Written by:	ScreamingSteelUS
Published:	28.11.2021

By the 2000s, heavy metal was twice as old as it was when power metal first began to sprout from its shoulders. Some of the bands that were instrumental to power metal’s birth had waned in power themselves, either fading in esteem or vanishing from the scene altogether. Yet others charged ahead, evolving with the times or perfecting their formulae, and whole new generations continued to rise, spurred onward by the massive and multiplying harvests of classic albums. In the first decade of the new millennium, power metal once again found itself becoming both more extreme and more commercial. The advent of the internet created infinite opportunities: proliferation of influences, cross-pollination of scenes, lower thresholds for entry, and memes. The cavalcade of questlords increased in volume and another plethora of timeless classics flooded out of the gates, revealing new possibilities and cementing new reputations. It might be presumptuous to classify as “timeless” something that was released within my own lifetime, but, hey, power metal is all about dreaming big.

Extreme power metal poked its head in – though I first referenced the style in the last article in the context of Bal-Sagoth, and the late ‘90s saw the first true examples of the style filtering out of the far north, it was in the 2000s that things really picked up thanks to the efforts of a bunch of bored Finns. Ensiferum spear-headed a folk-influenced variant that would be adopted by Wintersun, Equilibrium, Norther, and others, while Children Of Bodom’s leaner, punkier take had more in common with the styles of melodeath found in Gothenburg and northern Sweden. Some exchange of influences between power metal and death metal, or at least some ripples of oblique acknowledgment, would not be all that outlandish considering the later career of Amon Amarth, the catchier indulgences of Control Denied, and newer, more sugary melodeath bands such as Aephanemer; the ascendance of melody to extremity begins in earnest here. The term "extreme power metal" would also find itself (self-)applied to DragonForce owing to a lack of real clarity in terminology and the obvious intensity of newer, faster, louder incarnations of traditional power metal.

Likewise, progressive metal continued its advance into power. The two had been entangled since the earliest days, and the ‘90s saw artists like Angra, Blind Guardian, Symphony X, Vanden Plas, and Conception solidify the connections, but the 2000s brought further refinement and notoriety through bands like Seventh Wonder, Circus Maximus, Communic, and DGM, with Evergrey, Voyager, Manticora, and others coming into their own with critically acclaimed releases. It’s probably also worth mentioning Ayreon, whose conceptual scale and enormous array of guest vocalists constituted an obvious forerunner to Avantasia (as well as something that was both really big and really cool, two favorite attributes of power metal). As Kamelot, too, hit their stride and pulled the rest of the post-Nightwish crop of Epica, After Forever, Within Temptation, Xandria, and Delain, power metal’s symphonic side also gained firmer footing. You’ll begin to see shades of outright parody in this decade – obviously Manowar was comfortably established by now and Helloween had already enjoyed their little lost weekend full of heavy metal hamsters, but in the 2000s we got the first recordings from Nanowar Of Steel and a little band called Alestorm that, although really a folk metal band itself, would serve as an example for much of the self-aware memetic humor to envelop metal in the next decade.

In short, where the ‘90s brought many experiments, the 2000s launched entire scenes behind them, shoring up the walls of progress and leading to a more comfortable expansion to all other corners of metal within a power metal context. The 2000s also saw the birth of Metal Storm, which of course is the most important development in the history of heavy metal, so keep that in mind. In this article, you will find another selection of ten noteworthy power metal or power metal-adjacent records that I think are pretty neat and that you should listen to. They aren’t necessarily the best, they aren’t necessarily the most significant, but they might help you get into the genre.

If you're not quite ready for the 2000s, you can start slow by checking out Part I, Part II, and Part IV.






