I'm glad Bloden Wedd's putting out something soon. I really enjoyed Eye of Horus and Raging Planet.

A relatively unknown and surprisingly good power metal band to check out is Aquaria from Brazil. I actually haven't heard their second album but Luxaeterna was very impressive and apparently they continue that quality with the second album that came out last year.

For a more heavy metal sound, and basically a Running Wild clone, Lonewolf's new album is surprisingly good for the most part. The production is much better than the last albums and there are quite a few awesome riffs.

I think I'll bypass Battleroar's latest then. I only liked one song off their last album, but most of their material was a tedious bore to go through (it made me want to listen to Manowar instead, actually).

I wouldn't get your hopes up for Assedium, unless their 2nd album is a quantum leap over the debut (which could happen, I've seen many great bands with weak debuts). The only reason I care about them is cuz they're in a specific style I enjoy a lot.

My main gripe with Pharaoh is the vocalist. I didn't like him in Control Denied and I don't like him in Pharaoh either - he just rubs me the wrong way for some reason.

"Voyager" I'll play more, for sure. Hell, most Manilla Road is an acquired taste for me. It took me forever to get into the pre-"Crystal Logic" stuff.

Aquaria are great and I love them but...they're the opposite of ballsy. Very "flowery", but catchy and solid nonetheless.

Could anyone give me a list of some classic 80's US power metal that isn't so obvious that is worth checking out? I'm just wondering what I've missed.

Their debut had potential. There were a few actual riffs there, but they couldn't seem to bring it altogether. Their 2nd album pissed any promise that band had down the drain.


Despite being a new album, have you checked out Steel Assassin's "War of the Eight Saints" yet?

Didn't realize we were looking purely for "ballsy" power metal. Well, the Lonewolf should make up for that, and Bloden Wedd should be considered ballsy. They have a definite Judas Priest sound.

I suppose another, more ballsy, band worth mentioning is Wizard from Germany. Head of the Deciever was on constant play for me when I first got it.

Any Gamma Ray fan should check out Bloden Wedd's "Eye of Horus" ASAP. Great album. Some songs on that album are lightning fast. Plus, any album with a song called "Power Metal Pride" has to be good!

Haha, we're not exactly looking for ballsy power metal, I was just saying...

Anyway, this is the first time I've heard of Bloden Wedd, so I must check them out immediately.

hmm you cant find them sry



btw if you really want some underground bands, try Aquaria and Divinefire. Aquaria is speed symph metal with minimalized power metal elements while Divine fire is death/power metal with power metal vocal that is not annoying(even Helloween has annoying vocal sometimes ffs

Divinefire's first album "Glory Thy Name" has some really good moments if you can stomach the lyrics. It's actually a unique combination of the symphonic elements and the extreme metal and the power metal.

Everyone who cares about lyrics in music id very retarded. Come on, learn how to enjoy in music ffs

Eidolon
Ion Britton
Graven Image
Oliver Magnum
Hammerhawk
Black Knight
Oblivion Knight

I'm assuming that you've heard Dreamland Manor, by Savage Circus? Persuader, Piet Sielck and Thomen Stauch. I loved it, a far superior album to Twist in the Myth, for example. Heavy, great vocals, amazing drumwork.

This thread is fantastic, some cool stuff I've not heard before

Destiny's End - Breathe Deep the Dark

James Rivera from Helstar on vocals. It's a newer album, but it's firmly in the 80s US power metal camp.

and it's fucking awesome.

Griffin - 'Flight of the Griffin'
I'd rate it around 95% or so. Good choruses, riffs, and vocals.

Liege Lord - 'Master Control'
It's not especially unknown, but if you haven't heard it, you should.

Apollo Ra - 'Ra Pariah'
As usual, good riffs, etc, etc.

Hope this one isn't too obvious, but Drive's Characters in Time is easily the best early Ryche-worship album I've ever heard.

Thanks for all the recc's...I already know and worship those Liege Lord and Griffin records. Fuckin breathtaking.

Lethal - Programmed is really good too, similar to Drive, early Queensryche, etc. Screamer - Target Earth is also awesome.

@Remnants: I'm kind of tired so I won't go into too much detail right now, just random picks out of my (organized) folder/reviews of good 80's USPM stuff (not all from the "US" but whatever)~
- Apollo Ra, seconded
- Attacker's first two albums. Second has a different (better) vocalist, sounds like 'Master Control' a bit.
- Chastain ... early stuff maybe.
- Commandment 'Engraved in the Stone'. Interesting stuff.
- Cruella 'Vengeance is Mine'. Eh, more trad/speed. Sounds like Riot's 'Thundersteel'. Good stuff either way.
- Cyperus demos are an absolute must. Their full length is like an entirely different band, blows chunks compared to the demo's.
- Damien Thorne 'The Sign Of The Jackal'. If only the production was actually there ...
- Dark Age, with the s/t EP (one I reviewed). Fuck yeah, mix of NWOBHM/USPM.
- Deadly Blessing 'Ascend from the Cauldron'
- Deaf Dealer 'Journey Into Fear'
- Defender (Hol). Think of a faster Metal Church.
- Glacier s/t EP and 1988 demo.
- Graven Image (this one)
- Hades 'Resisting Success'
- Helstar (sure you know them)
- Jag Panzer 'Ample Destruction' (you probably know it)
- Lords of the Crimson Alliance - Pretty weird. You'll probably like them or hate them.
- Messiah Force 'The Last Day'. Vocals in French, but oh well.
- Oblivion Knight (Assalant and Militia rock too).
- Obsession is okay, but not too great.
- Oliver Magnum s/t
- Overlorde 1987 EP
- Powerlord 'The Awakening'. Decent, like a slightly more aggressive Exciter.
- Proud Existence 'The Trial'
- Ray Gunn s/t
- Sacred Warrior, maybe.
- Satan's Host 'Metal From Hell'. Bad production though, Conklin dominates though.
- Serpent's Knight. Again, too bad it has next to no production ...
- Shining Blade, a lot of people really like them. But, I personally never really get into their albums that much.
- Slauter Xstroyes, throwing an oddball out there. Can't really classify these guys.
- Tyrant's Reign 'Year of the Tyrant's. A bit thrashy though.
- Vicious Rumors debut and 'Digital Dictator'.
- Zions Abyss 'TALES'. Mercyful Fate-ish.

