Generic European Power Metal - Good Or Bad?
Original post
Posted by Judas, 13.05.2007 - 15:23
It's predictable, yes, and the lyrics, song-titles, and often even band names are horrendously cringe-worthy, but for me, nothing can brighten my mood and self-esteem better than some awesome tales of dragon slaying, princess rescuing, smiting with steel, and broken love, told in such a melodic and catchy manner.
Some bands in this area of Power Metal are Freedom Call, Magic Kingdom, Fairyland, Hammerfall, Lost Horizon, Power Quest, even Rhapsody Of Fire and Kamelot to an extent... If those names mean anything to you, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about! Powerscreams, catchy choruses, awesome melodies and a general feeling of invincibility and awesomeness, without feeling truly metal like Manowar. I'm a fan, but clearly it's not all I listen to. It's good in doses, to brighten the day, and to put a smile on my face, but if this was it, well, Metal would be pretty boring. Still, may this genre live forever!
Poll
What is your opinion on standard European Power Metal?
It's awesome! YAAAAAAHHH!!!
75
It's good in doses.
53
It depends on my mood/the occasion.
46
It sucks, Flower Metal is for wimps.
40
It's uninspired, yet somewhat enjoyable.
31
Total votes: 245
| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
Written by I_Die_Often on 21.03.2010 at 16:13 I still like old Maiden, but only old. I don't like anything released after SSOASS. I never liked Priest much, apart from the album "Painkiller". Imo, Maiden's 80s stuff is ten times better than any modern-day Euroflowermetal album.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Urs Blank Posts: 319  |
I dont have the words to explain what I feel when I listen to European Power Metal... It's like...  that's it it simply makes me throw up!!
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| I_Die_Often Posts: 697  |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 21.03.2010 at 16:26 Very true on the old Maiden, and only Priest I really like is Screaming For Vengeance. Better stop before we turn this into a Priest/Maiden topic -  
---- Old enough to be your Daddy... speaking of which... you look familiar... do I know your mother???
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| Kap'N Korrupt Account deleted |
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9038  |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 21.03.2010 at 14:43 damn straight!!!
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| Hammer Pie Posts: 43  |
The reason power metal is considered a stagnant genre is that once a band experiments or adds complexity to their music, they're no longer considered power metal.
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by Hammer Pie on 24.03.2010 at 03:15 When do they add complexity? When Powermetal bands change, it's always in the same direction, which is dumbing down their music to hard rock and pop. They always choose the more accessible, mainstream and commercial road, never the more extreme and complex one. Just look at what this genre became over the years. You often hear people say "Powermetal and hard rock are close genres". Well, you would not have heard this 15 years ago because Powermetal had nothing to do with hard rock back then. It was melodic speed metal. But it became a dumbed down commercial genre in the late 90s and early 00s.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Hammer Pie Posts: 43 |
While a lot of power metal bands have gone the dumbing down to pop route (Sonata Arctica), and there's no doubt that there's a lot of stagnation in that genre, there are examples of power metal bands changing in the direction of increased complexity. The examples that leap to mind are Symphony X, Blind Guardian and Pagan's Mind.
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| DayFly Posts: 383  |
Hail Power Metal! I am a socially inept person who just happens to fanatically like or dislike music based on the audience and who is personally offended if some form of music is labelled in a way remotely similar to my preferred genre. My point is this thread attracts musical fascists and drooling fanboys like shit does flies and I am so bored to death by it. I enjoy reading posts but people retarding this site just makes me not want to come here. And for the record, I personally dislike European power metal.
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| Zhao The Arkaholic Posts: 104 |
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by Zhao on 24.03.2010 at 21:49 Imo, if it gets boring then it means it's not good.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Wyrd Posts: 292  |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 21.03.2010 at 14:43 Commercial garbage? I don't remember seeing any commercial for any power metal band. I guess I missed all the Advertisements in the news paper and on MTV for the next Dragonland album, or how Blind Guardian are going on tour. Once again my eyes have been open! May the gods of metal praise your name for years to come!!
---- "The bands called Demon Hunter! They hunt demons!"
