Post by GL on Jan 1, 2010 14:34:25 GMT -5
Quite frankly, this was the hardest one to do, not because of the limitations of the genre but moreso because most of the big guns in the genre were touring this year from albums released last year or the year before, leaving a big gap in terms of released material this year. There was still a lot of quality to be found here, but it was mostly from a rather strong support group on usual lists since there’s a lot of missing groups in the usual rotation this time around. Still, with a few solid hands still going at it and a nice bunch of up-and-comers poised to be big names in the scene soon, this won’t be a struggle this time next year as it was this time around.
10. Mob Rules-Radical Peace
One of the more melodic bands of the literally explosive German Power Metal underground, their minimalist style towards the genre is at times somewhat endearing and makes for some catchy stuff, as they don’t rely on the same clichés that they’re brethren do. Even still, the fact that they do have such a simplistic approach oftentimes keeps their songs from having a personality, and, realizing I’m beating a broken drum here, but the second half of this does tend to come off as incredibly same-sounding. Yet, inspite of all this, with their warm vocal melodies and utterly catchy keyboard-driven anthems do give them energy, and any band willing to go over the 15-minute mark in terms of song length deserves some commendation. Not essential, but still good enough.
9. Grave Digger-Ballads of a Hangman
Still Germanic, but with much more of a classic 80s vibe instead of melody, these guys are surely one of the better imitators of the early years of the genre, during the Priest/Manowar style of Power Metal extreme justice. Traditional Heavy Metal riffs collide with a Power Metal groove, and the end result is one that fits right in with that style, yet never really gets a chance to prove themselves as they remain firmly rooted in that sense, and while it does have a few solid surprises here and there, the fact that it remains so defiantly old-school without much change keeps its place here. Decent and solid, but unspectacular is the order of the day with this one.
8. Crystallion-Hundred Days
Perhaps the most promising of the German newcomers, these Epic, Symphonic Metallers are off to the right start in my book, attempting to replicate 80s Helloween/Gamma Ray only with more emphasis on the melodies, and that’s never going to be a bad thing. The main point of contention here is that, because these songs are so big and epic, it gives them a chance to really throw in everything in here, with keyboards, choirs and chanting all going on amidst the blasting, which is certainly going to have these guys in good favor as they continue on. Though the songs do get tiresome with their length (they have yet to master the fine art of the keeping-the-epic-entertaining that Helloween got so well), it’s just something for them to work on in the years to come, and with such a strong foundation already at hand, it’ll be well-worth the time to find them do so.
7. Holyhell-Holyhell
In the realm of Female-Fronted Symphonic Power Metal, these guys have just emerged as the cream of the crop in their debut album, which is quite simply nothing short of impressive. With some of the most haunting, operatic vocals around in incredibly memorable, immediately evocative melodies that lend themselves so essentially to this sound to the technical riffing (the chops on here are incredible, which is to be expected considering the source) and tight rhythm section doling out the bombastic areas with fervor and forcefulness, it creates a sound that is immensely enjoyable. Not a real clunker on the whole album, as even the ballads are fun at times, and definitely one to watch in the future.
6. Saidian-Evercircle
Pretty much what was written earlier for Mob Rules can be written here, except these guys don’t have the simplistic touch that they have. Again, still a very melody-driven album and featuring just about one incredibly memorable riff or sing-along quality verse on every song is what keeps these guys higher up on the list, because they just do a better job of the style. The clear, emotive vocals, the rich harmonies from the guitars, the heavy drumming, it all meshes together into one of the very best practitioners of the style, and one of the best albums of the year.
5. Stratovarius-Polaris
Frankly, you could start off by mentioning all the controversy with these guys, but you’d be missing the point entirely as it allowed these veterans to continue on their recent path of doing classy Melodic Power Metal with a Symphonic touch, just with the symphonic stuff being shoved way down compared to their earlier masterworks. The emphasis now isn’t to do those but to use the melodies and harmonies already present with their sound and bring them to the forefront and let the classiness remain, resulting in pretty much what is to be extended, heavily melodic mid-paced churners with a few barn-burners tossed in to appeal to the older fans, and while that can be a good thing, it still doesn’t measure up to their past catalog.
