. Ok, on some records of the band the production sucks and the screams of De Feis especially on the newer albums are "discussable". But the band created imho much more outstanding and epic power metal songs than nearly any other band.
Early Metallica were apparently huge fans of Virgin Steele, Lars Ulrich actually wrote them a letter telling them how much he loved "Children of the Storm." No doubt one of the greatest metal bands around when they are at their best.
Appreciate your opinion, but do not agree at all..and many thousands...Manowars first 4 albums are untouchable as far as songwriting and other things...thats why....and influenced Bathory and such a stretch in heavy metal
Im just getting into power metal and Im having a great time. It's nice listening to metal that isn't dark and is uplifting instead. It's a shame that it gets shunned and made fun of by allot metalheads. I think it's a great sub-genre!
Another American power metal band I liked in the late 80s was Omen. My favorite album from them is their third album called The Curse, but really their first three albums are great. Battle Cry, Warning of Danger and The Curse.
Great choices for the European style! However, I think the US style is underrepresented here and missing some really important bands and albums. In my opinion, the most essential albums for the US power metal style and it's most immediate precursors: Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction Manilla Road - Crystal Logic through Mystification Omen - Battle Cry through The Curse Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I through The House of Atreus Part II Helstar - Nosferatu Vicious Rumors - Digital Dictator Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian Crimson Glory - S/T and Transcendence Lizzy Borden - Love You to Pieces Riot - Thundersteel and The Priveledge of Power Some incredible, essential modern bands in the style: Eternal Champion Visigoth Twisted Tower Dire Vultures Vengeance Ironflame Also, one incredibly good and, in my opinion, essential band in the European style that a lot of people don't know is Galneryus from Japan. If you're looking for incredibly huge, epic songs with great riffs and tons of neoclassical elements, they're incredible and have a sound kind of like a mix of Angra, Stratovarius, and Rhapsody, but with a very distinctly Japanese twist and a lot of diversity. If you don't mind primarily non-english lyrics, they're very much worth diving into.
This was a great episode & a great introduction to Power Metal. It was so cool that Rich Catino mentioned Uriah Heep's Demons & Wizards album as people tend to forget how influential that album was.
Not to mention Deep Purple's Burn and Stormbringer title-tracks! First one featuring some astonishing neoclassical guitar-keyboard epic soloing and interplay like nobody else ever did in 1974. And of course, Highway Star.
Not a huge power metal guy, but what I like I really like. Have to start with Savatage (Hall of the Mountain King), Helloween (Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 1), Manowar (Hail to England) and Blind Guardian (Nightfall in Middle-Earth). I may update depending on what they end up classifying as "power metal'. (Why do I have a feeling this episode is going to cost me money?) I guess I can add Riot (Thundersteel), Sanctuary (Refuge Denied) and Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force (Marching Out). I have Grave Digger too, but only the first one, which is their pre-power metal daze.
Recommendation to all: Unleash the Archers, an excellent power metal band from Canada that's pushing the genre forward like no band has since early Blind Guardian. And yes, I know the magnitude of what I just said.
Great show! I know what we think is "Power Metal" is subjective, I can not put Symphony X in that particular genre. Great band though! *Edguy peaked early, but, definitely check out Theater of Salvation, it's their best. *Angra-Holy Land is great, RIP Andre Matos. great singer, gone way too soon. * Stratovarius- Episode & Visions *Sonata Arctica-Ecliptica & Silence * Avantasia I & II *Helloween, Gamma Ray, Kamelot,-all worth checking out.
10. Tyr - how Far to Asgard 9. Battle Beast - Battle Beast 8. Astral Doors - Evil is Forever 7. Dream Evil - Dragon Slayer 6. Nocturnal Rites - The Sacred Talisman 5. Crystal Eyes - In Silence they March. 4. Forgotten Tales - All the Sinners 3. Timeless Miracle - In to the Enchanted Chamber 2. Hammerfall - Glory to the Brave 1. Falconer - Northwinds
Current singer of Sanctuary is Joseph Michael. He is also in a great band called Witherfall. I saw Sanctuary play at ProgPower USA in 2019. They played all of Refuge Denied and more.
Great show and a lot of great power metal bands! I just want to add two of my all time favorite powermetal bands, Nocturnal Rites and Persuader from my hometown Umeå in northern Sweden. Check out ”Afterlife-00”, ”Shadowland-02”, ”New world Messiah-04”, ”Grand Illusion-05” and ”Phoenix-17” from Nocturnal Rites. And check out ”Evolution Purgatory-04”, ”When Eden Burns-06” and ”The fiction maze-14” from Persuader. Persuader is also about to release a new album in december called ”Necromancy”.
@@j.j.4150 70's was ok , but after the game album they sucked . Flash Gordon , I want to break free Radio ga ga that shit sucks. Really sucks compared to their earlier stuff
Hot take: Iced Earth's "Something Wicked" album is just a rewrite of "The Dark Saga" removing the Spawn concept. "Burning Times" = "Dark Saga." "Melancholy" = "I Died for You." "Disciples of the Lie" = "Violate." Both albums are just structured so closely. I love both albums, but "The Dark Saga" is what got me into the band.
My favorite power metal albums 10. Wings of tomorrow (Europe) 9. Rebirth (Angra) 8. Glory to the brave (Hammerfall) 7. Return to heaven denied (Labyrinth) 6. Nuclear fire (Primal Fear) 5 Inhuman rampage (Dragonforce) 4. Destiny (Stratovarius) 3. Carpe Diem (Heavenly) 2. Renegade (Hammerfall) 1. Infinite (Stratovarius)
Great list and thank you for the history of Power Metal! Helloween Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2, Blind Guardian Imaginations from the Other Side, Rhapsody Symphony of Enchanted Lands, Manowar Hail to England, Nightwish Oceanborn, Stratovarius Visions, Lost Horizon Awakening the World, Gamma Ray Land of the Free, Yngwie Malmsteen' s Rising Force, Symphony X V: The New Mythology
EdGuy - Theater of Salvation is a masterpiece! Also love Vain Glory Opera, Mandrake, Hellfire Club, Rocket Ride. I also really liked their last album Space Police.
Hi Rich and Pete. Another great show as always. My first instinct on Power Metal was Helloween and Symphony X. I will have to listen to some of the other bands you listed. Thank you for all you do.
Another great band to mention is Cain's Offering which includes Timo Kotipelto from Stratovarius and 1 or 2 members of Sonata Arctica. They released 2 AMAZING and very emotional albums with great ballads and catchy hooks within fast paced power metal rockers. Definitely worth the time to listen to both albums.
You know, that's actually my favorite Savatage song. I didn't realize Gillen guested on it. I was just listening to that song today. Great, great tune. So powerful and so, so catchy.
You guys picked a great song. Actually, yrs ago I saw a video from a club. Jezebels / in Anaheim California 8/26/90. I’ve played it like 4-5 x over the years. On you tube/. They claim RAY was lit up lol. But I find it pretty great. Shame three yrs later RIP. RAY and CRISS
Destiny is by far my favorite Stratovarius album. #2 would be Infinite. Visions is also essential. I never really got into Fourth Dimension or Episode.
Angra not European but I'm getting ya. I feel like even the Japanese scene is built upon Euro Power metal (like Galneryus). Anyway... let's not forget to mention Helloween.
I keep watching this episode over and over again. This is so perfect. All of my favourite albums are on this. Maybe you start listening to some Avantasia as well. The albums are really great, especially the first 2 Metal Operas ... I love Gamma Ray & Avantasia. Pete hope to see you ranking these two bands' albums someday 😊🤘🏽 love your videos always .. cheers from India ❤️
One band that I think Pete would really like is Germany's Heavens Gate. Their albums Living in Hysteria, Hell for Sale, Planet E and Menergy are all great, mixing power metal with traditional heavy metal and some prog. They were all excellent musicians, Sascha Paeth, their guitar player became a very well know producer, and Tomas Rettke, their singer, sang backing vocals to almost every german band. Both of them are part of Avantasia also.