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8664  |
Lol...that was good point
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| Zuzuz0r Posts: 507  |
The thing is that lots of power metal bands nowaday have a "commercial" and poppy sound, but the genre is far from being on the mainstream, it's just that ppl like to call "commercial" something that they don't like, I'm not a big PM fan as I used to be, but not because of that I'll start calling every band I don't like "commercial". I see the genre more for a "geeky" audience than a trendy mainstream audience, maybe I could be wrong, but that's the way I see it.
---- If this grand panorama before me is what you call God Then God is not dead.
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by Zuzuz0r on 31.03.2010 at 21:08 Exactly. Being commercial, for me, is not a matter of selling more, playing more on radio or being popular. It's a pure matter of the way music sounds when you hear it. And, like you say, lots of PM bands nowadays sound commercial and pop-ish. Not a matter of popularity and sales, but of sound. For example, I'm sure Slayer and Nile sell much better than lots of second-rate (I mean not so well-known) PM bands, yet their music has nothing commercial and pop-ish when you hear it. Lots of people link 'commercial' to sales and success, which is something irrelevant. In some cases, it is true that their music is softer and sell more than less accessible music but you can find many cases where music that is much more 'metal' sell more than softer music.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15263  |
 generic euro power metal is fantastic. ok, so it might be mediocre creatively void copycat drivel, but so long as we're gonna be getting $$$ for each album we review positively from label bands, well, generic euro power metal sounds like... victory. and by victory, i mean cold hard cash.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| Susan Smeghead Elite Posts: 6941  |
Written by Hammer Pie on 24.03.2010 at 03:15 This is the most concise, astute observation I've read in a while. So true. Usually if you stray from power metal in the slightest you become gothenburg, prog power, or symphonic, or avant, etc. I look to bands like Kamelot to push the envelope JUST enough.. to stay "power metal" while taking baby steps into a larger musical spectrum. Bas' latest review is also a good read for anyone contemplating the genre. Not because of the album he reviews, but because he also makes some great observations about the genre. If you're going to play power metal you'd better be able to compete with the top bands otherwise there is no room for you. With so many similar bands, who has time for mediocrity? http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=7751 Oh, and I'm a GIANT fan of European power metal. I just have no delusions about the genre either 
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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| Silent_wolfer Posts: 45 |
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| shisha Posts: 32 |
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| thedreamwalker Posts: 15  |
It's kind of a bad way to put it, I mean, of course generic is bad, but I don't really consider those bands to be generic. Helloween was a progenitor and innovator of the genre, and anything that's generic just means that it sounds like what has come before... See what I'm saying? I LOVE power metal, but I think that there needs to be innovation and greater musical development across the board in power metal.
---- The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance.
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| Got Mayhem? Posts: 767  |
I don't mind it at all. Same goes with generic Black Metal. I can go listen to or watch a straight up Darkthrone-worship band and still find them enjoyable. Is it something that I'd like to spend money on? No, not really, but I"d still rather be listening to something than nothing. So I don't LOVE your average PM band, but I don't mind listening to it in doses.
---- 
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| Razzputin Posts: 1 |
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by Razzputin on 22.05.2010 at 04:06 That's your opinion. Lots of people think differently. Imo, these bands just blow. Especially Edgay.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 61287  |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 22.05.2010 at 16:40 they do blowjob to other bands he memntion moust cheasyest bands ever
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by Bad English on 23.05.2010 at 16:46 Honestly, who else (apart from Luca Turilli), believes Rhapsody is not cheesy? lol
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 61287 |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 23.05.2010 at 17:10 336 members in MS LOL
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Numbskull Posts: 97  |
First off, I would like thank Lord_Regnier for making this thread readable. Over the last 30+ years that I've been listening to Heavy Metal there have been at least a couple of times it's veered off course. One of them was Big Hair and more currently Power Metal, which is Heavy Metal without the Heavy. The end result is flowery pop nonsense with the absence of any sustainable power.
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| vezzy Stallmanite Posts: 3493  |
Wow, I haven't seen such hate against European power metal before. I'm not a fan of the genre either, but I don't think it's THAT bad... unless it's something like DragonForce or Power Quest. Some power metal is great, like Rage.
---- Licensed under the GPLv3. Relinquish proprietary software for a greater GNU/America.
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| Kennoth Posts: 2502  |
It has its moments, can be awesome and can be cheesy. Besides, a beauty is in the eyes (ears) of beholder (listener)
---- *insert something deep and profound*
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