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Power Metal

 
 
Withiel: DALI'S ROTTWEILER
10:58 / 01.07.06
Helpful Wiki Page

Sonata Arctica - Replica (YSI link)

Blind Guardian - Mirror Mirror
(Ditto)

About a year ago a close friend of mine sent me Blind Guardian, to which I was instantly addicted, and then perplexed as to why I liked it so much. For the uninitiated, Power Metal is a genre characterised by a high-energy, epic treatment of mythological/quasi-mythological subject matter (at least ostensibly with a straight face). What's interesting about it is its differences from other metal subgenres - it's almost aggressively tonal, focussing very much on vocal lines and characteristically utilising extensive choral overdubbing (Blind Guardian being the the best example of this technique). It's fantastically popular in Europe - BG's "And Then There Was Silence" got to number one in Spain, despite the fact it's fourteen minutes long and goes through six time-signature changes. What's weird about this is that interminable songs in which a very earnest German man sings about the Noldor in 12/8 time make such great pop music. In my mind, it's very much tapping into a (completely mythical, as far as I can tell) conception of a Scandinavian (the area of origin of most Power Metal groups) folk music both in subject matter and in musical content - the use of compound time and frequent bagpipe solos and similar, for example. Indeed, the upcoming Blind Guardian album very explicitly refigures the metal-singer-as-warrior (probably epitomised by Dragonforce)into a more bardic role, which might explain the preference for a higher, purer male vocal tone than might be expected. Which is interesting because it's effectively a new folk music based on a shared cultural heritage (dodgy fantasy novels, common myths about dragons &c.) strapped to the front of a juggernaut of metal. Interesting cultural phenomenon, great pop music. I reckon, anyway. Anyone else got any thoughts on this?
 
 
Alex's Grandma
02:59 / 02.07.06
Yes.

Is a couple of years in the army for young people necessarily a bad thing?

They pay your college fees and so on, and you can basically burn down as many churches as you like (within reason.)
 
 
Chiropteran
05:02 / 02.07.06
There are times(...) when all I want to hear is Power Metal.

Right now, unfortunately, is not one of those times, so I'm having trouble summoning the proper enthusiasm for the topic (I'm either way on or way off with this one). I am delighted that this thread exists, though, and I will gleefully seek it out next time I'm Lost In the Twilight Hall.

Just the right amount of Blind Guardian when you're in just the right mood for it is actually as good as we think we remember the Dragonlance books being.

For a hyperspeed space-fantasy twist on the sound, check out Bal Sagoth - The Power Cosmic. "Behold, The Armies of War Descend Screaming From The Heavens!" It's really quite something.
 
 
Withiel: DALI'S ROTTWEILER
10:14 / 02.07.06
Aah...a friend of mine recommended me Bal Sagoth - I'll get him to send me some immediately.

Alex's Grandma, Scandinavian Black Metal/=Scandinavian Power Metal.
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
10:19 / 04.07.06
Dragonforce are quite unreasonably wonderful. And clearly at least in part taking the piss.
 
 
Char Aina
12:17 / 04.07.06
oh, dragonforce.

they are the ultimate* walking-somewhere music, especially if and when that somewhere is a somewhere that might require superhuman opti-thusiastic keenness on arrival.

they give me the same fix as manowar with a bit less loincloth per square riff.

'mon the manowar!





*
this is, of course, only true in part. slayer are the greatest of all walking-somewhere music, whether that 'somewhere' be a killing field, a job interview, school, the pub, home, parliament, iraq, mars, the last gas station for as far as the car can drive, or even delaware.
to be fair to the rest of the world it has been deemed necessary to remove slayer from all statements of 'ultimate', 'greatest', 'most', 'best', etc., as they are without fail to be found occupying the top spot. this leads to resentment and, inevitably, some false-god fool trying to oust them.

this always** ends in death.

much as slayer are big fans of death(and in particular the death of the weak and foolish), cull-murder already occupies much of their hectic schedule, leaving little time for the repeated metal punches to the global brain that are their real bread and butter.

they may be the fastest on the metaphorical draw, but sometimes they just need to drink the saloon dry without some kid trying his luck.


**
always.
 
  
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