In Search of Metal pt 5: A Storm of Swords
You are summoned forthwith to pay homage to the one true king
Perusing yearly best-of lists by metal fans, I find that there are, broadly-speaking, two types of metal fan: those that listen to a lot of power metal, and those that hardly listen to any at all. Power metal's divisiveness within metal should give you an idea of its broader relevance; if you mosey over to acclaimedmusic.net and go under "metal", you'll find that, unless I'm much mistaken, not a single power metal album is listed, even in the "bubbling under" area. Which means that no power metal album has attracted even cursory attention from published critics, a distinction power metal is very much alone in, as major metal subgenres go. At least power metal has popularity; go almost anywhere other than America and power metal bands can handily fill stadiums. They often don't bother to tour in America, even relatively well-known American bands like Manowar. The only time power metal has brushed the American mainstream is when DragonForce rode being a Guitar Hero boss to a Hot 100 hit and a gold album, which is, in the spirit of fairness, more than black or death metal can say. But that flash of success has not translated to respect or cultural significance. In fact, DragonForce has probably been a net negative for power metal's reputation, all things considered. And its no surprise power metal has never found a foothold for dignity, it is what happens when you take all the things critics did not like about old-school heavy metal and exacerbate them: insipid lack of relevance to relatable human emotions? Focus on technical showoffery over songwriting? All the songs sounding the same? Imagine Iron Maiden were faster and poppier yet somehow softer and less memorable. I'm being mean, but only because you have to kill your darlings. The first time I listened to DragonForce, I had the following thought: "man, if I'm not careful, I could become the kind of loser who only listens to this". A sobering thought, to be sure, but "Through the Fire and Flames" will do that to you. There's something so perfectly adolescent about power metal, it's heavy bubblegum, and that's as much to its detriment as its credit. Let's dive into the eternal maelstrom of endless time
The Hall of the Olden Dreams by Dark Moor: In one ear and right out the other. This album has a few toe-tappers but I wouldn't really recommend it.
My score: ☆☆☆
Mother Earth by Within Temptation: Power metal and symphonic metal are two sides of the same coin, but they're not interchangeable. The trait that almost always binds them together is their blinding, Euro-flavored whiteness, and it doesn't come much whiter than Within Temptation. Imagine Celtic new age music that uses the structure of metal and you have the sum of it. There are some beautiful melodies on here but it's lengthy and monotonous, coulda stood to rock once in awhile (this is the opposite problem power metal albums tend to have, for the record)
My score: ☆☆☆½
Dawn of Victory by Rhapsody: A genuine even split between power and symphonic metal, Rhapsody play fast and they play neoclassical and they use choirs and orchestras, the whole shebang. It's hard for this stuff not to feel gimmicky but it's done well, here.
My score: ☆☆☆½
Infinite by Stratovarius: A more interesting listen than most power metal because I think this might be what it sounds like when a power metal band tries to "sell out", ie, the songwriting is a lot more reminiscent of the kind of hooky AOR that might conceivably have crossed over in America....ten to fifteen years earlier. It's memorable but it also reminds you too much of the likes of Journey and Asia, and those bands are just better at this sort of thing. Still, good effort
My score: ☆☆☆½
Follow the Reaper by Children of Bodom: Unique among power metal bands in that they utilize harsh, growled vocals, which goes a long way in counteracting the fluffiness of this genre. Doesn't fully neutralize it, though; neoclassical soloing is fun and all, but precious few power metal bands have ever grappled with the phrase "too much of a good thing"
My score: ☆☆☆☆
Nuclear Fire by Primal Fear: Truth be told this is more suited to the traditional metal category, as Primal Fear is, well, a Judas Priest soundalike. Indeed, they were formed by a guy who auditioned for them after Rob Halford left. But here we are. This album rocks hard, and outdoes Halford at his own game this year, but it also can't really escape the feeling of being a knockoff.
My score: ☆☆☆☆
The Dark Ride by Helloween: If any power metal band has come within spitting distance of the canon, it's Helloween, if only for historical reasons—they're generally considered the founders and certainly the popularizers of the form, and if you've ever heard a power metal song in the wild that wasn't DragonForce, it was probably one of theirs. Helloween are one of those bands that always does the same thing and usually does it pretty well, but their latter-day records tend to suffer in comparison to their 80s work, and this is no exception. Still, they've got an ear for songwriting that most power metal bands simply don't, and there are some real sticky tunes thrown in with the standard power metal humalongs.
My score: ☆☆☆☆
Wishmaster by Nightwish: It's tough to pick an "if you only listen to one" here because I don't think any of these 4-star records stands head-and-shoulders above the others. I will say that Nighwish are probably the most famous band of this bunch, and this is smack dab in their classic era, so this (or Follow the Reaper, for similar reasons) is probably the album that "ought" to be included, if any are. If you've never heard Nightwish, they play very melodic, keyboard-heavy symphonic metal with a female vocalist who sings opera-style. I enjoy them but confess I find said singing slightly-alienating. It's nifty but at album-length...
My score: ☆☆☆☆
But if you only listen to one....
Renegade by HammerFall: This is a personal self-indulgent pick; I just find power metal a tad exhausting, and this is the release that hews the closest to traditional metal while still definitely being power metal. HammerFall write big, cheesy songs with lyrics that have that lost-in-translation Scorpions-ish quality, and they sound heavily inspired by Swedish legends Heavy Load, which, being Swedish, they almost certainly were. The playing on this is slower and more deliberate, which is to say, more memorable, and some of the vocal melodies are genuinely earwormy in a way the generically hummable quality of power metal often isn't. This is the album I'll probably find myself playing tracks from most often, out of this crop.
My score: ☆☆☆☆
Dismissed