In the ‘90s article, I promised to explore extreme power metal in more detail. Well, here it is, as most marvelously manifested by its Finnish fathers. The term “extreme power metal” sounds like an oxymoron – it’s awfully difficult to carry a tune while growling, after all, and though power metal likes to be extreme in its own way, it’s usually expressed with connotations of killing dragons, not sounding like a pop-punk Dissection. But thanks to bands like Children Of Bodom, who became the ambassadors and architects of a strain of extreme power metal quite different from Bal-Sagoth’s inscrutable voyages, a new permutation gained traction. The style as popularized by Bodom and co. culls techniques from the most abrasive and most accessible poles of the metal spectrum. Harsh vocals, blast beats, breakdowns, and menacing presentation make a diabolical first impression, but once you get past the rough-and-tumble exterior, extreme power metal has its own sense of grandeur and melody, and Bodom most of all knew how to turn their instrumental wizardry into a memorable rocket ride that would make Sonata Arctica weep (more than they already did). They’re direct, slick, and unbelievably catchy – really a punk band in spirit, with all their attitude and energy, albeit a thousand times more complex. The intertwined guitar and keyboard riffing could throw serious competition at any neoclassical neophyte of the more sophisticated subscenes; dig “Northern Comfort” and “Kissing The Shadows” for hyperbolic accentuation the likes of which almost never finds itself associated with anything this close to black metal. Children Of Bodom’s aesthetic is chilly and gruesome, with all the morbid imagery and slash-throated vocals that a grim reaper-adorned album cover foreshadows, but their ragged, raucous delivery is undeniably fun, and nothing screams for glory quite like the outstanding riffage of “Follow The Reaper,” “Children Of Decadence,” and “Bodom After Midnight.” Majestic melodies and plentiful hooks abound, purveyed by each member all at once or in their turns, and while the rawness and darkness of Bodom may turn away listeners expecting something in the vein of fabulous falsetto, the sheer prowess and knack for hook-craft places them among the best that any power metal-adjacent genre has to offer. I had initially intended to write up Hatebreeder, whose origins may be more closely related to the unifying theme of this series, but I had its release year wrong, and the ‘90s article was already fully populated; in any event, Follow The Reaper is the better-produced album, the work that most solidly defends Bodom as architects of pop music from a whole different perspective, an album that is infinitely replayable and as saturated with singles as anything you’ll ever hear with clean vocals.

Also recommended: Sinergy – Suicide By My Side, Eternal Tears Of Sorrow – Before The Bleeding Sun, Blood Stain Child – Silence Of Northern Hell, Sunless Rise – Unrevealed, Euphoreon – Euphoreon




As folk influence became more normalized in metal, largely through Scandinavia’s extreme metal scene, Falconer emerged as a graceful phoenix from the ashes of Mithotyn, a group renowned for its early mastery of folk metal; though Falconer diverged immediately from the black metal-based approach of its predecessor, the appreciation for traditional trappings remained. Falconer kicked off a career of elegant folk-fueled power metal by sprinkling in lilting ballads and instrumentation redolent of the Middle Ages, adding an unusual sensation to the band’s melodies and demeanor that gels exceptionally well with the harder-headed metal elements. Falconer’s style is loose and malleable; though the riffs play a central role in many of the songs and the guitars’ generously distorted galloping dominates the center of the sound with a thrash-like volume, each song is also ornamented with smooth garnishes and instrumental fills. Matthias Blad adds his silky vocal runs to the formula, showing off the flexibility of his voice and moving comfortably from one end of his range to the other within songs; his delicate falsetto and brittle low end are a far cry from the bellowing and screaming of most of his vocal colleagues, but there is an understated charisma in his poetic delivery that endows Falconer with regal gentility. While the sonic presence of the band goes a long way in distinguishing them from the crowd, Falconer also contains some incredible songcraft – “Mindtraveller” has to be one of the best vocal/guitar showcases in the genre, and the collection of anthemic choruses on display here combines the steely wisdom of Manilla Road with the speed and fluidity of Helloween.

