History of Power Metal article in Guitar World

[Yngvai X]

Just calling attention to a multi page article in the new Guitar World on powermetal. Theres a lot of interview snippets from Jeff Loomis and Gus G. and one of the HammerFall guitarists. Theres some things I raise an eyebrow at (such as the choices for the 11 most essential powermetal albums and the fact that they kept conjuring Rhapsody-like imagry to describe powermetal as a whole), but for a mainstream music magazine article, its rather good, and some of the more lowkey bands get a mention. Just to give you an idea, they mention at least once the following bands: Dream Evil, Rhapsody, Manowar, HammerFall, Helloween, Nevermore, Jag Panzer, Virgin Steele, Nightwish, Gamma Ray, Rage, Grave Digger, Running Wild, Accept, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Symphony X, Kamelot, Lost Horizon, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Demons & Wizards, Symphorce, Twilightning, Firewind....ahm I think I might have forgotten a few.

Also I have to love how Loomis and Gus G lay the smackdown on the US metal scene, to quote Gus "I think America just eats what MTV feeds them."

 

[AngraRULES]

Totally aggreed with Mr Loomis and Mr G.

There are bands that didn't deserve to be mentioned and other ones that should've and weren't.

 

[dargormudshark]

cool

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

to quote Gus "I think America just eats what MTV feeds them."

A truer statement has never been made. It wouldn't be so bad if MTV was actually promoting quality bands like they did in the 80s, and not the manufactured boymetal bands of today.

In my view, American pastures are full of wool-clad mammals, but not enough shepherds looking out for the flock's interests. Instead, the wolves are feasting on flesh because the brains are too lazy to think about running the other direction to find greener pastures...

:Smokin:

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

Soo....would you name some of the good bands MTV were promoting in the 80's?

 

[woosta]

Queensryche.

 

[BABS]

I think they had better rotation back then, they may have been hair bands - but, it seemed like all of them had their time on MTV.

Week after week I sit through Headbanger's Ball on MTV2 in hopes of catching a glimpse of some band I like. I think I've figured out the scheme, they play something prog (usually Nightwish) about once a month to keep us all tuning in week after week.

 

[Creeps]

Unless you watched Headbanger's Ball, MTV in the 80s was all hair all the time (meaning metal during the daytime hours)

Def Leppard
Bon Jovi
Cinderella
Warrant
Poison
Winger
Kiss
Queensryche
Van Halen
David Lee Roth

The Ball was similar except you'd see more hair and the occasional metal..

Faster Pussycat
Damian
Iron Maiden
Suicidal Tendencies
Testament
Anthrax
Helloween
Danger Danger
Metal Church
Bulletboys

 

[wayland smithers]

Just calling attention to a multi page article in the new Guitar World on powermetal. Theres a lot of interview snippets from Jeff Loomis and Gus G. and one of the HammerFall guitarists. Theres some things I raise an eyebrow at (such as the choices for the 11 most essential powermetal albums and the fact that they kept conjuring Rhapsody-like imagry to describe powermetal as a whole), but for a mainstream music magazine article, its rather good, and some of the more lowkey bands get a mention. Just to give you an idea, they mention at least once the following bands: Dream Evil, Rhapsody, Manowar, HammerFall, Helloween, Nevermore, Jag Panzer, Virgin Steele, Nightwish, Gamma Ray, Rage, Grave Digger, Running Wild, Accept, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Symphony X, Kamelot, Lost Horizon, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Demons & Wizards, Symphorce, Twilightning, Firewind....ahm I think I might have forgotten a few.

Also I have to love how Loomis and Gus G lay the smackdown on the US metal scene, to quote Gus "I think America just eats what MTV feeds them."

Sounds like a good article, what month is it and whos on the cover?
thanks.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Soo....would you name some of the good bands MTV were promoting in the 80's?

I remember back in the day...seeing videos for Priest, Dio, Yngwie, Saxon, Grim Reaper, Queensryche, Savatage, Helloween, Great White...the list goes on and on.

Granted, they didn't play them often, but if you were willing to sit through three hours of crap you might get to see five minutes of something good!

