How I got into Power Metal

The very first power metal album I ever heard was "Walls Of Jericho" , but this was the year 1999 already. I came late to the party, and end up listening to both "Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I" and Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II" albums, which I loved dearly, but I didn't yet think of it as a subgenre.

The first other albums I listened after those were "Episode" by Stratovarius, and "Angels Cry" by Angra, and I also felt in love of the music, but I still had no idea this was entirely different than something like Iron Maiden.

Of course, after listening to those I end up catching up to other albums: "Visions", "Destiny", "Infinite", "Holy Land", "Fireworks", "Master Of The Rings", "The Time Of The Oath", "Better Than Raw", and "The Dark Ride".

However, that was it for me besides watching Gamma Ray's Heading For Tomorrow live concert, which was with Primal Fear's singer before Kai Hansen started to do the vocals for his songs again.

It wasn't until 2002 that a friend introduced me to Rhapsody, and showed me their brand new album "Power Of The Dragonflame" alongside with their older releases "Rain Of A Thousand Flames", "Dawn Of Victory, "Symphony Of Enchanted Lands", and "Legendary Tales".

I was of course mesmerized, it was very revolutionary at the time, and it was having a great impact. It was only then that I knew this was a whole different subgenre, so I started treating it as such.

Once you know this is is a complete different subgenre you start looking for more music like it, and that's how I discovered other bands.

The first original CD I bought was Silence by Sonata Arctica, and by the end of 2003 I stated building my original CD collections for all the bands I already liked at the time such as Angra, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Luca Turilli, Rhapsody, Sonata Arctica, and Stratovarius.

I end up getting very into bands I never knew before like Avantasia, Blind Guardian, Dark Moor, Edguy, HammerFall, Kamelot, Lost Horizon, so I started buying their albums as well.

From there I end up liking many other bands:


- Adagio

- Altaria

- At Vance

- Axenstar

- Avalanch

- Brainstorm

- Celesty

- Chinchilla

- Conception

- Cryonic Temple

- Crystal Eyes

- Demons & Wizards

- Dionysus

- Domine

- DragonForce

- Dragonland

- Dream Evil

- Dreamtale

- Dream Theater

- Elegy

- Elvenking

- Evergrey

- Fairyland

- Falconer

- Firewind

- Freedom Call

- Harmony

- Heavenly

- Heavens Gate

- Highland Glory

- Human Fortress

- Iced Earth

- Insania Stockholm

- Iron Fire

- Iron Mask

- Iron Savior

- Labyrithn

- Machinae Supremacy

- Magic Kingdom

- Mägo de Oz

- Majesty

- Manticora

- Masterplan

- Metalium

- Mob Rules

- Morifade

- Narnia

- Nocturnal Rites

- Nostradameus

- Pagan's Mind

- Power Quest

- Primal Fear

- Rata Blanca

- Requiem

- Saratoga

- Saurom

- Secret Sphere

- Shaman

- Silent Force

- Steel Attack

- Stormwarrior

- Supreme Majesty

- Symphony X

- Symphorce

- Tad Morose

- Thunderstone

- Thy Majestie

- Tierra Santa

- Twilightning

- Vhäldemar

- Viper

- Virtuocity

- Vision Divine

- WarCry

- Wuthering Heights

- Zonata


Well, at least those were the ones I knew before brand new bands like Sabaton, Bloodbound, and Powerwolf started to come out, or that I discovered older classic ones like Grave Digger, Rage, and Running Wild.

It is important to note that those years were indeed the golden era of power metal just by the sheer amount of proliferation of amazing bands coming out with new material on top of the releases by already established acts.

Something I consider started somewhere around the beginning of 1995 and ended by the end of 2003, but continued to evolve in different ways after that.

That said, the genre is just as stronger as it was back then if you look deep enough, and if you look at all the incredible new releases still coming out today over 20 years later, some by the same bands, and some others by newer ones such as Sacred Outcry, Beast In Black, Twilight Force, and Gloryhammer.

Of course I am also a massive fan of other metal subgenres including Thrash metal, Heavy Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Black Metal, Gothic metal, and anything Neoclassical.

I was never able to get into metalcore, grindcore, deathcore, or deathcore, but I know many people that like those, and I respect that as well.

Other metal bands I love include:


- After Forever

- Amaranthe

- Amberian Dawn

- Amon Amarth

- Anthrax

- Arch Enemy

- Callenish Circle

- Carcass

- Children Of Bodom

- Cradle Of Filth

- Dark Funeral

- Dark Tranquillity

- Destruction

- Dimmu Borgir

- Edenbridge

- Eluveitie

- Epica

- Eternal Tears Of Sorrow

- Finntroll

- Haggard

- Immortal

- In Flames

- Iron Maiden

- Judas Priest

- Kalmah

- King Diamond

- Lacuna Coil

- Leaves' Eyes

- Metallica

- Megadeth

- Mercyful Fate

- Messuggah

- Nightwish

- Norther

- Old Man's Child

- Opeth

- Ozzy Osbourne

- Pantera

- Samael

- Sepultura

- Slayer

- Sirenia

- Soilwork

- Therion

- Trail Of Tears

- Tristania

- Warmen

- Wintersun

- Within Temptation

- Xandria


And of course I also love all the arena rock:


- Aerosmith

- Axel Rudi Pell

- Bon Jovi

- Bryan Adams

- Cheap Trick

- Cinderella

- David Lee Roth

- Deep Purple

- Deft Leppard

- Dio

- Dokken

- Europe

- Foreigner

- Genesis

- Guns N' Roses

- Gus. G.

- Jeff Beck

- Joe Satriani

- John Petrucci

- Kiko Loureiro

- King Crimson

- Led Zeppelin

- Michael Romeo

- Mötley Crüe

- Mr. Mister

- Pink Floyd

- Poison

- Queen

- Queensrÿche

- Quiet Riot

- Rainbow

- Ratt

- REO Speedwagon

- Rush

- Santana

- Scorpions

- Skid Row

- Steeler

- Steve Vai

- Styx

- Survivor

- Twisted Sister

- Uli John Roth

- Van Halen

- Victor Smolski

- Warrant

- W.A.S.P.

- Whitesnake

- Yes

- Yngwie Malmsteen


Not to mention I'm a huge fan of older pop, rock, and beat bands as well like:

- 10cc

- ABBA

- Alan Parsons

- Ambrosia

- America

- Bee Gees

- Bread

- Boston

- Chicago

- Creedence Clearwater Revival

- Eagles

- Electric Light Orchestra

- Emerson, Lake, & Palmer

- Fleetwood Mac

- George Harrison

- Graeme Edge Band

- Jonh Lennon

- John Lodge

- Justin Hayward

- Kansas

- Lobo

- Marmalade

- Mike Pinder

- Nazareth

- Paul McCartney and Wings

- Pilot

- Player

- Procol Harum

- Ray Thomas

- Ringo Starr

- Seals & Crofts

- Simon & Garfunkel

- Smokie

- Steely Dan

- Stories

- Supertramp

- The Animals

- The Beatles

- The Beach Boys

- The Doors

- The Guess Who

- The Hollies

- The Kinks

- The Moody Blues

- The Rolling Stones

- The Shondells

- The Who

- The Yardbirds

- The Youngbloods

- The Zombies


However I can't deny that it is the power that still plays a special part of my heart, and that I continue to love greatly after all these years.


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Music artists count for this post: 200