Also recommended: Wuthering Heights – Far From The Madding Crowd, Conorach – Tales From The Tavern, Mithotyn – Gathered Around The Oaken Table, Bucovina – Nestrămutat, Lord – Set In Stone




DragonForce might be the unforeseen crossover phenomenon of this list, but there’s one thing they don’t have: this. Daniel Heiman’s famously divine vocals on “Highlander (The One)” have gained a lot of recognition within and without the metal sphere – as a meme, as a vocal exercise, and as proof that heavenly beings once lived amongst men. Yes, there are few vocal lines that have become more firmly entrenched in the legends of metal, and the sheer charisma that Heiman exudes whilst bellowing to the firmament is as staggering as any dog whistle he emits; “Highlander (The One)” is about as anthemic and eternal as it gets in this genre full of eternal anthems. That’s not all there is to Lost Horizon, however; A Flame To The Ground Beneath is itself a gem of equal purity. While “Highlander” may define the album as its lengthiest and most elaborate composition, A Flame To The Ground Beneath goes through several modes that are similar in sound, feeling, and stature. Its production is crisp and stout, but airy and light as a feather; it’s ethereal and ephemeral, with very delicate synths in the background, and yet its immaculately articulated riffs and crunchy chords are multi-staged revelations. The splashes of reverb and dreamy swirls of keys create an otherworldly feeling, only amplified by how impossibly clean and powerful Heiman’s voice is. The vocals are in every moment confident and inimitable, a master class in the type of sky-piercing battle cries that power metal aspires to. Lost Horizon are somewhat anomalous in that they are not given over to orthodox expressions of instrumental prowess or overloaded with classical influence, in spite of generally falling into the same register as bands that prize the same; their instrumental tracks are always measured and precise. Brute force is gauche; true majesty is harder to come by, and that’s what Lost Horizon has in spades.

Also recommended: Pathfinder – Beyond The Space, Beyond The Time, Dimhav – The Boreal Flame, Highland Glory – From The Cradle To The Brave, Keldian – Journey Of Souls, Dark Moor – The Gates Of Oblivion




Before he became known as the guy who took eight years to release half an album, Jari Mäenpää was known as the guy who took nine years to release a whole album (that’s right, writing for Wintersun began in 1995; you just weren’t a fan yet). After two albums as the vocalist and guitarist of Ensiferum, Jari decided that it was time to devote himself full-time to his pet project and formally launched Wintersun as a discrete entity. Wintersun shares with Ensiferum the distinctive high-friction chugging and flavorful guitar leads, combining neoclassical and traditional Finnish elements; like Children Of Bodom, countrymen and fellow exponents of extremity, Wintersun oozes fundamental accessibility in incredibly crafted hooks, coherent mid-range growls, and production that allows the listener to deliberate over each delectable instrumental line. Jari has an ear for earthy invocations, as could be witnessed in Ensiferum, and you can hear the frigid, deep-hued landscape of his native Finland as much as any more familiar international influence; additionally, Wintersun makes copious use of synthesizers, as much for atmospheric inflection as for lead runs, which puts this album in a trance-inducing balance between hyperactive exertion and serene observation. Stick this intense instrumental rumination next to some bold, humongous choruses and illustrative nomenclature, and you’ve got an album more evocative, atmospheric, and epic than almost anything else on the market. Wintersun ultimately became more relevant as the butt of jokes than as artists in their own right, thanks to their prodigious talents for procrastination and prevarication, but even if they had never released anything else afterwards (and who’s to say that they did and Time I wasn’t just a beautiful illusion?), this album alone would have been enough to cement the name “Wintersun” as one of the most portentous ever to be uttered in the context of metal.

Also recommended: Ensiferum – Iron, Whispered – Metsutan – Songs Of The Void, Norther – Dreams Of Endless War, Kalmah – Swamplord, Equilibrium – Turis Fratyr




Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch cut their teeth as guitarist and drummer, respectively, in Helloween, during a strange time for the band: the post-Hansen era, soon the post-Kiske era, when the band was noticeably enamored of silly humor, high-flying antics, and power-pop posturing. When the two became expats and launched their own project at the dawn of the new millennium, they brought with them the same curious debt to European chart-toppers, but their style was simultaneously darker and dourer. Masterplan balances its soulful grooves with an authoritative retro rock swagger, borne mostly by grizzly frontman Jørn Lande, and its mode of writing is not so much anthemic as affirmative. Jørn’s voice is gruff and powerful, nurtured at the altar of Ronnie James Dio’s titanic presence, but it is also warm, reassuring, and calming, like a big power metal teddy bear. It helps that Masterplan’s lyrics often reflect more terrestrial concerns than the usual subject matter; Aeronautics does include songs about the Red Baron, heroic ventures, and general fictive embellishment, but also substance abuse, relationships, and loneliness. These everyday concerns make Masterplan’s music feel unusually mature – magnificently written and dramatically presented, but also humble and ordinary where it counts. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t need to be told that I have the power to seize the legendary fire sword and slay the immortal hell dragon to save the kingdom; sometimes, I just need to be told that I have the power to get up and go to work in the morning. For those days, there’s Masterplan: uplifting and relatable concepts in one hand, catalogue of paternally soothing vocal patterns in the other. As classy and dependable as they are, though, they don’t skimp on heaviness; while those cool whispers of string-synths in the background keep the mood on the level, the guitars work up a rich, distorted texture and Jorn can drop his suave delivery for a healthy bellow when need be. The melodies can get intense and the sound crushing, but just remember: Masterplan loves you, believes in you, and wants you to succeed.

Also recommended: Thunderstone – The Burning, Virus IV – Dark Sun, Beautiful Sin – The Unexpected, Ark – Burn The Sun, The Storyteller – Dark Legacy




Power metal has had dealings with thrash, traditional heavy metal, classical, and pop music from its earliest days, and we’ve touched on some prominent examples already, but a potentially underrepresented permutation of the genre is its convergence with progressive metal. The two genres have similar origins in bands like Fates Warning, Queensrÿche, and Iron Maiden, which straddled the yet-undefined boundaries in the ‘80s, though it took a lengthy period of incubation before the two styles fully came into their own and then returned for another union. Pagan's Mind capitalized on the complimentary potential, borrowing the upbeat, fresh, and pristine sound of early Dream Theater and applying it to the speed, synth-choirs, and helium vocals favored by archetypal power metal purveyors; perhaps it’s more about bringing the immediacy and accessibility of traditional heavy metal to prog than it is about fitting in with their quest-seeking compadres, but Pagan's Mind do typically arrive at a tremendous chorus sooner or later. It just might take a few minutes of instrumental abandon, and it might cross multiple time signatures, and it might not reoccur until another song’s worth of ideas have been explored... Sometimes a swift string of scales is meant to accentuate the power of your awesome, axe-wielding riffs, and sometimes it’s meant to accentuate the fact that you went to Juilliard. Enigmatic : Calling is heavier, chuggier, and more aggressive than its predecessors, but because of that it also possesses momentum and daring that push it beyond thoughtful noodling; owing much to the previous generation, Pagan's Mind nonetheless are untainted by blatant worship of prog rock pillars and remain free of the tedious self-absorption that sooner or later stalks prog metal bands in the night. Enigmatic : Calling feels continuously creative throughout its 65 minutes, balancing magnitude and musicality to demonstrate how prog can be pushed outside its introverted shell and how power can turn its energies inward without ditching its broad appeal.

Also recommended: Dream Theater – Images And Words, DGM – Different Shapes, Evergrey – In Search Of Truth, Symphony X – The Divine Wings Of Tragedy, Kamelot – The Black Halo, Beyond The Bridge – The Old Man & The Spirit




