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~Guest 318854
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:38 pm 
 

It's not a secret for anyone to say that one thing is better than another, many times is totally subjective and a big waste of time that leads to meaningless discussions or debates. For that reason, I decided to create a thread where it would be interesting to read which of these 2 metal do you like the most and clearly explaining why.

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Kalaratri
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:10 pm 
 

That sort of categorization is kind of meaningless. What do you actually mean when you talk about American metal or European metal? The US is such a huge country with so many scenes and sub-scenes that you can't lump everything into one basket, and the same goes for Europe. For instance, American death metal can be subdivided into several different scenes like the Floridian scene, New York scene, Californian scene, etc. each of which have their own distinct sounds. The same goes for Europe, there's a big difference between Finnish death metal, Swedish death metal, Dutch death metal, and UK death metal, and between Norwegian black metal, Hellenic black metal, Polish black metal, and so on. The US vs Europe dichotomy is too broad and limiting to have any real use in a meaningful discussion IMO.

The only metal subgenre where it has some relevance is power metal, and in that case, I tend to lean more towards USPM due to its more aggressive, thrash influenced sound.

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EldritchSun
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:35 pm 
 

This might go in a decent direction, but the OP is dumb as hell. Comparing the entire artistic output and development from 2 continents is dumb.

Now, if we take it per style, we might get somewhere. Maybe. In trad heavy metal it's no contest at least. Traditional doom is probably the same.

Also, when you say "American", you mean metal from the US? because the South American scene is huge and it also sounds nothing like US or Europe.

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Commisaur
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:50 pm 
 

Kalaratri wrote:
That sort of categorization is kind of meaningless. What do you actually mean when you talk about American metal or European metal? The US is such a huge country with so many scenes and sub-scenes that you can't lump everything into one basket, and the same goes for Europe. For instance, American death metal can be subdivided into several different scenes like the Floridian scene, New York scene, Californian scene, etc. each of which have their own distinct sounds. The same goes for Europe, there's a big difference between Finnish death metal, Swedish death metal, Dutch death metal, and UK death metal, and between Norwegian black metal, Hellenic black metal, Polish black metal, and so on. The US vs Europe dichotomy is too broad and limiting to have any real use in a meaningful discussion IMO.

The only metal subgenre where it has some relevance is power metal, and in that case, I tend to lean more towards USPM due to its more aggressive, thrash influenced sound.


I would have to disagree. Based on the eras/subgenres/bands I have explored, I must say that most of the ones I have grown to prefer are European metal bands. I’ve thought a lot about this and i feel like the reason why most of my favorites are from Europe is not some random coincidence but because I think there is a definite difference between the two regions. I just feel like European metal just has this darker gloomier edge to it that American metal bands rarely match. I feel like American metal is generally better at the aggression/heavy factor in their music along with tighter performances.

For example one of my favorite eras is the Melodic Blackened Death Metal movement in Sweden that started with bands like Dissection and gave birth eventually to Vinterland, Lord Belial, Manegarm, Dark Fortress and Sacramentum. Yes, the US has bands that play in this style now of course, but they never come close to the material that the aforementioned bands recorded in the mid to late 90s.

I also prefer European black metal over American black metal. I like countless blackened metal and black metal bands from Europe but I simply cannot name a single American black metal band I like. I also think Europe does pagan, mythological and historical lyrical themes better than the American bands

Regarding thrash metal from 80s, I much prefer the European scene and in particular the scene in Germany. Sodoms Persecution Mania and Kreators first two albums possess a dark blackened atmosphere that none of the other American bands had in the 80s. There may be an obscure act out there somewhere in America from the 80s I have yet to hear, but I know 100% for sure the Big Four has no material like the blackened atmosphere of Persecution Mania, Pleasure to Kill and Endless Pain

However, I do much prefer the OSDM bands from America. They are more original sounding, more aggressive and tighter sounding too. I like pretty much every single American OSDM band from the late 80s and early 90s. I used to like Entombed and their style but as I discovered more and more American OSDM I eventually lost interest in them and the Swedish B tuned buzzsaw sound they helped popularize. I likewise lost interest in Napalm Death and Carcass at around the same time too, but my interest in Bolt Thrower has not waned one bit, perhaps the sole exception of a European OSDM matching the American greats in my mind. I never liked any of the Finnish Death metal bands or the scene in the Netherlands either


Last edited by Commisaur on Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Inkshooter
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 3:58 pm 
 

I could probably tally up all the bands I like from each continent and I imagine Europe would win, but that wouldn't have anything to do with any innate characteristic of either location since there are dozens and dozens of influential, regional scenes from each place. Every kind of metal you can imagine is made in the US, and the same is true of Europe.
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MetlaNZ
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:06 pm 
 

Nothing wrong with a bit of meaningless fun.