4. Brainstorm-Memorial Roots
About as heavy as a Power Metal band will ever get, these guys deliver yet another solid and highly enjoyable romp of stylized, classy Priest-influenced Power Metal. With just about every member of the band delivering solid performances around the board, they’ve got their sound down to a pat and are just merely continuing to crank out the awesomeness. The guitars are loud, clear, forceful and powerful, delivering rich harmonies on just about every single song on here and making them memorable and enjoyable, the drumming is just destructive and pummels everything around it, and the basslines merge together nicely to give the band a sense of melody all the way through. With one of the strongest, most evocative voices in the genre rounding things out in front, these guys continue to bring in the awesome on every record.
3. Alestorm-Black Sails at Midnight
Infusing a more folk-driven approach to Power Metal dealing with pirates, rather unlike Running Wild but with their own style, I’ve always kinda liked these guys. The music does give off a nautical feel, and from the lyrics that really cements the image as a whole, but it’s just that there’s a Power Metal feel to it. The inclusion of an accordion-styled keyboard flavorings definitely helps the band stand out even more amongst their peers and enabling the songs to take on another identity as they’re blasted out, which is a lot of fun. The grittier vocals from a band of this type are something to get used to, but add another layer to their Pirate-themed adventures, and so long as they can continue to find areas of the past to mine, they’ll be just fine.
2. Ravage-The End of Tomorrow
One of the most respectful of the bands paying homage to their fore-fathers, these guys take a guitar tone that fits in with the mid-80s, wraps it up in riffs that are found on Thrash albums of the time, mixed together with some of the better vocal deliveries to date, and the end result is one of the best attempts at the style found to date. The twin guitar firepower and muscular delivery of the vocals tend to be the big drawing factor for these guys, with the rabid thrashing of the riffs leading to an upscale tempo attack that is pleasing to hear and leads to a series of great harmonies, while the vocals, which range from a typical mid-range delivery to stand-anthem ready backing shouts and call-and-response gang shouts, these guys are one of the best at this style so early into their career, and it can only lead upwards from here.
1. Primal Fear-16.6 (The Devil Knows You’re Dead)
The band that pretty much wrote the book on copying Judas Priest, almost to the point of plagiarism at times, they come back with one of their strongest efforts to date, and this year’s Power Metal selection. Led by the best Halford imitation in the game, who at times sounds so much like him that they’re almost identical, a faster groove on the traditional Priest sound and one rabid rhythm section that belts out a strong base to hang everything onto, they’ve got a pleasing sound that stays in your head for days afterward, matched in no small part by their ability to graft strong hooks onto those sections to make the songs even more memorable, and the album, like so many of their others, is a satisfying listen from start to finish. These guys are finally to be commended for their struggle with this one, and if there’s any justice, it’ll be the launching pad for their discovery over here.
10. Mob Rules-Radical Peace
One of the more melodic bands of the literally explosive German Power Metal underground, their minimalist style towards the genre is at times somewhat endearing and makes for some catchy stuff, as they don’t rely on the same clichés that they’re brethren do. Even still, the fact that they do have such a simplistic approach oftentimes keeps their songs from having a personality, and, realizing I’m beating a broken drum here, but the second half of this does tend to come off as incredibly same-sounding. Yet, inspite of all this, with their warm vocal melodies and utterly catchy keyboard-driven anthems do give them energy, and any band willing to go over the 15-minute mark in terms of song length deserves some commendation. Not essential, but still good enough.
9. Grave Digger-Ballads of a Hangman
Still Germanic, but with much more of a classic 80s vibe instead of melody, these guys are surely one of the better imitators of the early years of the genre, during the Priest/Manowar style of Power Metal extreme justice. Traditional Heavy Metal riffs collide with a Power Metal groove, and the end result is one that fits right in with that style, yet never really gets a chance to prove themselves as they remain firmly rooted in that sense, and while it does have a few solid surprises here and there, the fact that it remains so defiantly old-school without much change keeps its place here. Decent and solid, but unspectacular is the order of the day with this one.
8. Crystallion-Hundred Days
Perhaps the most promising of the German newcomers, these Epic, Symphonic Metallers are off to the right start in my book, attempting to replicate 80s Helloween/Gamma Ray only with more emphasis on the melodies, and that’s never going to be a bad thing. The main point of contention here is that, because these songs are so big and epic, it gives them a chance to really throw in everything in here, with keyboards, choirs and chanting all going on amidst the blasting, which is certainly going to have these guys in good favor as they continue on. Though the songs do get tiresome with their length (they have yet to master the fine art of the keeping-the-epic-entertaining that Helloween got so well), it’s just something for them to work on in the years to come, and with such a strong foundation already at hand, it’ll be well-worth the time to find them do so.