The United States is not known as a place where a heavy metal band can find mainstream success – at least, not without having a couple of rap verses or being Metallica – and so it seems impossible that a band as eccentric and excessive as the UK’s DragonForce could score a platinum-selling single and become the face of a sensational video game franchise, but in 2007, thousands and thousands of children and teens were introduced to power metal by Guitar Hero III and a little ditty called “Through The Fire And Flames.” This was a surreal moment in musical history: a metal band scored a crossover megahit meme with a song that was 90% faster-than-light shredding (with the other 10% dedicated to nonsensically cheesy sing-along choruses). Many dedicated DragonForce fans, possibly under the specter of Inhuman Rampage’s utterly unaccountable success, maintain that the preceding Valley Of The Damned and Sonic Firestorm are the superior albums and that subsequent material with Marc Hudson on vocals is worthier of serious consideration; these opinions are not to be discounted, but Inhuman Rampage best represents the very idea of DragonForce and, by extension, something of what power metal has always striven to be: more of everything. If you’re playing one note, make it 37 instead. If you’ve got a solo, make it 12 solos. If you’ve already done 12 solos, double-time it and do it again. Sure, power metal doesn’t typically require blast beats and harsh backing vocals, but this is the most go-beyond-plus-ultra-smash-past-infinity genre there is. Go that extra mile. Every song on this album is a time-warping gauntlet of mind-flaying instrumentation, melding guitar and keyboard solos inspired by video game soundtracks with an unreasonably fast pace. It’s the speed and the audacity and the novelty of all this shredding that brought DragonForce mainstream recognition as a curiosity, but if you can withstand the brick wall of notation for a few minutes, a more enduring image emerges: each song is a brilliant rainbow of melody even within the most technical passages, and the incredibly pretentious and triumphant choruses are the blazing golden bow on top. This band of excess successfully brought metal to an unexpected audience, and even if the endless tapping mayhem is too dense for your attention span, even if they’re essentially playing nightcore versions of their own songs, DragonForce’s anthem-writing skills could give any band of this generation a run for its glory.

Also recommended: Ascension (UK) – Far Beyond The Stars, Fraser Edwards – The Architect, Cellador – Enter Deception, Powerglove – Metal Kombat For The Mortal Man, Dungeon – The Final Chapter




Though Iron Savior did not make its studio debut until 1997, frontman Piet Sielck was hardly a newcomer to power metal; in 1978, he and Kai Hansen cofounded Gentry, the band that would one day become Helloween, and prior to founding Iron Savior (again with Hansen, as well as Blind Guardian drummer Thomas Stauch) he had worked in the studio with Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian, among others. Despite the lateness of their arrival, Iron Savior were really part of the previous generation of power metal – and their early albums reflect the influence of Sielck’s collaborators, so you could stack Iron Savior and Unification next to contemporary Gamma Ray albums without much conflict. Eventually, however, change came to this band, too, and by album #4, Sielck was the only founder left. This forced an evolution in Iron Savior’s style. Condition Red introduced a thrashier, heavier sound than the albums that preceded it, and though some Hansen-isms lingered in the harmonized guitar lines, the album bore more obviously the distinct fingerprints of ‘80s Judas Priest and Accept. Battering Ram dropped even the remnants of Gamma Ray that could be detected on Condition Red, trending even leaner, less melodic, and more unrelenting in its pace. Iron Savior finally reached the peak of its evolution on Megatropolis, coming full circle to reintroduce a new kind of melodic sense very distinct from the style of early albums. The blunt and basic heavy metal structures of its two immediate forebears remain, but the chunky, electric sound of the guitars and the resonant, rumbly bass transform the straightforward compositions into springboards for Sielck’s coarse-ground vocals to soar with distinction. Megatropolis contains many of Iron Savior’s grandest and most captivating songs, which is no mean feat given that it arrived nearly 30 years after the start of Sielck’s musical career, well into the reign of power metal and the travails of the band itself. It is a furious and fantastic cyberpunk voyage, evocative of the super-urban sprawl that it depicts and saturated with a neon buzz that sets it apart from so many similar artists who simply plug filched Priest riffs into a template and call it a day.

Also recommended: Dream Evil – Dragonslayer, Bloodbound – Nosferatu, Firewind – The Premonition, Hibria – Defying The Rules, Artch – Another Return