For me it's also about what region dominated what decade? The 70's and early '80's was owned by the UK for obvious reasons with bands like Led Zep, Sabbath, Priest, Purple, Heep, Lizzy, Motorhead and the NWOBHM with the bands it spawned like Maiden, Def Lep and Saxon. But from about '83 through to the mid '90's it was the good 'ol US of A that dominated most scenes with bands like Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, WASP, Motley Crue, Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Omen, Trouble, Pentagram, Solitude Aeturnus, Death, Morbid Angel, Autopsy, Pantera, Machine Head etc etc.

But Europe did become dominant from the mid '90's thanks to the Black Metal and Power Metal scenes really taking off. My collection is deeply rooted in that '80's/'90's era so I can't really comment too much after that as the metal scene as a whole gets a bit blurry with the sheer amount of bands and sub-genre's from all over the world.

If push came to shove I'd have to say the US because of all those great bands from the '80's.

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Durag
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:55 pm 
 

MetlaNZ wrote:
Nothing wrong with a bit of meaningless fun.

For me it's also about what region dominated what decade? The 70's and early '80's was owned by the UK for obvious reasons with bands like Led Zep, Sabbath, Priest, Purple, Heep, Lizzy, Motorhead and the NWOBHM with the bands it spawned like Maiden, Def Lep and Saxon. But from about '83 through to the mid '90's it was the good 'ol US of A that dominated most scenes with bands like Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, WASP, Motley Crue, Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Omen, Trouble, Pentagram, Solitude Aeturnus, Death, Morbid Angel, Autopsy, Pantera, Machine Head etc etc.

But Europe did become dominant from the mid '90's thanks to the Black Metal and Power Metal scenes really taking off. My collection is deeply rooted in that '80's/'90's era so I can't really comment too much after that as the metal scene as a whole gets a bit blurry with the sheer amount of bands and sub-genre's from all over the world.

If push came to shove I'd have to say the US because of all those great bands from the '80's.


Dont mean to be 'that guy' but Thin Lizzy aren't from the UK, they're from the Republic of Ireland.

In answer to the thread I'd go with Europe, between the 70's stuff, Maiden, through to the black metal scenes, Swedish death metal, etc it just edges out for me. But the US with its thrash, OSDM isn't too far behind. I definitely prefer my black, pagan and folk metal from Europe as well, it comes off more genuine and authentic to my ears.

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tomcat_ha
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 5:19 pm 
 

In general if I compare scenes in general there's a scene somewhere in Europe i prefer over a comparable US one like Finnish dm or German thrash. However USPM is the best thing to have happened in power metal by a huge margin.

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MetlaNZ
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 5:38 pm 
 

Durag wrote:
Dont mean to be 'that guy' but Thin Lizzy aren't from the UK, they're from the Republic of Ireland.

Noted and my bad mate.

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Durag
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 5:51 pm 
 

MetlaNZ wrote:
Durag wrote:
Dont mean to be 'that guy' but Thin Lizzy aren't from the UK, they're from the Republic of Ireland.

Noted and my bad mate.


No problem at all man, it's a common mistake. We have so few hard rock / metal exports from Ireland that we are very proud of the wee few we do have, and that mixed with our pride of gaining independence means that an Irish person is always going to correct someone on the UK thing, whether they wanted it or not lol.

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MetlaNZ
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:05 pm 
 

Durag wrote:
MetlaNZ wrote:
Durag wrote:
Dont mean to be 'that guy' but Thin Lizzy aren't from the UK, they're from the Republic of Ireland.

Noted and my bad mate.


No problem at all man, it's a common mistake. We have so few hard rock / metal exports from Ireland that we are very proud of the wee few we do have, and that mixed with our pride of gaining independence means that an Irish person is always going to correct someone on the UK thing, whether they wanted it or not lol.

All good. We get that a lot down here too with NZ getting lumped in with Aussie so totally understand.

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Niklas Sanger
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:16 pm 
 

I'd say as an American I tend to prefer European metal because theres more bands with cinematic/orchestral elements which I happen to like, and for some reason you don't see that done as much in the US. However that does not mean ALL European bands are like that, both continents are really broad.

