Written by [user id=35853] on 09.01.2009 at 09:18
Alice Cooper - Might as Well be on Mars

hm...therefore i have to mention

Alice Cooper - Every Woman Has A Name

this ballad is so gentle, but wonderful

In Flames has the best ballades, IMO. Check these out :
Pallar Anders Visa (it's an aucustic song, but that's sort of like a ballad, right?)
Come Clarity
Dawn of a New Day

Not my fav style right now but The Unforgiven 1 and 2 - Metallica are great. Also Welcome Home Sanitarium and Fade To Black. I should also mention Iron Maiden have some very good balands...

Written by Deadmeat on 21.01.2009 at 10:58

Not my fav style right now but The Unforgiven 1 and 2 - Metallica are great. Also Welcome Home Sanitarium and Fade To Black. I should also mention Iron Maiden have some very good balands...

I thought I could not mention Welcome Home Sanitarium (it explodes after a while) but I'm glad you did.
For me it's one of the best slow songs ever made.
And I want to say it isn't my fav style either

The Enigmatic Spirit, from Vintersorg. Gorgeous voice, psychedelic lyrics and smooth music with a hint of double bass drum, aaaah...

Mors Principium Est - Into Illusion

And Vintersorg's "The Enigmatic Spirit", yes. Actually there are many great songs.. the problem is - I can't rememebr a half of the good ones, heh.

Written by Deadmeat on 21.01.2009 at 10:58

Not my fav style right now but The Unforgiven 1 and 2 - Metallica are great. Also Welcome Home Sanitarium and Fade To Black. I should also mention Iron Maiden have some very good balands...

Problem: those are not ballads. They may be softer and slower songs, but not ballads.

If you all want the prime example of a Metal Ballad I present Silent Lucidity.

Written by Dane Train on 22.01.2009 at 16:35

Written by Deadmeat on 21.01.2009 at 10:58

Not my fav style right now but The Unforgiven 1 and 2 - Metallica are great. Also Welcome Home Sanitarium and Fade To Black. I should also mention Iron Maiden have some very good balands...

Problem: those are not ballads. They may be softer and slower songs, but not ballads.

If you all want the prime example of a Metal Ballad I present Silent Lucidity.

I call them "Metal Balands".. For example Scorpions play Rock Ballands..

Written by Deadmeat on 22.01.2009 at 16:44

I call them "Metal Balands".. For example Scorpions play Rock Ballands..

I am not sure what you mean by that. Could you please explain?

Written by Dane Train on 22.01.2009 at 16:52

Written by Deadmeat on 22.01.2009 at 16:44

I call them "Metal Balands".. For example Scorpions play Rock Ballands..

I am not sure what you mean by that. Could you please explain?

I mean that Unforgiven can be called a Metal Ballad and for example the songs of Scorpion can be called a Rock Ballad.

Scorpions have a habit of cranking out great ballads, metal ("In Trance") or not ("Winds of Change"). WASP tends to have great ballads too ("The Idol").

Hmm.. I'm a bit confused, maybe this seems like a retarded question. But how can you define when a song is a ballad? Sorry, I just don't know ;-p

Written by Kasper on 22.01.2009 at 22:21

Hmm.. I'm a bit confused, maybe this seems like a retarded question. But how can you define when a song is a ballad? Sorry, I just don't know ;-p

A ballad has a slow tempo, most times melancholic music and it has much melody. That's what I call a ballad... But I cannot find the right words to seperate it from an atmopheric song.

Written by Kasper on 22.01.2009 at 22:21

Hmm.. I'm a bit confused, maybe this seems like a retarded question. But how can you define when a song is a ballad? Sorry, I just don't know ;-p

Think "Hey Jude", "Yesterday", "Something" (The Beatles), "Tears in Heaven" (Eric Clapton), "Dust on the Wind" (Kansas).

(According to Wikipedia, hope this helps)

*Metallica-Fade to Black
*Iron Maiden-Children of the Damned
*Black Sabbath-Lonely is the Word

Just to name a few

Hammerfall - Glory To The Brave

I usually don't even like this kind of cheesy power metal, but Hammerfall will always have a special place in my heart.

Iced earth - a question of heaven/watching over me/blessed are you

Quiet Riot - Thunderbird

this is very strong song too

I am such a nutter for ballads and there were some really good suggestions here; I especially dig Toxik's ballad. Anyway, here are a few of my favorites.

Vicious Rumors - Blacklight (Sadistic Symphony album)

Starts good (though not really exceptional) and slowly builds up. Then all of a sudden a really bluesy slide guitar comes out of nowhere and takes the song in a totally different direction. An incredible, reflective, emotional and intense experience.

Metal Church - End Of The Age (Hanging In The Balance album)

A rather folky number, without being Folk Metal. The lyrics and Mike Howe's incredible performance make it one of Metal Church's best ballads. Waiting For A Saviour off the same album is arguably even better.