The 2000s saw a surge of bands across North America adapting thrash, groove, and hardcore into newer and heavier subgenres, while at the same time traditional heavy metal was beginning to mount a resurgence through the underground, partly due to the efforts of power metal bands that enjoyed a good hook. 3 Inches Of Blood was a rare beast that refused to make a choice between the two paths, yoking itself to an unusual combination of melody and aggression. Marked by gritty production, a constant stream of thrashy riffs, and howling screams employed by co-lead vocalist Jamie Hooper, 3IOB’s first few albums hedge hesitantly towards a sound analogous to metalcore, but clean vocalist Cam Pipes dominates the band’s personality with his omnipresent Halford-esque falsetto shrieks. The NWOBHM/traditional heavy metal influences eclipse the new-school rampage often enough to coat 3 Inches Of Blood in an Iron Maiden-y sheen of galloping rhythms, harmonized leads, and yowl-along choruses, forming a very strange hybrid. In the end, it’s the melodic side that wins out; 3 Inches Of Blood could be seen as the other side of extreme power metal, acknowledging the heaviness available in modernity but bowing down to the rollicking riff sense of classic metal titans. Tales of orcs, axes, quests, and curses fill up each record, and with Pipes’s pipes splitting ears from one end of Canada to another, 3 Inches Of Blood sounds almost too cheesy to be so heavy. Over the course of five albums, the band would shift into a softer, less rabid sound even more indebted to classic heavy metal and further removed from the elements of harder stuff that come through earlier on; Fire Up The Blades sits at the center, combining the more mature song- and album-crafting from the band's conclusion with the pure fire and speed of the beginning, also enjoying the best production among them all. Together with its counterpart, Advance And Vanquish, Fire Up The Blades best illustrates where 3 Inches Of Blood enters into the power metal conversation.

Also recommended: Crimson Shadows – Glory On The Battlefield, Judas Priest – Painkiller, Into Eternity – The Scattering Of Ashes, Destroy Destroy Destroy – Battle Sluts, Ritual Dictates – Give In To Despair




Tobias Sammet’s predilection for “metal opera” was kindled by smaller-scale ventures with his main project, Edguy, before being fully incarnated in a specialized format: Avantasia. When Avantasia first splintered from Edguy, it was for a defined purpose: a few years and one two-part album project for which Sammet could invite all of his friends, creating a carnivalesque supergroup with a rotating lineup that could convey the narrative he devised for the occasion. Avantasia did recede into oblivion for a little while following that first outing, which yielded the intended collection of Edguy-reminiscent heavy/power marches, but after a few years, Sammet resurrected the project for something a little different. Following the bipartite Lost In Space EP, The Scarecrow not only turned Avantasia into an open-ended concern, but reoriented the band’s stylistic priorities; while the grandiose anthems jam-packed with guest vocalists still make a prominent appearance on every new release, Avantasia now has its own identity distinct from that of Edguy, that of a fresh, fun, and eternally jovial metal pop-era. Starting with The Scarecrow, Avantasia turned away from straight power-hoarding and toward a hummable, danceable arsenal of shimmering hooks ready for Eurovision, and this is why I elected to focus on The Scarecrow rather than its more head-bangable predecessors: this feels not only more representative of Avantasia at this point, but also more indicative of how fully power metal (and traditional metal broadly) would lean into such a style in the years to come. Today, Sammet is one of power metal’s most enticing songwriters thanks to his inability to keep his hands off a cheesy melody, and with the aid of numerous noteworthy voices, each Avantasia album is as much a spectacle as the last; it’s hard to beat a good Avantasia tune, whether you’re after a sappy ballad, a raging thrasher, or a 12-minute journey through every stratum of burning emotion (preferably featuring Jørn Lande). Whether you think you’re too jaded to be impressed by dramatic metal anymore or you’ve never listened to anything heavier than Cher, Avantasia has something to offer you (and it’s probably a duet with Michael Kiske).

Also recommended: Edguy – Mandrake, Dragonland – Astronomy, Saint Deamon – In Shadows Lost From The Brave, Mob Rules – Temple Of Two Suns, Magnum – On A Storyteller’s Night, Aina – The Metal Opera – Days Of Rising Doom




In this section, you’ve seen the first bands to become YouTube sensations and thus utilize the internet as an effective marketing tool. You’ve seen the origins of some of metal’s most persistent in-jokes, coupled to some of its most enduring classics. You’ve seen power metal get proggy, punky, and just a little bit honest and sappy. If you’re not sick of it by now, it’s safe to say that you might have what it takes to become a true power metal crusader, so stick around for Part IV: The 2010s.

Like the previous two articles, this one comes with a special dedication: in memory of Alexi Laiho, Brian Redman, and others in this decade now departed who played a part in bringing this music to life.