Thank you for putting Running Wild on the list. 'Port Royal' and 'Death or Glory' are my favourite albums of the band. I can also recommend 'Blazon Stone' and the 'Wild Animal' EP.
Iain Finlay was the best drummer they ever had with great groove and technique. Anything else after him sounds so mechanical and rigid, drum machine-like even when a real drummer is credited to play.
Hi Pete Rich had a point about Virgin Steele.They are actually streets ahead of some of the other bands mentioned. Give them a listen and re-discover a genius band who are also quite symphonic as well. First 2 or 3 albums maybe not totally power/symphonic but pretty good though.Most are sheer genius. Chris D
My top 10 Stratovarius Visions/Episode/Destiny Labyrinth Return to Heaven Denied Kamelot The Fourth Legacy/Karma Nocturnal Rites The sacred Talisman Blind Guardian Imaginations from the other side Sonata Arctica Silence Edguy Theater of Salvation/Hellfire club/rocket ride HammerFall Legacy of Kings/glory to the brave Symphony X The Divine wings of Tragedy/ V Gamma Ray Powerplant/somewhere out in space Primal Fear Black Sun/Nuclear Fire
I missed out on alot of 🤟Metal bands🤟, I was busy with two small children. But Dio, (may he RIP) with Ritchie Blackmore was what started it for me too at 15 yes. old. So I can spend some days 🎧 checking out all that metal👍 🤟✌️
Great video. Love it when you spend that much time on a video. Okay, so MY top 10 favorites would be: 1. Avantasia - "The Metal Opera (part 1)" - (Not a whole lot of interesting guitar work, but instead there's a whole bunch of catchy songs and huge choirs) 2. Lucca Turilli - "King of the Nordic Twilight" - (More focus on catchy songs and melodies than speed and advanced music, which I find is the case with Rhapsody) 3. Edguy - "Theater of Salvation" - (Pete said enough. So many good songs on this album) 4. Sonata Arctica - "Silence" - (To me this is Sonata Arcticas' masterpiece. It has it all. Catchy songs, advanced music, one helluva kick ass opener and an epic closer) 5. Aquaria - "Luxaeterna" - (My favorite Angra album. :D) 6. Hammerfall - "Legacy of Kings" - (The album that inspired so many power metal bands. HAS to be on the list.) 7. Gamma Ray - "Somewhere Out in Space" - (Yea, Land of the Free might be the best album overall, but this one has "Valley of the Kings". Probably my favorite power metal song of all time) 8. Blind Guardian - "Somewhere Far Beyond" (In my opinion the BG album with most memorable songs. The Quest for Tanelorn and Somewhere Far Beyond being my favorites) 9. Heavenly - "Carpe Diem" (Power Metal with more than a hint of Queen. Works very well for me.) 10. Helloween - "Masters of the Rings" (Like the case is with Blind Guardian, for me, this is the album with the most catchy songs overall. Love Where the Rain Grows and The Game is On. Honorable (lesser known?) mentions: Nocturnal Rites - "The Sacred Talisman" (kick ass first track), Crystal Eyes - "Dead City Dreaming", Zonata - "Reality", At Vance - "No Escape" and "Only Human" (There's something Abba about those first albums of theirs), Bloodbound - "Nosferatu", Masterplan - "Masterplan", Timeless Miracle - "Into the enchanted Chamber", Reinxeed - "The Light", Lost Horizon - "Awakening the World", Sinergy - "The Bitch is Back" and last but not least, Full Strike - "We Will Rise" (A very, very strong Hammerfall album)
Love all your honorable mentions. Great memories with At Vance ( Oliver Hartmann has an incredible voice), lost horizon, Nocturnal rites, Bloodbound...
My Top 10 Power Metal albuns are (only 1 per band): 1. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys I and II 2. Gamma Ray - Somewhere Out in Space 3. Blind Guardian - Somewqhere Far Beyond 4. Grave Digger - Tunes of War 5. Angra - Rebirth 6. Running Wild - Port Royal 7. HammerFall - Glory to the Brave 8. Stratovarius - Episode 9. Primal Fear - Jaws of Death 10. Iron Savior - Iron Savior
@Rich at the Metal Asylum I so agree with you about Gamma Ray's Land Of The Free album being a MASTERPIECE!!! I also for many years have been saying that Land Of The Free could have easily been Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 3. It is that amazing of an album. It is easily in my top five favorite Power Metal albums of all time. Also since you are a huge Angra fan, there is a chance you like the other bands Andre Matos sang in like Viper and Shaman. Just in case you haven't listened to these bands , you really need to check them out. In my opinion Vipers first two albums Soldiers Of Sunrise and Theatre Of Fate are phenomenal and Shaman's first album Ritual is also a MASTERPIECE in my opinion.
Top 10 American Power Metal: 1- Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes 2- Savatage - Gutter Ballet 3- Virgin Steele - Invictus 4- Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction 5- Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy 6- Riot - Thundersteel 7- Manowar - The Triumph Of Steel 8- Helstar - Nosferatu 9- Omen - Warning Of Danger 10- Kamelot - Epica
Thundersteel is fucking awesome! But I thought it was considered speed metal? Virgin Steele are a good band but I just can't get into the singer's voice but musically and lyrically they're really good. Jag Panzer are amazing and deserve more attention. Symphony X are excellent but I lost interest after the V album which is fantastic.
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 ThunderSteel kick ass! It is generally regarded as Power Metal as its more melodic than Speed Metal( Agent Steel, Annihilator etc) It certainly has Speed Metal and Traditional Metal elements tho. 'Bloodstreets' is one of the greatest metal songs of all time! 🤘
Symphony of Enchanted Lands by Rhapsody from 1998 is an essential power metal album for me! And also any Therion album from Theli from 1996 to currently Leviathan III from 2023 too.
80's (alphabetical): Cloven Hoof - A Sultan's Ransom Crimson Glory - Transcendence Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian Heavens Gate - In Control Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part I Helstar - Nosferatu Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction Manowar - Hail to England Omen - Battle Cry Riot - Thundersteel Running Wild - Death or Glory Savage Grace - Master of Disguise Stormwitch - Stronger than Heaven Vicious Rumors - Digital Dictator Yngwie Malmsteen - Marching Out 90's: Angra - Angels Cry Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond Edguy - Theater of Salvation Gamma Ray - Land of the Free Grave Digger - Knights of the Cross HammerFall - Glory to the Brave Iced Earth - Night of the Stormrider Judas Priest - Painkiller Kamelot - The Fourth Legacy Labÿrinth - Return to Heaven Denied Manowar - The Triumph of Steel Metalium - Millennium Metal (Chapter One) Rage - Black in Mind Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands Running Wild - Black Hand Inn Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica Stratovarius - Visions Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Part Two 00's: Angra - Temple of Shadows Avantasia - The Metal Opera Beyond Twilight - Section X Domine - Stormbringer Ruler: The Legend of the Power Supreme Ensiferum - Iron Falconer - Falconer Heavenly - Dust to Dust Human Fortress - Defenders of the Crown Kiuas - Reformation Lost Horizon - Awakening the World Luca Turilli - Prophet of the Last Eclipse Onward - Reawaken Pagan's Mind - Celestial Entrance Pharaoh - The Longest Night Rage - Soundchaser Rhapsody - Power of the Dragonflame Sacred Steel - Bloodlust Symphony X - V: The New Mythology Suite Turisas - The Varangian Way Virgin Steele - The House of Atreus, Act II Wolf - The Black Flame Wuthering Heights - Far from the Madding Crowd
Purely based on what I like and listen to more, my top 10 power metal albums: 1. Last in Line - Dio 2. Into the Galactic Terrorvotex - Gloryhammer 3. Firepower - Judas Priest 4. Symphony of Enchanted Lands II - Rhapsody 5. Crimson Thunder - Hammerfall 6. Powerslave - Iron Maiden 7. Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken - Hammerfall 8. Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards - Gloryhammer 9. Hall of the Mountain King - Savatage 10. Trilogy - YJM
Saxon - Crusader was the first metal song i ever heard. . The Intro , then the killer riffs and raw vocals blew me away. I happened to catch a local radio show one Saturday night, The Rock Shop, 9 - midnight every sat night.. He played all types of Metal. I was always ready with my cassette recorder. He'd end the show with a featured new album ever week at midnight. That show turned me on to so many bands, Queensryche, Crimson Glory, Accept, Helloween.. i could go on and on. I still have about 30 - 40 mix tapes from back then. Man , i miss those days. I been hooked on Metal / Power Metal for 35 years now. Great show guys , gonna dig out some old albums tonight.