I'd also say Europe has a geographical advantage of having a lot more dense cities closer to eachother with better public transportation, its way easier to hop on a train and play in a different country than it is to tour the US, where most of the population is on the coasts but theres much huger swaths of land to cross. I'd say that leads to US scenes being a bit more isolated from eachother but even then with the internet its not that big of a deal.
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LithoJazzoSphere
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:17 pm 
 

As others have noted, it does vary somewhat depending on the subgenre and region, but generally I prefer the European approach. On my list of favorite 100 metal bands or so there are almost as many Swedish ones as US ones, which is bonkers given that it's less than 1/30th of the population. Add in ones from Finland, the Netherlands, England and elsewhere and it's not particularly close. There's a stronger sense of atmosphere, melancholy, and melodicism that I find there. But the US does have strong scenes for progressive metal, thrash, OSDM, and USPM among others, not even including alternative metal and such. Broadening it to North America and the Canadian bands would make things slightly closer, though not nearly enough.

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MRmehman
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 10:39 pm 
 

I love a massive number of metal bands from the US (I adore Bellwitch, Elder, Pentagram, Type O Negative and Melvins particularly) but Europe just has so many classic acts from all over. Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Thin Lizzy, Bulldozer, Trust, The Gathering, Darkthrone, Celtic Frost, Abigor, Accept, Mercyful Fate, Master's Hammer, Mlga, Reverend Bizarre really can't be beaten in my book. Then there's other little pet bands I love from Europe like: Mystic Forest, Mael Mordha, Iron Monkey, Dom Dracul, Through the Pain Havukruunu, Electric Church and many many others.

I have to say though if this was between European metal vs Japanese metal, Japanese metal would have won. I could probably listen to GISM, Church of Misery, Boris and Shikabane for the rest of my life. If we broaden that to South-East Asia more generally, I'd include amazing stuff like Tengger Cavalry, Inferno Requiem, Wormrot, Dismal. Wonderful stuff, so many bands we don't always seem to have cross over to us quite so frequently.
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hells_unicorn
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 11:10 pm 
 

I have split loyalties depending on the sub-genre, but overall I honestly couldn't tell you which continent's output I prefer, it's split pretty much evenly if we're talking cumulative output of metal across the spectrum. But if we're going by sub-genre, I could give a more definitive stance, such as:

power metal - slightly lean towards the European sound, but it's very close
old school heavy metal - although I'm a huge fan of much of the NWOBHM, I've got to go with my home team on this one just on Dio alone
thrash metal - America, for me the New York and Bay Area scenes rule the roost with the German scene being a close 3rd
doom metal - discounting Black Sabbath, America has this one too, even though I think Sweden has a formidable showing here
folk metal - Europe, hands down
black metal - Again, Europe hands down
death metal - on this one I slightly lean towards America, but again, Sweden alone makes it competitive
death/doom/gothic - Europe easily, England and Scandinavia practically have this one locked up on general principle
progressive metal - America, Scandinavia and Germany do have some a lot of good bands though
grindcore - I'm admittedly an occasional consumer of this one, but most of my favorite stuff is European so I'll go with that here

Personally, I think it's more interesting to get more specific with sub-genres when discussing rivaling scenes.
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e_ddi_e
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:01 am 
 

hells_unicorn wrote:
old school heavy metal - although I'm a huge fan of much of the NWOBHM, I've got to go with my home team on this one just on Dio alone
doom metal - discounting Black Sabbath, America has this one too, even though I think Sweden has a formidable showing here


Honest question here, could you name three US bands from these genres that tops European counter parts. Just to get a feel to how your reasoning goes? I understand that this thread is just a matter of taste of course, but I’m still curious.

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Acrobat
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:08 am 
 

Durag wrote:
MetlaNZ wrote:
Durag wrote:
Dont mean to be 'that guy' but Thin Lizzy aren't from the UK, they're from the Republic of Ireland.

Noted and my bad mate.


No problem at all man, it's a common mistake. We have so few hard rock / metal exports from Ireland that we are very proud of the wee few we do have, and that mixed with our pride of gaining independence means that an Irish person is always going to correct someone on the UK thing, whether they wanted it or not lol.


They're also a band with a lot of members who aren't from the Republic. Eric Bell is from Belfast as was Gary Moore, Scott Gorham's Californian, Brian Robertson's from Glasgow, John Sykes was from somewhere in the South of England. Pretty international, but yeah, an Irish band.