Wish all my folders were organized. God I'm lazy.

Now ...
A rage of angels descending from the skies
A rage of angels seen through your eyes
And though you've wandered from life to save you one lone angel flies

LIEGE LORD FUCK YES

Here are some relevant threads, with lots of info on USPM:

http://www.metal-archives.com/board/vie ... p?p=881679
http://www.metal-archives.com/board/vie ... hp?t=30886
http://www.metal-archives.com/board/vie ... hp?t=33352

Any US power metal that I listen to now I've discovered by searching for your name and 'power' in the forum, so those were exactly the other two I had in mind for comparison. Both are still good, but they seemed to be a little too inspired by early Queensryche.

Tad Morose need to grow on you, especially the fantastic Undead (see my review if you haven't already). The following Matters of the Dark is very cool but not near as monstrous or good, and Modus Vivendi is solid and catchy as hell, but also not as good.

Haha, thanks.

And yeah, generally I'm not too big on the Queensryche-esque stuff out there, though I didn't mind Drive, Screamer, and Lethal, just kind of have to be in the mood for that kind of stuff. As failsafe, Gutterscream, and some others might say there's like two sides to USPM, the softer more dramatic white collar stuff like Fates Warning, Heir Apparent, etc ... then the tougher stuff like Liege Lord, Helstar, Omen, etc. Not the best explanation (so tired, lol), but generally I'm more of a fan for the blue collar stuff, most likely the speed/thrash fan within me is the reason, heh.

Reading through this thread...I have a lot of discovering to do, myself. =/

I was not at all impressed by Matters of the Dark, and it put me off Tad Morose for a while. I guess I could try Undead if there's really that much of a difference, though once bitten, twice shy.

Yeah, you should, Matters of the Dark is much more simple and straightforward. You will probably like Undead, unless you just hated Tad Morose's riffs or vocals or something.

Nah, I just found them really bland and rehashed. I found myself half-recognizing every other riff/melody.

I'm actually just getting into power metal these days... it's going to be difficult for me to describe exactly what I'm looking for but here we go...
I would like the music to be quite heavy, and preferably without keyboards. However, if there's any overtly heavy power metal band out there using keys, that's fine...
One band I really like that I've recently discovered is Morgana Lefay. They're a bit groove oriented but with this style of music, it doesn't bother me at all. I have a thrash background, so if there's interesting thrash guitars in it, that would help (that being said, only a few Iced Earth songs work for me).
Also, great choruses enhance this style of music for me.
Sorry if this is too vague, but I'm quite a noob to power metal so any rec's will help!

btw if you haven't heard them yet listen to some Virgin Steele.

Cage and Iced Earth are what you're looking for, heavy and thrashy, respectively. Should you like Iced Earth, try Demons & Wizards. I also recomend Persuader, Helloween since Better than Raw, Primal Fear, Twisted Tower Dire, pre-Nightfall Blind Guardian and Running Wild.

Helloween's 'Gambling with the Devil' might do just fine. Stuff like 'the Saints' has some heavy riffs whilst maintaining a power metal feel.

Yeah, Cage's Darker Than Black is a whole bucketful of fun. Awesome album. Get Wolf's The Black Flame and Rage's Welcome to the Other Side and Unity, too.

EDIT: For Edguy-ish stuff, get Dezperadoz - The Legend and the Truth. Catchy, fun stuff.

You are the Power Metal lord. Thanks

Haha, thanks.

failsafeman definitely and others sometimes come out of nowhere with some obscure stuff though, heh. Classic metal seems endless.

Reminds me, I should finish searching the archives entirely for old speed/power. I think I did up to 1985, or 86, not sure.

A band thats quite similar to Adolf Castle is The Lord Weird Slough Feg, they use the same kind of power metal, the rough kind (I hate using the term "ballsy", it sound really juvenile and just makes the person sound insecure), but they use slightly different folk, Adolf Castle's is more slavic and viking like while The Lord Weird Slough Feg's is more celtikish, still, they both have the same atmosphere (except in Slough Feg's Traveller) so you should like them. Hope I helped, pm me if I wasn't clear.

I'm half-asleep right now.

Oh yeah, Remnants and others, if you haven't Tyrant is an absolute must. Can't believe I forgot about them. But yeah, you don't get much heavier than 'Too Late to Pray'. And Glen May's vocals are epic.

Well, whether they're Power Metal could be debated, but seconded anyways.

Yeah, I don't label them as USPM myself but, I'd be shocked if USPM fans didn't like them.

'Too Late To Pray' is a one of kind anyways. Like ... fast doom metal, kind of.

Yeah, pretty much; them crossed with a heavy dose of Running Wild and a bit of Slauter Xstroyes and Cirith Ungol.

You guys have no idea how hilarious this is. Anyway, Kvisling is a power metal noob. You might as well not bother recommending him anything.

Those two bands are nothing alike except that they both have a "raw" power/classic metal sound.