Killer, killer episode. Fun fact: Priest's Firepower is their consistently most power metal album in their catalog. Some overlooked gems: Jag Panzer and Onward (esp. the monstrous Reawaken album) on the American side, and Greek power metal gods Firewind from Europe.
Living in Germany and listening to Metal for approx. 35 years I love hearing you talk about European Metal. One interesting thing I want to point out is that the terminology changed. In the 80s bands like Gamma Ray and Helloween were called Speed Metal, then in the 90s it changed to "Melodic Speed" while bands like Morgana LeFay and Iced Earth were called Power Metal. Bands like Manowar and Iron Maiden were just called Heavy Metal. 😉
I think you could continue with this as a series. Power Metal is not what I thought it would be. Paused the vid many times to go and listen to all of these albums.
Early American side: Leatherwolf’s self titled album, Crimson Glory’s Transcendence. European side (more recent ): Ordan Ogan’s Ravenhead and Gunman albums.
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 omg, where to begin. Lol. I'd say a few are Maiden- Powerslave, Overkill-Taking Over, Savatage- Mountain King, Helloween-Keeper 1&2 (like I said they are considered one album), Whitesnake-Slide It In, King Diamond-Abigail, Kiss - Rock n Roll Over, Wasp - Crimson Idol, Queensryche- Mindcrime, Priest - Defenders, Dio - Last In Line.
Before I start this video, some key albums for me.... Angra - Angel’s Cry Avantasia - The Metal Opera pt. 1&2 Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys pt. 1&2 Hammerfall - Legacy of Kings EdGuy - Theater of Salvation EdGuy - Mandrake Gamma Ray - Land of the Free Kamelot - Epica Heavenly - Virus Rhapsody - Dawn of Victory Labyrinth - Return to Heaven Denied Luca Turilli - King of Nordic Twilight Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side Stratovarius - Destiny Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica Dark Moor - The Hall of the Olden Glory Dark Moor - The Gates of Oblivion Power Quest - Neverworld Power Quest - Magic Never Dies Freedom Call - Eternity Nocturnal Rites - The Grand Illusion Dragonforce - Valley of the Damned (their first and best imo) Dream Evil - Dragonslayer Orden Ogan - To the End And probably tons more from the above bands.
Pete, if you love Walls of Jericho and Kai's vocals, you gotta dive into Gamma Ray. Their debut, Heading for Tomorrow, is an absolute classic. Great show. (EDIT: HFT has Scheepers on vocals, my favorite with Kai on vocals is Powerplant.)
@@independenceltd. Yeah, Kai took over in 1995 and I think they did 7 or so albums with him up front. He's got someone else handling lead vocals for the past several years but I don't believe they've recorded anything with him yet.
Pete, definitely give Gamma Ray albums a listen. In my opinion Kai Hansen that did the first three Helloween albums was a huge major reason why those three albums are so amazing. Kai Hansen continued writing amazing songs and albums when he formed Gamma Ray. I agree with Rich that you should listen to Land Of The Free first the 1995 album. I also agree with Rich when he said that Land Of The Free album could have easily been Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 3 . It really is that amazing of an album. I also love the three albums they did with Ralph Scheepers, especially Insanity And Genius. Other great albums that Gamma Ray have are Somewhere Out In Space, Powerplant, No World Order, Heading For Tomorrow, and Sign No More. I also agree with that Savatage"s Hall Of The Mountain King album is a MASTERPIECE!!! I still listen to this album very often and still enjoy it just as much as I did when I first listened to it back in 1988 at ten years old. It is one of the greatest albums of all time easily.
@@MetalAsylumNJ I so agree with you about Gamma Ray's Land Of The Free album being a MASTERPIECE!!! I also for many years have been saying that Land Of The Free could have easily been Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 3. It is that amazing of an album. It is easily in my top five favorite Power Metal albums of all time.
@@MetalAsylumNJ I so agree with you about Gamma Ray's Land Of The Free album being a MASTERPIECE!!! I also for many years have been saying that Land Of The Free could have easily been Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 3. It is that amazing of an album. It is easily in my top five favorite Power Metal albums of all time.
I was at that Iced Earth/Sanctuary/Kill Ritual show at the Gramercy in NYC. Incredible night. \m/ \m/ Jon actually walked right by everyone on line before the show (I think he was taking his daughter to get food) but he had to do a meet and greet, so he only got to say "hi" to the fans. Wasn't able to stick around and chat. Also saw Brent Smedley and Jake Dreyer outside taking pictures of the neighborhood.
In no particular order my personal 10 - Primal Fear - Jaws of Death - Edguy - Hellfire Club - Unleash the Archers - Apex - Sabaton - The Art of War - Helloween - Walls of Jericho - Stratovarius - Visions - Gamma Ray - Insanity & Genius - Iced Earth - The Dark Saga - Iron Savior - Rise of the Hero - Gloryhammer - Space 1992 Rise of the Chaos Wizards
Brave New World by Iron Maiden. For the most part, this album works the best when the songs don’t break the 8 minute mark. Shorter, compact fast numbers like “The Wicker Man” and “The Fallen Angel” prove to stick in the memory the easiest, and finally bring back the hit making machine that is Adrian Smith to the fold. His solo offering on “The Wicker Man” is the best lead put to a Maiden song since 1988, relying equally on flash and a developed storytelling approach to soloing. “The Mercenary” has a solid main riff, but lags a tiny bit on the chorus, which is far too repetitive.
Pete, since you often do online interviews with various artists, I hope you get to interview Hansi Kürsch. That would be amazing. Great rant! Power Metal is my favourite subgenre of metal.
Port royal is the fourth, UJR is the third. They should have been the greatest german band but that didnt last.. Rich, I suppose you know their 90s era. Death or Glory and Pile of Skulls are my best. From the US, Nosferatu, Remnants of War and Digital Dictator is my top 3, among many many others. Maybe the best metal came out in the 90s after all...
After the Rivalry it was more like a solo project. Average albums for the most part. For us growing up with RW it was a dissapointment. Rapid Foray was a great return to form though. The Majk Moti, Jens Becker era was the best imho.
Those 3 US albums you mentioned are some of my all time favorites of the style. Throw in No Exit, The Spectre Within, Ample Destruction, Thundersteel, Cannons of Destruction, and Sign of the Hammer as well.
Helloween - Keeper2, Time of the Oath and Better than Raw Gamma Ray - Land of the Free, Somewhere out in Space and Powerplant Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the other side and Nightfall in Middle Earth Angra - Holy Land and Temple of Shadows
You should definitely give Beast in Black a listen. It's very pop'ish metal and my favorite band of the last 3 years. And that dude can siiiiing. Amongst a whole lot I recommend "Ghost in the Rain". That song has a world class scream at the end.