I like this question, just because it makes me think about massive swathes of metal. I'll try decade by decade, at some point.
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Empyreal
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:14 am 
 

e_ddi_e wrote:
hells_unicorn wrote:
old school heavy metal - although I'm a huge fan of much of the NWOBHM, I've got to go with my home team on this one just on Dio alone
doom metal - discounting Black Sabbath, America has this one too, even though I think Sweden has a formidable showing here


Honest question here, could you name three US bands from these genres that tops European counter parts. Just to get a feel to how your reasoning goes? I understand that this thread is just a matter of taste of course, but I’m still curious.


USPM from the 80s and 2000s makes me want to say U.S. metal myself - Jag Panzer, Helstar, Liege Lord, Twisted Tower Dire, Slough Feg, etc. So much amazing stuff.

I'd probably go with the U.S. just for the number of awesome bands there, and the question is difficult because it covers such a broad swathe of styles and genres. The U.S. has some excellent metal of all stripes and Europe is so big and dynamic that it's almost impossible to really have a serious answer here.
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soverysorry
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:48 am 
 

Depends on the genre really doesn't it? Folk and black metal Europe's is way better zero question. Death metal I would say it's even, and thrash metal I'd say USA. Doom metal either, although stoner/sludge would probably be the USA again.

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BastardHead
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:56 am 
 

The US is huge and has a ton of different subscenes within it, as has been pointed out already, but asking to choose between one country and an entire continent is asinine.
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Eradicatedseraphim
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:22 am 
 

In terms of death metal there's really nothing in Europe that really compares to the Florida or NYDM scene. The Swedish bands just pale in comparison to the likes of Cannibal, Deicide, and Suffocation and the number of diverse roots of cavernous, technical, and brutal death metal. Thrash also clearly goes to the US with Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth being far more successful and influential than any European act (though Europe probably had more diverse sounding acts in the style Coroner, Kreator, Celtic Frost). Depending on how you define "power metal" either the terrible Europower stuff or the heavy metal influenced USPM stuff I'd say even there or maybe Europe because no band in the style from the US really compares to Iron Maiden. Black metal unquestionably goes to Europe though and probably Doom as well Trouble and Vitus really don't compare favorably to the band that made their existence possible (Sabbath), and Candlemass is probably better than either band as well.
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Lagartija
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:06 pm 
 

American thrash and death, otherwise European (usually).

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Turner
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 1:15 am 
 

For me personally, Europe seems to do "fantasy"-based stuff better, whereas the US does "from the streets" better. That's a huge over-generalisation, but as an armchair sociologist I put it down to (western/northern) Europe being a relatively well-off bunch of social democracies with long histories, and a connection (albeit distant) to major composers etc of the last few hundred years. Local/national traditions blah blah blah.

By comparison, the US is a colony without that same history to call on (unless you count cringey USBM bands doing "we r vikings too!!!" crap) so as soon as it found its footing away from its Sabbath/Priest/NWOBHM-influenced beginnings it became much more of an angry, working class affair. Add in the influence of hip hop in the late 80s/early 90s with its class struggle/poverty issues and I think that's why (to use qualitative terms I can't really argue well) US metal usually sounds "abrasive" where eurometal sounds more "warm". There's no way Machine Head would have appeared organically in Europe. I'd go one further and say the influence of hip-hop, particularly Ice Cube if I had to pick one individual, was huuuuuge on metal coming out of the US, even if bands weren't rapping.

I think both regions do certain things really well. I can't really imagine Blind Guardian or Gamma Ray appearing in the US in the early 90s (and that might be why bands like Savatage didn't really survive). By the same note, I can't imagine a cynical take like And Justice for All, or Malevolent Creation's first album coming from Germany or Sweden. I think both regions have offered some really fucking cool bands.

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hells_unicorn
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 1:28 am 
 

e_ddi_e wrote:
Honest question here, could you name three US bands from these genres that tops European counter parts. Just to get a feel to how your reasoning goes? I understand that this thread is just a matter of taste of course, but I’m still curious.


Off the top of my head, I'd say Dio, W.A.S.P. and Metal Church would be my three picks, though I'd also throw in other names like Twisted Sister, Dokken, Armored Saint, Riot and old Queensryche into the mix as well. I'm going to catch some flack for saying this, but I'd argue that most of these bands had more consistent discographies when compared to most of the prominent NWOBHM bands, even in the case of Saxon (I'd put Riot slightly ahead of them in terms of cumulative output). I've generally found the guitar players in most 80s bands (with the exception of Yngwie Malmsteen) to have an edge over their European counterparts, especially when considering the likes of George Lynch, Craig Goldie, Doug Aldrich and Mark Reale (R.I.P.)