7. Holyhell-Holyhell
In the realm of Female-Fronted Symphonic Power Metal, these guys have just emerged as the cream of the crop in their debut album, which is quite simply nothing short of impressive. With some of the most haunting, operatic vocals around in incredibly memorable, immediately evocative melodies that lend themselves so essentially to this sound to the technical riffing (the chops on here are incredible, which is to be expected considering the source) and tight rhythm section doling out the bombastic areas with fervor and forcefulness, it creates a sound that is immensely enjoyable. Not a real clunker on the whole album, as even the ballads are fun at times, and definitely one to watch in the future.
6. Saidian-Evercircle
Pretty much what was written earlier for Mob Rules can be written here, except these guys don’t have the simplistic touch that they have. Again, still a very melody-driven album and featuring just about one incredibly memorable riff or sing-along quality verse on every song is what keeps these guys higher up on the list, because they just do a better job of the style. The clear, emotive vocals, the rich harmonies from the guitars, the heavy drumming, it all meshes together into one of the very best practitioners of the style, and one of the best albums of the year.
5. Stratovarius-Polaris
Frankly, you could start off by mentioning all the controversy with these guys, but you’d be missing the point entirely as it allowed these veterans to continue on their recent path of doing classy Melodic Power Metal with a Symphonic touch, just with the symphonic stuff being shoved way down compared to their earlier masterworks. The emphasis now isn’t to do those but to use the melodies and harmonies already present with their sound and bring them to the forefront and let the classiness remain, resulting in pretty much what is to be extended, heavily melodic mid-paced churners with a few barn-burners tossed in to appeal to the older fans, and while that can be a good thing, it still doesn’t measure up to their past catalog.
4. Brainstorm-Memorial Roots
About as heavy as a Power Metal band will ever get, these guys deliver yet another solid and highly enjoyable romp of stylized, classy Priest-influenced Power Metal. With just about every member of the band delivering solid performances around the board, they’ve got their sound down to a pat and are just merely continuing to crank out the awesomeness. The guitars are loud, clear, forceful and powerful, delivering rich harmonies on just about every single song on here and making them memorable and enjoyable, the drumming is just destructive and pummels everything around it, and the basslines merge together nicely to give the band a sense of melody all the way through. With one of the strongest, most evocative voices in the genre rounding things out in front, these guys continue to bring in the awesome on every record.
3. Alestorm-Black Sails at Midnight
Infusing a more folk-driven approach to Power Metal dealing with pirates, rather unlike Running Wild but with their own style, I’ve always kinda liked these guys. The music does give off a nautical feel, and from the lyrics that really cements the image as a whole, but it’s just that there’s a Power Metal feel to it. The inclusion of an accordion-styled keyboard flavorings definitely helps the band stand out even more amongst their peers and enabling the songs to take on another identity as they’re blasted out, which is a lot of fun. The grittier vocals from a band of this type are something to get used to, but add another layer to their Pirate-themed adventures, and so long as they can continue to find areas of the past to mine, they’ll be just fine.
2. Ravage-The End of Tomorrow
One of the most respectful of the bands paying homage to their fore-fathers, these guys take a guitar tone that fits in with the mid-80s, wraps it up in riffs that are found on Thrash albums of the time, mixed together with some of the better vocal deliveries to date, and the end result is one of the best attempts at the style found to date. The twin guitar firepower and muscular delivery of the vocals tend to be the big drawing factor for these guys, with the rabid thrashing of the riffs leading to an upscale tempo attack that is pleasing to hear and leads to a series of great harmonies, while the vocals, which range from a typical mid-range delivery to stand-anthem ready backing shouts and call-and-response gang shouts, these guys are one of the best at this style so early into their career, and it can only lead upwards from here.
1. Primal Fear-16.6 (The Devil Knows You’re Dead)
The band that pretty much wrote the book on copying Judas Priest, almost to the point of plagiarism at times, they come back with one of their strongest efforts to date, and this year’s Power Metal selection. Led by the best Halford imitation in the game, who at times sounds so much like him that they’re almost identical, a faster groove on the traditional Priest sound and one rabid rhythm section that belts out a strong base to hang everything onto, they’ve got a pleasing sound that stays in your head for days afterward, matched in no small part by their ability to graft strong hooks onto those sections to make the songs even more memorable, and the album, like so many of their others, is a satisfying listen from start to finish. These guys are finally to be commended for their struggle with this one, and if there’s any justice, it’ll be the launching pad for their discovery over here.