Glad I lived through this period in metal, from the first 4 Prog Power festivals to my shopping at Impulse Music in Roselle, Illinois. Probably bought most of Pete and Rich's picks there. Was also able to see a Statovarious/Rhapsody/Sonata Arctica show in Sweden back then.
RIP Andre Matos, he was just incredibly talented vocalist... too bad we lost him way too early
love Andre.
Top 10 European Power Metal:
1- Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2
2- Running Wild - Death or Glory
3- Stratovarius - Destiny
4- Gamma Ray - Insanity and Genius
5- Malmsteen - The Seventh Sign
6- Grave Digger - Knights Of The Cross
7- Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side
8- Axel Rudi Pell - Oceans Of Time
9- Angel Dust - Border Of Reality
10- Edguy - Hellfire Club
Lucha..An American Top 10, & A European Top 10.... You Are my Go too Guy for Power Metal.!! Nice work My Friend!
@@spaghetti.lee-69 Thank you!! 🤘 🤘
Good list!!! Check out "Beast Reborn" by MOB RULES! At least outnumbering Pell and Edguy!
@@stefhan4667 yeah, Mob Rules is pretty good. I like how they and Dream Evil wear their influences on their sleeve😉
@@LuchaLibertaria When the Mob Rules, some folks will Dream Evil! For sure!
Great show this one.
Some of my favorites:
Helloween: Keeper of the seven keys II
Stratovarius: Visions
Gamma Ray: Land of the free
Blind Guardian: Nightfall in Middle Earth
Symphony X: Divine Wings of tragedy
Iced Earth: The dark saga
Edguy: Vain glory opera
ANGRA: Holy land
Primal Fear: S/T
You guys, this was such a perfect episode, I have watched it twice already. Very cool to hear about my absolute favorite sub genre, which I like because of the imagery, the themes that the lyrics are about and of course the powerful music which raises my spirit and gives me a lot of positive energy to face any situation in life. Very cool! What is the best is that power metal has its roots in such legendary bands like Rainbow, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio and Saxon, among others. I absolutely love Helloween, Primal Fear, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Epica, Nightwish, Kamelot, Rhapsody (the original one), Edguy, Avantasia, Running Wild, etc. I have also enjoyed the fact that Pete has been giving much more attention to talk about all this bands. A lot of friends have mentioned great bands in the comments section. I would also add this bands: Iron Savior, Cain's Offering, At Vance, Dream Evil, Helion Prime, Iron Fire, Kiske/Somerville, Lords of Black, Mob Rules, Orden Ogan, Unisonic, The Ferrymen... all of which I highly recommend to dive into the power metal world!
magic kingdom, iron mask
My top 10:
1 - Iced Earth - The Dark Saga
2 - Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes
3 - Primal Fear - Nuclear Fire
4 - Helloween - Walls of Jericho
5 - Gamma Ray - Power Plant
6 - Primal Fear - Seven Seals
7 - Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part 2
8 - Edguy - Hellfire Club
9 - Primal Fear - Black Sun
10 - Gamma Ray - No World Order
Symphony X were the best thing to come out of America in the past 20 years! The album 'V' is in my top 10 of all time and i'm a 70's metal fan.
Blind Guardian are great. Tales from Twilight World, Somewhere Far Beyond, Imaginations, Nightfall. All classic stuff. They kinda lost me with A Night at the Opera, but came back strong with A Twist in the Myth, and At the Edge of Time.
Amazing how influential Rainbow was. The “Rising” album changed the game forever going forward. If Ritchie and Ronnie never did anything else they would be legends for Rising alone. BTW Riot’s Thundersteel album is a underrated classic absolute killer album.
Yes, mostly considered Speed Metal though. Probably because of the title track.
POWER METAL: Primal Fear, Kamelot, Stratovarius, Hammerfall, Edguy, Accept, Astral Doors, Axel Rudi Pell, Battle Beast, Beast In Black, Yngwie Malmsteen ETC Love this genre! Great discussion guys!
Yes and all European or Scandinavian!
Thank you for mentioning Axel Rudi Pell, one of my top 5 favorite bands...so overrated.
Oops, meant UNDERrated...lol
I love Gammaray as well
These are some of my favorite Power Metal albums:
Omen - Battle Cry
Banshee - Race Against Time
Savage Circus - Dreamland Manor
Vicious Rumors - Vicious Rumors
Fifth Angel - Fifth Angel
HammerFall - Renegade
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part 1
Sonata Arctica - Pariah's Child
Rainbow - Rising
Black Sabbath - TYR (Their only true Power Metal album).
Warlord - Deliver Us
X-Caliber - Warriors of the Night
Lizzy Borden - Love You to Pieces
Warrior - Fighting for the Earth
Manowar - Fighting the World
Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey
Witch Cross - Fit for Fight
Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth
Queensryche - Queensryche EP
Crimson Glory - Transcendence
Nightwish - Once
Saxon - Lionheart (When they tried Power Metal and it worked).
Malice - In the Beginning...
Epica - The Quantum Enigma
Dionysus - Anima Mundi
Freedom Call - Crystal Empire
Saint Deamon - In Shadows Lost from the Brave
Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden
Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King
Riot - Thundersteel
Warlock - Triumph and Agony
Helstar - A Distant Thunder
Kryst the Conqueror - Deliver Us from Evil (A Christian Power Metal side project formed by Jerry and Doyle from The Misfits. They were very inspired by Manowar. Jeff Scott Soto is on it, but despite the bad production, it's a phenomenal album).
Pretty Maids - Future World
Europe - Europe
TNT - Knights of the New Thunder
Queen - Queen II (Not totally Power Metal, but hugely influential to the genre).
Legend - From the Fjords
Don't forget the album Programmed from Lethal.
Great inclusion of Omen, Fifth Angel and Warlord....Some of my all time Favs. lll add in Stormwitch with 1984's 'Tales of Terror'.
Hell yeah, Fifth Angel!
@@joelutz4348 That first Fifth Angel album was great, that was when Terry Date really came on the scene with prominence as a epic producer/engineer. Additionally Ted Pilot the original vocalist was my dentist, unfortunately he put that part of his life in a box and left it in the past.
excellent choice, love Warlord, Crimson Glory and I would add Fate's Warning "Awaken the Guardian", Jag Panzer's Ample Destruction, Elegy "labyrinth of Dreams", Heaven's Gate "Living in Hysteria", Liege Lord. Heir Apparent, Savage Grace old school 80's stuff
Helloween: Keepers of the seven Keys (the bibble)
Stratovarius: Visions
Gamma Ray: Land of the free
Running Wild have an amazing run of albums. Under Jolly Roger, Port Royal, Death or Glory, Blazon Stone, Pile of Skulls, Black Hand Inn, Masquerade and finally The Rivalry. Heavy riffs, Epic feeling, Great Storytelling. Just listen to Treasure Island. So many talentless bands get more credit and attention instead.
Agreed!
Under Jolly Roger and Black Hand Inn are my favorites.
Great, great band. And say what you will, I LOVE Rogues En Vogue.
I loved seeing Rhapsody on here. They were the first power metal band I really got into. I started getting into power metal earlier this year and I've been hooked. I know Rich mentioned Avantasia a little. Their first two Metal Opera albums are up there for me when it comes the more symphonic side of power metal. Their later albums got more symphonic, and are still good, but the two albums that started the band were the best.
If you want something great, try the solo album of Rhapsody's guitar player.
Luca Turilli " king of the nordic twilight"
I'd trade KotNT for “Prophet of the Last Eclipse” by the same Rhapsody’s guitar player. It brings much more interesting elements without being another weak clone of Rhapsody.
@@MaxTer Yeah Prophet is great.Sci fi power metal.Gonna have to take that one off the shelf and give it a spin.
I'll never understand why Virgin Steele does not get much more credit than a honorable mention. Their songwriting is so much superior than that of e.g. Manowar. Songs like "The Burning of Rome" or "Mind, Body, Spirit" are just perfect Power Metal. Ok, on some records of the band the production sucks and the screams of De Feis especially on the newer albums are "discussable". But the band created imho much more outstanding and epic power metal songs than nearly any other band.