There is a bit of ambiguity as I would argue that some of the bands I listed have some stylistic crossover into the USPM sound, and I actually tend to prefer the European variant that followed Helloween's template a bit more than outfits like Helstar and Omen, though it's more a slight edge. I wouldn't go so far as to say that America has a massive edge in the traditional style the way I think it does with thrash and death metal, but I think it has a slight one.
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funeralravens
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 12:46 pm 
 

This thread is not dumb or asinine, I have thought about the same thing myself.

I personally overwhelmingly prefer European metal. Actually, there aren't that many American bands that I like. It seems to me the Americans just aren't as good as Europeans when it comes to atmosphere and melody. They are better at aggression and urban-themed stuff, like thrash metal and death metal, but since I find those genres boring I don't really care a lot about American metal. American gothic metal, doom metal, black metal, folk metal and so on is simply inferior to the European scene.

Turner wrote:
For me personally, Europe seems to do "fantasy"-based stuff better, whereas the US does "from the streets" better.

Spot on, I have the same opinion too. Since I'm more into fantasy when it comes to music, the American stuff is not as good to me.

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~Guest 282118
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 12:53 pm 
 

Fierce toss up. So much bravado, so much diversity on both sides. Usually, if I look for melodic complexity, I go European, but if I want pure testosterone I go American. This is far from a perfect formula.

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Eradicatedseraphim
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 3:10 pm 
 

There's maybe Blind Guardian who I'd say edge out most 99% of USPM bands given the quality of their music, killer riffs, and quality album from Battalions to Night at the Opera. I think they're cheesy at points but they balance it out with great songs and heaviness, which is more than I can say for stuff like Helloween, Edguy, and the more flowery Europower stuff. I'd hate to use abstract terms but when I think of true heavy metal I can't really think of anything by Helloween topping Helstar, Agent Steel, Vicious Rumors etc in terms of soaring vocals, brutal riffs, and thrashing intensity. It's definitely a fool's errand to compare the two styles but just as a listener USPM's riffs, tempo, and soaring vocals have me return to the classics much more so than wanting to relisten to the German power metal stuff.
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Empyreal
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 3:21 pm 
 

Except for their really old stuff Helloween wasn't trying to be like those bands at all. Neither was Edguy... it's fine to have different tastes but eh I don't really compare these types of bands. Just different vibes and moods. I listen to both styles.

Plus there's plenty of euro PM that sounds nothing like the flowery stuff.
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hells_unicorn
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:14 pm 
 

Eradicatedseraphim wrote:
I'd hate to use abstract terms but when I think of true heavy metal I can't really think of anything by Helloween topping Helstar, Agent Steel, Vicious Rumors etc in terms of soaring vocals, brutal riffs, and thrashing intensity. It's definitely a fool's errand to compare the two styles but just as a listener USPM's riffs, tempo, and soaring vocals have me return to the classics much more so than wanting to relisten to the German power metal stuff.


Most people who prefer the European style aren't looking for brutal riffs or thrashing intensity, hence the divide. When you move past the speed metal part of the German scene (Blind Guardian, Grave Digger, earlier Running Wild, Primal Fear, Paragon), those traits aren't on the style's radar at all, it's more a matter of the soaring vocals and the triumphant melodic factor combined with a faster tempo. Furthermore, while I'm not one to speak ill of the likes of James Rivera or John Cyriis (I'm one of the few who defends the latter's most recent output), I'd argue that Michael Kiske has an edge over both of them in terms of "soaring vocals". Rivera and Cyriis have more punch to their voice and use high pitched shrieks a bit more often, but the tone and resonance that Kiske still accomplishes live even today is unparalleled.
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Cabecao
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 12:28 am 
 

Based on my collection of music, bands from the US wins out by a bee's dick so I don't really have a preference. On a side note I realised I have a ton of bands from Canada.

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LithoJazzoSphere
Veteran

Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:11 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 12:55 am 
 

I think when it comes to power metal I like a hybrid approach. European bands that are darker and heavier than the normal giant Euro ones, but a bit more polished and lush than their American counterparts. Artists like Nocturnal Rites, Manticora, Scariot, Persuader, Cydonia, etc.