Overkill - Soulitude (Horrorscope album)

When thrash bands do write a ballad, the song is bound to be a real winner. Again stirring build-up, I'm still looking for a thrash ballad to top this one.

Armored Saint - Another Day (Symbol Of Salvation album)

Talk about mixing beauty with brawn. One of the last songs by the late David Pritchard with John Bush's best lyrics. I'm not sure if he's actually singing from Pritchard's point of view (who was terminally ill from leukemia) but in any case this ballad has to be one of the best farewell songs written.

Psychotic Waltz - My Grave (Bleeding album)

Soothing, peaceful song by everyone's favorite metal hippies. The flute leads, the acoustic rhythm guitar, the slightly distorted, nasal vocals, everything fits.

W.A.S.P. - Clockwork Mary (Neon God: The Demise album)

To be honest, W.A.S.P. have made so many great ballads it's almost impossible to pick just one. But since "The Idol" and "Sleeping In The Fire" have already been mentioned, I'm just choosing a lesser known one. Blackie Lawless' jagged vocals have a really harrowing effect on his ballads and here he sounds outright tortured and broken.

Emerald Sun - Not Alone
Hammerfall - Glory to the Brave
Paradise Lost - Symphony X

It is difficult my to establish what is the best but vote by Fade To Black. Also it will mention some that I like enough:

Return To Serenity - Testament
Soulitude - Overkill
I Remenber You - Skid Row
A Tout Le Monde - Megadeth
Master Of The Wind - Manowar
Seawinds - Therion
Childern Of The Damned - Iron Maiden ...And very many but that now can't remember!!

My favourite metal ballad is what I consider the most overlooked song Judas Priest has recorded: "Last Rose of Summer" from Sin After Sin. An absolutely sublime vocal performance from Rob.

Though most wouldn't call it a ballad, Amon Amarth's "Across the Rainbow Bridge" has the feel and effect of the best ballads though a tempo more appropriate to death metal and is a personal favourite. It tells the tale of an aging warrior awaiting the death he was never granted in battle. Johan Hegg wrote the lyrics in honour of his grandfather's passing.

Iced Earth's Watching Over Me is a good contender for this. Lots of emotion in that song, and it was so awesome when I saw it live that my brain almost exploded. I also really like Fiddler on the Green by Demons & Wizards. Beautiful acoustic guitarwork on it. Likewise with Fade to Black by Metallica. That song has some of the best riffs I've ever heard. It's one of these three that I just named. Most likely Fade to Black.

I always thought that Blind Guardian have best ballads, but it's really hard to choose best. Hmm... I guess Bard's Song... It's hard to compare any ballad to this.

Mägo De Oz - Creo

Another beautiful song

I just feel like necroing this thread (and hopefully others will join again, I'm such a sucker for ballads).

Saracen - Faith (Red Skies album)
Obscure NWOBHM band, as far as I know this song hasn't been uploaded anywhere, pm me if you want an extract. It's a bombastic rock song, something the 70s prog bands might be inclined to do, yet it is so emotional that it exceeds almost all heavier ballads I know of. Highlight is the chorus, the vocal harmonies there are simply beautiful.

Steelheart - Angel Eyes (Never Let You Go) (Steelheart album)
Best thing the band ever did, to be honest they are not too good at rockin' . Miljenko Matijevic hits some incredible notes, sure the whole thing is a bit cheesy but if you have even a passing interest in hair metal ballads this one will be a real treat.

Lizzy Borden - Never Too Young (Master Of Disguise album)
Soulful (in the purest sense of the word) ballad here, again not very heavy, but very well put together. All ballads of the album are great however, and very unique for a band associated with metal.

Crimson Glory - Lonely (Transendence album)
Surprisingly this one hasn't been mentioned yet as it's Crimson Glory's biggest hit. The songs begins with an ethereal, almost dreamy atmosphere before launching into an energetic, midpaced semi-ballad. Midnight's vocals are incredibly dramatic, they really carry the song.

Heathen - In Memory Of (Recovered album)
Is it a thrash ballad? Who knows. Uncharacteristic soft beginning (for Heathen) but around the three minute mark the band heavies it up with crunchy, distorted guitars and a few tasteful solos. When thrashers do make a ballad the result is almost always a real winner.

Bruce Dickinson:"Tears of the Dragon"

Judas Priest - Before The Dawn
Judas Priest - Angel
Demons & Wizards - Fiddler on the Green
Grave Digger - Emerald Eyes (yes, they can do ballads)
Iced Earth - The Pierced Spirit

There are some other good ballads, but those came to my mind.

Subway To Sally - Wenn Engel Hassen
Rammstein - Ohne Dich
Opeth - Death Whispered A Lullaby
In Extremo - Segel Setzen
Dark Tranquillity - Lethe
Cruachan - Ride On
Blackmore's Night - I Still Remember
Agalloch - A Desolation Song

I don't know if they are all ballads, because everyone has another opinion about that, but anyway, these are my picks

Jacob's Dream - Sarah Williams