Early Metallica were apparently huge fans of Virgin Steele, Lars Ulrich actually wrote them a letter telling them how much he loved "Children of the Storm." No doubt one of the greatest metal bands around when they are at their best.
Appreciate your opinion, but do not agree at all..and many thousands...Manowars first 4 albums are untouchable as far as songwriting and other things...thats why....and influenced Bathory and such a stretch in heavy metal
Plus, they helped create Exorcist- Nightmare Theater!
I love Virgin Steele! Amazing band
Im just getting into power metal and Im having a great time. It's nice listening to metal that isn't dark and is uplifting instead. It's a shame that it gets shunned and made fun of by allot metalheads. I think it's a great sub-genre!
Gamma Ray - Land of the Free is top tier power metal. Somewhere Out in Space is close.
1995 was a wonderful year due to gamma ray and blind guardian albums. Land of the free was my favorite for 20 years.
Somewhere Out in Space still blows my mind to this day. \m/
The top 3 of Gamma Ray with Power Plant!
Another American power metal band I liked in the late 80s was Omen. My favorite album from them is their third album called The Curse, but really their first three albums are great. Battle Cry, Warning of Danger and The Curse.
Love your Power Metal picks!! I love HammerFall and Savatage and some of the ones you guys picked!! 🎼🎤🎸🎵🥁
Great choices for the European style! However, I think the US style is underrepresented here and missing some really important bands and albums.
In my opinion, the most essential albums for the US power metal style and it's most immediate precursors:
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
Manilla Road - Crystal Logic through Mystification
Omen - Battle Cry through The Curse
Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I through The House of Atreus Part II
Helstar - Nosferatu
Vicious Rumors - Digital Dictator
Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian
Crimson Glory - S/T and Transcendence
Lizzy Borden - Love You to Pieces
Riot - Thundersteel and The Priveledge of Power
Some incredible, essential modern bands in the style:
Eternal Champion
Visigoth
Twisted Tower Dire
Vultures Vengeance
Ironflame
Also, one incredibly good and, in my opinion, essential band in the European style that a lot of people don't know is Galneryus from Japan. If you're looking for incredibly huge, epic songs with great riffs and tons of neoclassical elements, they're incredible and have a sound kind of like a mix of Angra, Stratovarius, and Rhapsody, but with a very distinctly Japanese twist and a lot of diversity. If you don't mind primarily non-english lyrics, they're very much worth diving into.
'cause we all live in future world
A world that's full of love
we need to keep believing to get there :) Music helps!
Maybe the afterlife that seems more realistic.
This was a great episode & a great introduction to Power Metal. It was so cool that Rich Catino mentioned Uriah Heep's Demons & Wizards album as people tend to forget how influential that album was.
Not to mention Deep Purple's Burn and Stormbringer title-tracks! First one featuring some astonishing neoclassical guitar-keyboard epic soloing and interplay like nobody else ever did in 1974. And of course, Highway Star.
Thank you
Not a huge power metal guy, but what I like I really like. Have to start with Savatage (Hall of the Mountain King), Helloween (Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 1), Manowar (Hail to England) and Blind Guardian (Nightfall in Middle-Earth).
I may update depending on what they end up classifying as "power metal'. (Why do I have a feeling this episode is going to cost me money?)
I guess I can add Riot (Thundersteel), Sanctuary (Refuge Denied) and Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force (Marching Out). I have Grave Digger too, but only the first one, which is their pre-power metal daze.
Demons & Wizards first album is great
Absolutely!
Absolutely love it. Something really magical about it.
Definitely do an episode on essential Prog Metal albums!
Recommendation to all: Unleash the Archers, an excellent power metal band from Canada that's pushing the genre forward like no band has since early Blind Guardian. And yes, I know the magnitude of what I just said.
Love the Apex album. Every song is memorable
Agreed....since the release of 'Apex' and 'Abyss' I like UTA better than BG.
After seeing your comment I'm happy to say abyss is in my top 5 albums of all time. Incredible front to back no bad songs
Great show!
I know what we think is "Power Metal" is subjective, I can not put Symphony X in that particular genre. Great band though!
*Edguy peaked early, but, definitely check out Theater of Salvation, it's their best.
*Angra-Holy Land is great, RIP Andre Matos. great singer, gone way too soon.
* Stratovarius- Episode & Visions
*Sonata Arctica-Ecliptica & Silence
* Avantasia I & II
*Helloween, Gamma Ray, Kamelot,-all worth checking out.
10. Tyr - how Far to Asgard
9. Battle Beast - Battle Beast
8. Astral Doors - Evil is Forever
7. Dream Evil - Dragon Slayer
6. Nocturnal Rites - The Sacred Talisman
5. Crystal Eyes - In Silence they March.
4. Forgotten Tales - All the Sinners
3. Timeless Miracle - In to the Enchanted Chamber
2. Hammerfall - Glory to the Brave
1. Falconer - Northwinds
Queensryche Ep and parts of The Warning could tie into this for sure
Man, The Warning...stone cold classic! Ahhhhh...1984!
Just listened to that entire album a couple weeks ago out on my deck. Love Roads to Madness!
There is a German band named Brainstorm. I own all discography and some of their albums are awesome.
Yup, I like them too. Just had to go with similar bands like Iced Earth and Grave Digger who came before them.
Their debut album is killer!
I like them too. Anybody else like Angel Dust from Germany? Their album Enlighten The Darkness kicks butt.
Proggy
Current singer of Sanctuary is Joseph Michael. He is also in a great band called Witherfall. I saw Sanctuary play at ProgPower USA in 2019. They played all of Refuge Denied and more.
Great show and a lot of great power metal bands! I just want to add two of my all time favorite powermetal bands, Nocturnal Rites and Persuader from my hometown Umeå in northern Sweden. Check out ”Afterlife-00”, ”Shadowland-02”, ”New world Messiah-04”, ”Grand Illusion-05” and ”Phoenix-17” from Nocturnal Rites. And check out ”Evolution Purgatory-04”, ”When Eden Burns-06” and ”The fiction maze-14” from Persuader. Persuader is also about to release a new album in december called ”Necromancy”.
Queen II was a HUGE influence on power metal... as well as many of their early albums.
Queen is not power metal , what's wrong with you
Not even an influence to power metal , and 75% of their music is not all that good
@@raymondwarmke7094 70's Queen is top shelf, stop being a hipster for the sake of it.
@@j.j.4150 70's was ok , but after the game album they sucked . Flash Gordon , I want to break free Radio ga ga that shit sucks. Really sucks compared to their earlier stuff
@@j.j.4150 Queen sucks, even there 70's stuff blows.
Hot take: Iced Earth's "Something Wicked" album is just a rewrite of "The Dark Saga" removing the Spawn concept. "Burning Times" = "Dark Saga." "Melancholy" = "I Died for You." "Disciples of the Lie" = "Violate." Both albums are just structured so closely. I love both albums, but "The Dark Saga" is what got me into the band.
Yeah, they knew they cracked a formula at that point. IE's Mid-90s stuff is still my favourite. Though I am partial to their newest material.
Dark saga was my fav too
My favorite power metal albums
10. Wings of tomorrow (Europe)
9. Rebirth (Angra)
8. Glory to the brave (Hammerfall)
7. Return to heaven denied (Labyrinth)
6. Nuclear fire (Primal Fear)
5 Inhuman rampage (Dragonforce)
4. Destiny (Stratovarius)
3. Carpe Diem (Heavenly)
2. Renegade (Hammerfall)
1. Infinite (Stratovarius)
Great list and thank you for the history of Power Metal!