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in_the_sign_of_metal
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:10 pm
Posts: 178
Location: Where the Sunrise Breaks the Darkness
PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 1:05 am 
 

God, such a tough question. For each subgenre, the answer changes for me, with thrash and death being American specialties and folk, black, and power metal being much stronger in Europe. For the sake of this thread though, I'm going to say European metal wins in my book.
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Truman Burbank
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2020 6:06 pm
Posts: 15
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 1:12 am 
 

and the Canadian scene we place it where? there are so many bands from canada, especially from quebec and they have their own sound.

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thealtruist
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2019 5:41 pm
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 3:54 am 
 

Death metal: Europe without a doubt;
Black metal: Europe;
Doom metal: Europe;
Thrash metal: Kreator but... US;
Power metal: not a big fan of, there's Helloween and Finnish pm is decent but US;
Trad metal: don't enjoy much... tough one but Europe;
Post-metal: soon the Europeans will have it(or already do, at least the recent stuff) but looking at the big picture is US.

4x3 for European metal!

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35140
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 9:09 am 
 

LithoJazzoSphere wrote:
I think when it comes to power metal I like a hybrid approach. European bands that are darker and heavier than the normal giant Euro ones, but a bit more polished and lush than their American counterparts. Artists like Nocturnal Rites, Manticora, Scariot, Persuader, Cydonia, etc.


Those are really the best types of them, and a lot of anti-PM people seem to really miss them in favor of the lighter, flowerier ones. Tad Morose, Morgana Lefay, Angel Dust, Dark at Dawn - all bands that make me think Europe is killing it.
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On_Stranger_Tides
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 6:14 pm
Posts: 170
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 9:32 pm 
 

Though it's too general a question to really answer given the vast regional differences within each continent, I'll take a shot. Years ago I would have claimed Europe without hesitation, but as years have passed it's pretty much evened out. When you break it down by subgenres of heavy metal, it gets a little more divergent. I tend to prefer extreme metal from Europe, but North America wins out for power metal. Traditional metal and doom metal are a coin flip.

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GTog
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 8:35 pm
Posts: 1196
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:04 pm 
 

For many years, I have been keeping track of what bands I like and where they are from. I started precisely to see if my tastes fall into some kind of geographical pattern.

In terms of sheer numbers, I like European/Eastern European metal bands far more than North American. Almost twice as far in my Yes column. But that's just because I've heard more European bands. In terms of percentage, it turns out I liked only about 15% of Europeans band that I've heard compared to 20% North American. So NA wins.

I have no idea why though. I once tried to think of some scheme for quantifying what about the band appealed to me, at least at the time, but gave up.
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hells_unicorn
Veteran

Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:32 pm
Posts: 3053
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 11:44 pm 
 

After reading GTog's post and fueled by curiosity since I wasn't keeping score, I did a little self-audit of my cumulative reviews for albums on this site on the empath page. Even though I feel torn between whether I prefer American vs. European metal as a whole, I have actually reviewed almost twice as many European albums as I have American albums (this is if I treat Canada, Mexico and South & Central America as separate from the U.S.) and most of the American albums were released prior to 1992. I guess I could chalk my slight preference towards America on the traditional, thrash and death metal fronts are a product of that being the metal I grew up with, while most of the newer stuff I've discovered since has been European.
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HeavenDuff
Metal freak

Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:35 pm
Posts: 5153
Location: Montréal
PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 2:12 am 
 

I'm not sure on what basis we could even begin to compare these two. Pitting one country against an entire continent also isn't quite fair to the US. Sure, Americans have a wide variety of subgenres and extremely solid, don't get me wrong, but Europe is the cradle of metal music and has more scenes. Maybe if we'd compare them on more specific scenes? Like the USBM versus the Scandinavian black metal scenes or the Floridian death metal scene versus the Swedish death metal scene. Otherwise, and I say this as someone who loves bands like Cannibal Corpse, Death, Symphony X or Agalloch, Europe just has way too many bands for the US to compete. That's not a fair match.

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~Guest 361478
Metalhead

Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 4:55 pm
Posts: 1930
PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 6:18 am 
 

It's pretty much a genre split for me, as others have done above -

Power / Black / Gothic - Euro, Scandi, Ukraine, Balkans, etc.
Trad heavy metal / Doom - UK
Hair metal / glam / 'arena rock' - USA USA USA

Every scene has it's progenitors I suppose, so I've gravitated more towards those home scenes; Dutch gothic metal & LA glam just work best for me.

If anyone is into their last.fm stats, the below is a great tool for exploring your history via an interactive world map -

https://mold.github.io/explr/

Here's how my heatmap looks -

Spoiler: show
Image

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