Helloween Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2, Blind Guardian Imaginations from the Other Side, Rhapsody Symphony of Enchanted Lands, Manowar Hail to England, Nightwish Oceanborn, Stratovarius Visions, Lost Horizon Awakening the World, Gamma Ray Land of the Free, Yngwie Malmsteen' s Rising Force, Symphony X V: The New Mythology
Great show! I ended up taking notes the whole time. Good stuff!
“Painkiller” is the Template of modern Powermetal!
EdGuy - Theater of Salvation is a masterpiece!
Also love Vain Glory Opera, Mandrake, Hellfire Club, Rocket Ride. I also really liked their last album Space Police.
Hi Rich and Pete. Another great show as always. My first instinct on Power Metal was Helloween and Symphony X. I will have to listen to some of the other bands you listed. Thank you for all you do.
First 4 Rhapsody albums are essentially perfect.
Bridge of Death by Manowar.....HELL YEAH!!🤘🏻🤘🏻
Glad you mention Beast in Black!
Another great band to mention is Cain's Offering which includes Timo Kotipelto from Stratovarius and 1 or 2 members of Sonata Arctica. They released 2 AMAZING and very emotional albums with great ballads and catchy hooks within fast paced power metal rockers. Definitely worth the time to listen to both albums.
VICIOUS RUMORS deserves more attention in the metal world. Incredible vocals by Carl Albert, amazing solos by Mark McGee, what a great band.
Thank you Rich for mentioning Virgin Steele! Severely underrated band
Best Power Metal band in my book! The 2 Marriage albums are so great and David has such an awesome voice!
Thanx to Rich for the mention of Axel Rudi Pell. He has some slamming albums with Jeff Scott Soto, Johnny Gioeli & Rob(Not Bob) Rock.
Thank you
Ray Gillen guested on Savatage's "Strange Wings."
You know, that's actually my favorite Savatage song. I didn't realize Gillen guested on it. I was just listening to that song today. Great, great tune. So powerful and so, so catchy.
You guys picked a great song. Actually, yrs ago I saw a video from a club. Jezebels / in Anaheim California 8/26/90. I’ve played it like 4-5 x over the years. On you tube/. They claim RAY was lit up lol. But I find it pretty great. Shame three yrs later RIP. RAY and CRISS
@@kforcer Ray sings on the chorus
WOW! I'm a huge 'Tage fan and did not know that! Love Gillen on Born Again
Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Jag Panzer, Leaves Eyes
Destiny is by far my favorite Stratovarius album. #2 would be Infinite. Visions is also essential. I never really got into Fourth Dimension or Episode.
The other way around, Rich. Under Jolly Roger (87) was their 3rd album, Port Royal their 4th, released in 88 🙂
My Essentials ( European style):
Stratovarius
Rhapsody & luca turilli solo albums
Angra
Edguy
Blind guardian
Angra not European but I'm getting ya. I feel like even the Japanese scene is built upon Euro Power metal (like Galneryus). Anyway... let's not forget to mention Helloween.
@@siddharthdeshmukh8118 I was refering Angra ( brasil) as an European "Style".
Helloween, gamma ray and many others are on the list of course.
@@gorkaanduezamanrique2449 Fair enough.
Was just listening to Helloween this morning
Was just listening to Manowar.
I keep watching this episode over and over again. This is so perfect. All of my favourite albums are on this. Maybe you start listening to some Avantasia as well. The albums are really great, especially the first 2 Metal Operas ... I love Gamma Ray & Avantasia. Pete hope to see you ranking these two bands' albums someday 😊🤘🏽 love your videos always .. cheers from India ❤️
One band that I think Pete would really like is Germany's Heavens Gate. Their albums Living in Hysteria, Hell for Sale, Planet E and Menergy are all great, mixing power metal with traditional heavy metal and some prog. They were all excellent musicians, Sascha Paeth, their guitar player became a very well know producer, and Tomas Rettke, their singer, sang backing vocals to almost every german band. Both of them are part of Avantasia also.
Have you heard Sasha paeth's Aina? Amazing
Thank you for putting Running Wild on the list. 'Port Royal' and 'Death or Glory' are my favourite albums of the band. I can also recommend 'Blazon Stone' and the 'Wild Animal' EP.
Blazon Stone could be a killer album if it had better drumming..
@@Rolf2112 I agree with you.
Iain Finlay was the best drummer they ever had with great groove and technique. Anything else after him sounds so mechanical and rigid, drum machine-like even when a real drummer is credited to play.
@@hellojimmypage my favourite is Stefan from Pile of Skulls. Jorg Michael gave some thrash vibe, excellent drummer but not what I prefer for RW
Beast in Black is awesome power metal.
First album is a bit heavier for them, second album From Hell with Love throws in more synth. Fun stuff.
Great program on my favorite style of metal. Blind Guardian, Stratovarius, Symphony X, Iced Earth: love them all and more. Well done!
American power metal vocals not being high:
Early manowar: Am I a joke to you?
Or Virgin Steele!
@@kforcer Virgin Steele is great! Everything they did from 1994 - 2002 is almost untouchable. Don't know what the hell happened after that though LOL
@@joeypatrick9647 Hey, nothing lasts forever! But at their best, they were something to behold.
Another truly amazing show! Thanks so much.
Hi Pete
Rich had a point about Virgin Steele.They are actually streets ahead of some of the other bands mentioned. Give them a listen and re-discover a genius band who are also quite symphonic as well. First 2 or 3 albums maybe not totally power/symphonic but pretty good though.Most are sheer genius.
Chris D
So great to see Kamelot on this list. Such an amazing band, especially all the albums with Roy Khan on vocals.
Uriah heep and magnum, the founding fathers artwork, music, lyrics wise
My top 10
Stratovarius Visions/Episode/Destiny
Labyrinth Return to Heaven Denied
Kamelot The Fourth Legacy/Karma
Nocturnal Rites The sacred Talisman
Blind Guardian Imaginations from the other side
Sonata Arctica Silence
Edguy Theater of Salvation/Hellfire club/rocket ride
HammerFall Legacy of Kings/glory to the brave
Symphony X The Divine wings of Tragedy/ V
Gamma Ray Powerplant/somewhere out in space
Primal Fear Black Sun/Nuclear Fire
I missed out on alot of 🤟Metal bands🤟, I was busy with two small children. But Dio, (may he RIP) with Ritchie Blackmore was what started it for me too at 15 yes. old. So I can spend some days 🎧 checking out all that metal👍
🤟✌️
Saw the Helloween United tour at Brixton Academy in London 2017. Totally awesome
I think the influence of Rage can't be understated.
Also they first made very accurate album with orchestra that looks organic.
Black in Mind is my #2, right after Blind Guardian's Imaginations album. Rage has done it all, and better than just about anybody.
Great video. Love it when you spend that much time on a video.
Okay, so MY top 10 favorites would be:
1. Avantasia - "The Metal Opera (part 1)" - (Not a whole lot of interesting guitar work, but instead there's a whole bunch of catchy songs and huge choirs)
2. Lucca Turilli - "King of the Nordic Twilight" - (More focus on catchy songs and melodies than speed and advanced music, which I find is the case with Rhapsody)
3. Edguy - "Theater of Salvation" - (Pete said enough. So many good songs on this album)
4. Sonata Arctica - "Silence" - (To me this is Sonata Arcticas' masterpiece. It has it all. Catchy songs, advanced music, one helluva kick ass opener and an epic closer)
5. Aquaria - "Luxaeterna" - (My favorite Angra album. :D)
6. Hammerfall - "Legacy of Kings" - (The album that inspired so many power metal bands. HAS to be on the list.)
7. Gamma Ray - "Somewhere Out in Space" - (Yea, Land of the Free might be the best album overall, but this one has "Valley of the Kings". Probably my favorite power metal song of all time)
8. Blind Guardian - "Somewhere Far Beyond" (In my opinion the BG album with most memorable songs. The Quest for Tanelorn and Somewhere Far Beyond being my favorites)
9. Heavenly - "Carpe Diem" (Power Metal with more than a hint of Queen. Works very well for me.)
10. Helloween - "Masters of the Rings" (Like the case is with Blind Guardian, for me, this is the album with the most catchy songs overall. Love Where the Rain Grows and The Game is On.
Honorable (lesser known?) mentions: Nocturnal Rites - "The Sacred Talisman" (kick ass first track), Crystal Eyes - "Dead City Dreaming", Zonata - "Reality", At Vance - "No Escape" and "Only Human" (There's something Abba about those first albums of theirs), Bloodbound - "Nosferatu", Masterplan - "Masterplan", Timeless Miracle - "Into the enchanted Chamber", Reinxeed - "The Light", Lost Horizon - "Awakening the World", Sinergy - "The Bitch is Back" and last but not least, Full Strike - "We Will Rise" (A very, very strong Hammerfall album)
Love all your honorable mentions. Great memories with At Vance ( Oliver Hartmann has an incredible voice), lost horizon, Nocturnal rites, Bloodbound...
@@gorkaanduezamanrique2449 Oliver Hartmann. Absolutely.
My Top 10 Power Metal albuns are (only 1 per band):
1. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys I and II
2. Gamma Ray - Somewhere Out in Space
3. Blind Guardian - Somewqhere Far Beyond
4. Grave Digger - Tunes of War
5. Angra - Rebirth
6. Running Wild - Port Royal
7. HammerFall - Glory to the Brave
8. Stratovarius - Episode
9. Primal Fear - Jaws of Death
10. Iron Savior - Iron Savior
@Rich at the Metal Asylum I so agree with you about Gamma Ray's Land Of The Free album being a MASTERPIECE!!! I also for many years have been saying that Land Of The Free could have easily been Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 3. It is that amazing of an album. It is easily in my top five favorite Power Metal albums of all time. Also since you are a huge Angra fan, there is a chance you like the other bands Andre Matos sang in like Viper and Shaman. Just in case you haven't listened to these bands , you really need to check them out. In my opinion Vipers first two albums Soldiers Of Sunrise and Theatre Of Fate are phenomenal and Shaman's first album Ritual is also a MASTERPIECE in my opinion.
Top 10 American Power Metal:
1- Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes
2- Savatage - Gutter Ballet
3- Virgin Steele - Invictus
4- Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
5- Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy
6- Riot - Thundersteel
7- Manowar - The Triumph Of Steel
8- Helstar - Nosferatu
9- Omen - Warning Of Danger
10- Kamelot - Epica
Nice List!
@@stamatisgiallolover9713 Thanks 🤘🤘
Thundersteel is fucking awesome! But I thought it was considered speed metal? Virgin Steele are a good band but I just can't get into the singer's voice but musically and lyrically they're really good. Jag Panzer are amazing and deserve more attention. Symphony X are excellent but I lost interest after the V album which is fantastic.
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 ThunderSteel kick ass! It is generally regarded as Power Metal as its more melodic than Speed Metal( Agent Steel, Annihilator etc) It certainly has Speed Metal and Traditional Metal elements tho. 'Bloodstreets' is one of the greatest metal songs of all time! 🤘
Symphony of Enchanted Lands by Rhapsody from 1998 is an essential power metal album for me! And also any Therion album from Theli from 1996 to currently Leviathan III from 2023 too.
80's (alphabetical):
Cloven Hoof - A Sultan's Ransom
Crimson Glory - Transcendence
Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian
Heavens Gate - In Control
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part I
Helstar - Nosferatu
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
Manowar - Hail to England
Omen - Battle Cry
Riot - Thundersteel
Running Wild - Death or Glory
Savage Grace - Master of Disguise
Stormwitch - Stronger than Heaven
Vicious Rumors - Digital Dictator
Yngwie Malmsteen - Marching Out
90's:
Angra - Angels Cry
Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond
Edguy - Theater of Salvation
Gamma Ray - Land of the Free
Grave Digger - Knights of the Cross
HammerFall - Glory to the Brave
Iced Earth - Night of the Stormrider
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Kamelot - The Fourth Legacy
Labÿrinth - Return to Heaven Denied
Manowar - The Triumph of Steel
Metalium - Millennium Metal (Chapter One)
Rage - Black in Mind
Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands
Running Wild - Black Hand Inn
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica
Stratovarius - Visions
Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Part Two
00's:
Angra - Temple of Shadows
Avantasia - The Metal Opera
Beyond Twilight - Section X
Domine - Stormbringer Ruler: The Legend of the Power Supreme
Ensiferum - Iron
Falconer - Falconer
Heavenly - Dust to Dust
Human Fortress - Defenders of the Crown
Kiuas - Reformation
Lost Horizon - Awakening the World
Luca Turilli - Prophet of the Last Eclipse
Onward - Reawaken
Pagan's Mind - Celestial Entrance
Pharaoh - The Longest Night
Rage - Soundchaser
Rhapsody - Power of the Dragonflame
Sacred Steel - Bloodlust
Symphony X - V: The New Mythology Suite
Turisas - The Varangian Way
Virgin Steele - The House of Atreus, Act II
Wolf - The Black Flame
Wuthering Heights - Far from the Madding Crowd
Wow, excellent choices!
Nice seeing Running Wild being picked! Love them! They never toured outside of Europe i think, thats why they are not so well known.
They did tour in America at least a little, a good friend of mine told me he saw them open for Blind Guardian in the US.
Setlist shows they did a small US tour in 1986.
@@independenceltd. you are right
@@kforcer yep but just one time apparently
Purely based on what I like and listen to more, my top 10 power metal albums:
1. Last in Line - Dio
2. Into the Galactic Terrorvotex - Gloryhammer
3. Firepower - Judas Priest
4. Symphony of Enchanted Lands II - Rhapsody
5. Crimson Thunder - Hammerfall
6. Powerslave - Iron Maiden
7. Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken - Hammerfall
8. Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards - Gloryhammer
9. Hall of the Mountain King - Savatage
10. Trilogy - YJM
Saxon - Crusader was the first metal song i ever heard. . The Intro , then the killer riffs and raw vocals blew me away. I happened to catch a local radio show one Saturday night, The Rock Shop, 9 - midnight every sat night.. He played all types of Metal. I was always ready with my cassette recorder. He'd end the show with a featured new album ever week at midnight. That show turned me on to so many bands, Queensryche, Crimson Glory, Accept, Helloween.. i could go on and on. I still have about 30 - 40 mix tapes from back then. Man , i miss those days. I been hooked on Metal / Power Metal for 35 years now. Great show guys , gonna dig out some old albums tonight.
For me Power Metal essentials are: Helloween, Gamma Ray, Iron Savior, Primal Fear, Blind Guardian, Running Wild, Grave Digger, Angra, Hammer Fall, Stratovarius, Rhapsody, Edguy, Savatage.
Killer, killer episode. Fun fact: Priest's Firepower is their consistently most power metal album in their catalog.
Some overlooked gems: Jag Panzer and Onward (esp. the monstrous Reawaken album) on the American side, and Greek power metal gods Firewind from Europe.
Living in Germany and listening to Metal for approx. 35 years I love hearing you talk about European Metal. One interesting thing I want to point out is that the terminology changed. In the 80s bands like Gamma Ray and Helloween were called Speed Metal, then in the 90s it changed to "Melodic Speed" while bands like Morgana LeFay and Iced Earth were called Power Metal. Bands like Manowar and Iron Maiden were just called Heavy Metal. 😉
Great to hear so much sense talked
I think you could continue with this as a series. Power Metal is not what I thought it would be. Paused the vid many times to go and listen to all of these albums.
Early American side: Leatherwolf’s self titled album, Crimson Glory’s Transcendence. European side (more recent ): Ordan Ogan’s Ravenhead and Gunman albums.
Can we talk about how great, knowledgeable and cool Rich is ? Can we talk about that ? Thoughts ?
Thanks, appreciate the compliment
He seems like a great guy, but needs to remember to give Pete some space to talk.😄
@@cameronsmith8328 lol
@Rich at the Metal Asylum, what are you're top 10 desert island albums?
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 omg, where to begin. Lol. I'd say a few are Maiden- Powerslave, Overkill-Taking Over, Savatage- Mountain King, Helloween-Keeper 1&2 (like I said they are considered one album), Whitesnake-Slide It In, King Diamond-Abigail, Kiss - Rock n Roll Over, Wasp - Crimson Idol, Queensryche- Mindcrime, Priest - Defenders, Dio - Last In Line.
Maiden and Testament/ Dickinson and Stanley for Iced Earth - very good analogies!
Before I start this video, some key albums for me....
Angra - Angel’s Cry
Avantasia - The Metal Opera pt. 1&2
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys pt. 1&2
Hammerfall - Legacy of Kings
EdGuy - Theater of Salvation
EdGuy - Mandrake
Gamma Ray - Land of the Free
Kamelot - Epica
Heavenly - Virus
Rhapsody - Dawn of Victory
Labyrinth - Return to Heaven Denied
Luca Turilli - King of Nordic Twilight
Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond
Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side
Stratovarius - Destiny
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica
Dark Moor - The Hall of the Olden Glory
Dark Moor - The Gates of Oblivion
Power Quest - Neverworld
Power Quest - Magic Never Dies
Freedom Call - Eternity
Nocturnal Rites - The Grand Illusion
Dragonforce - Valley of the Damned (their first and best imo)
Dream Evil - Dragonslayer
Orden Ogan - To the End
And probably tons more from the above bands.
Pete, if you love Walls of Jericho and Kai's vocals, you gotta dive into Gamma Ray. Their debut, Heading for Tomorrow, is an absolute classic. Great show.
(EDIT: HFT has Scheepers on vocals, my favorite with Kai on vocals is Powerplant.)
He has 'Walls Of Jericho' at #1, it is crazy he hasn't plunged into their catalog. That album is what did it for me. Gorgar!
@@bema_seat They did an entire "ranking the album" video for Helloween.
Thanks for the info. I love Kai's vocals but didn't care for Scheepers. I didn't even know Kai eventually took over on vox.
@@independenceltd. Yeah, Kai took over in 1995 and I think they did 7 or so albums with him up front. He's got someone else handling lead vocals for the past several years but I don't believe they've recorded anything with him yet.
Pete, definitely give Gamma Ray albums a listen. In my opinion Kai Hansen that did the first three Helloween albums was a huge major reason why those three albums are so amazing. Kai Hansen continued writing amazing songs and albums when he formed Gamma Ray. I agree with Rich that you should listen to Land Of The Free first the 1995 album. I also agree with Rich when he said that Land Of The Free album could have easily been Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 3 . It really is that amazing of an album. I also love the three albums they did with Ralph Scheepers, especially Insanity And Genius. Other great albums that Gamma Ray have are Somewhere Out In Space, Powerplant, No World Order, Heading For Tomorrow, and Sign No More. I also agree with that Savatage"s Hall Of The Mountain King album is a MASTERPIECE!!! I still listen to this album very often and still enjoy it just as much as I did when I first listened to it back in 1988 at ten years old. It is one of the greatest albums of all time easily.
Joseph Michael from Witherfall to answer Rich's question about the Sanctuary vocalist.
Yeesss. Thank you. Great singer
There are a lot of similarities Between Witherfall and Nevermore so he seems like the perfect fit for Sanctuary.
@@MetalAsylumNJ I so agree with you about Gamma Ray's Land Of The Free album being a MASTERPIECE!!! I also for many years have been saying that Land Of The Free could have easily been Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 3. It is that amazing of an album. It is easily in my top five favorite Power Metal albums of all time.
@@MetalAsylumNJ I so agree with you about Gamma Ray's Land Of The Free album being a MASTERPIECE!!! I also for many years have been saying that Land Of The Free could have easily been Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 3. It is that amazing of an album. It is easily in my top five favorite Power Metal albums of all time.
I was at that Iced Earth/Sanctuary/Kill Ritual show at the Gramercy in NYC. Incredible night. \m/ \m/ Jon actually walked right by everyone on line before the show (I think he was taking his daughter to get food) but he had to do a meet and greet, so he only got to say "hi" to the fans. Wasn't able to stick around and chat. Also saw Brent Smedley and Jake Dreyer outside taking pictures of the neighborhood.
In no particular order my personal 10
- Primal Fear - Jaws of Death
- Edguy - Hellfire Club
- Unleash the Archers - Apex
- Sabaton - The Art of War
- Helloween - Walls of Jericho
- Stratovarius - Visions
- Gamma Ray - Insanity & Genius
- Iced Earth - The Dark Saga
- Iron Savior - Rise of the Hero
- Gloryhammer - Space 1992 Rise of the Chaos Wizards
Brave New World by Iron Maiden. For the most part, this album works the best when the songs don’t break the 8 minute mark. Shorter, compact fast numbers like “The Wicker Man” and “The Fallen Angel” prove to stick in the memory the easiest, and finally bring back the hit making machine that is Adrian Smith to the fold. His solo offering on “The Wicker Man” is the best lead put to a Maiden song since 1988, relying equally on flash and a developed storytelling approach to soloing. “The Mercenary” has a solid main riff, but lags a tiny bit on the chorus, which is far too repetitive.
Saw Rhapsody Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica in 2000 awesome show
Running Wild awesome.
Shame they don't tour only do festivals
Old Skool!
Loved this episode! Thanks Pete and Rich!
Pete, since you often do online interviews with various artists, I hope you get to interview Hansi Kürsch. That would be amazing.
Great rant! Power Metal is my favourite subgenre of metal.
I love Gammaray , in particular, Powerplant and Empire Of The Undead
Somewhere Out In Space, Power Plant, No World Order. I like the first 3 with Ralf on vocals, but this is the sweet spot for me.
Port royal is the fourth, UJR is the third. They should have been the greatest german band but that didnt last.. Rich, I suppose you know their 90s era. Death or Glory and Pile of Skulls are my best. From the US, Nosferatu, Remnants of War and Digital Dictator is my top 3, among many many others. Maybe the best metal came out in the 90s after all...
I don't know that story, I'd like to know it.
After the Rivalry it was more like a solo project. Average albums for the most part. For us growing up with RW it was a dissapointment. Rapid Foray was a great return to form though. The Majk Moti, Jens Becker era was the best imho.
Those 3 US albums you mentioned are some of my all time favorites of the style. Throw in No Exit, The Spectre Within, Ample Destruction, Thundersteel, Cannons of Destruction, and Sign of the Hammer as well.
@@relinquishh Love all these. Saw Warlord and Riot live few years ago finally
Damn, I realized Port Royal came the year after, after we finished taping. Thanks.
Helloween - Keeper2, Time of the Oath and Better than Raw
Gamma Ray - Land of the Free, Somewhere out in Space and Powerplant
Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the other side and Nightfall in Middle Earth
Angra - Holy Land and Temple of Shadows
You should definitely give Beast in Black a listen. It's very pop'ish metal and my favorite band of the last 3 years. And that dude can siiiiing. Amongst a whole lot I recommend "Ghost in the Rain". That song has a world class scream at the end.
Glad I lived through this period in metal, from the first 4 Prog Power festivals to my shopping at Impulse Music in Roselle, Illinois. Probably bought most of Pete and Rich's picks there. Was also able to see a Statovarious/Rhapsody/Sonata Arctica show in Sweden back then.
Great Discussion, thoroughly enjoyed!!