 

[edgeofthorns]

I remember back in the day...seeing videos for Priest, Dio, Yngwie, Saxon, Grim Reaper, Queensryche, Savatage, Helloween, Great White...the list goes on and on.

Granted, they didn't play them often, but if you were willing to sit through three hours of crap you might get to see five minutes of something good!

Outcast, I like your above list! I remember watching the Ball when I was 12 or 13 and seeing the above bands fairly regularly. I'm a huge, huge Savatage fan, and I'd pass out if MTV played the Gutter Ballet now! Granted, the glam/hair bands that were mainstream were sex crazed, party boys, but their music wasn't this stripped down garage junk that's popular today! IMO, the hard rock/metal scene of the 80's had more talent than the scene today. I'll admit, I'm biased though.............

 

[urinalcakemix]

Which month issue// who's on the cover, I'm very much intrested to read this article.

 

[Yngvai X]

Jimmy Page is on the cover.

and just in case you're interested, the "11 essential powermetal albums":

Manowar - Hail to England
Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt 1
Iron Maiden - 7th Son of a 7th Son
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
HammerFall - Glory to the Brave
Demons & Wizards - S/T
Rhapsody - Dawn of Victory
Nightwish - Century Child
Nevermore - Enemies of Reality
Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath

Besides the fact that 4 of those bands aren't even power metal to begin with, the ones that are they didn't even pick their best albums (leave it to some buffoon at Guitar World to call Keepers 1 essential over Keepers 2...EVERY Helloween fan knows Keepers 2 is their big album). And how do you mention an Iced Earth/Blind Guardian side project without mentioning either IE or BG?

Discuss

 

[Bryan316]

I read the article.

I found it laughable.

There was such an obvious, underlying tone to the author, that was such subtle mockery and disinterest in the genre. And yeah, they picked out some SHITTY suggestions for their top list. I really don't think they picked an author who WANTED to write this article. It's like, some damned editor, gave some damned project to some damned NOOB and told him to do some research on the internet. Probably Steven Glass that wrote the damned article.

I am, however, glad that 'our boys' got a decent spot in the mag. It's pretty cool. But.... I guarantee you, we could have come up with a better article, just by snagging different comments on this message board. And we wouldn't mock the subject we're trying to pretend to like!


Sorry. Nevermore is not Power Metal. That name, above all, does NOT fit the tone and point of the article. Nevermore is some depressing, dark, demonic shit. Which is entirely against what the roots of power metal come from. Swedish hardcore metal? Yeah. Traditional power metal? No.


But I'll tell you what.


Gus G. is DA MAN! It is certainly eMpTyV.

 

[Yngvai X]

Sorry. Nevermore is not Power Metal. That name, above all, does NOT fit the tone and point of the article. Nevermore is some depressing, dark, demonic shit. Which is entirely against what the roots of power metal come from. Swedish hardcore metal? Yeah. Traditional power metal? No.

Yea, Nevermore play Swedish Hardcore metal despite the fact that they are neither from Sweden (they're from seattle) nor does their music sound anything like hardcore.

And yes, I consider Nevermore powermetal. Since when does all powermetal have to be prozac metal. Wanna tell me how the latest Manticora album isn't dark? Or how there isn't some heavy evil stuff on Iced Earth's Horror Show? If more powermetal sounded like Nevermore maybe the genre wouldn't be laughed at so much

 

[DeathDevil]

How in the hell did this album get included in this list ~ Demons & Wizards - S/T???This album BLOWS big time!!! There is only so much Schaffer riffing I can take in one album (Please no more )... I'd say replace D&W with IE -The Dark Saga and maybe you have yourself a list. Change Nevermore's album to the first one & throw in Awaken the Guardian / No Exit
There's the list.

 

[General Zod]

I've never understood calling Nevermore Power Metal. I guess they get stuffed into that genre, because it's the widest Metal genre and they don't fit neatly into any other genre. However, it's hard to listen to "Dreaming Neon Black" or "Politics of Ecstacy" and walk away thinking "Power Metal".

Their recommended listening list isn't terrible. However, "Enemies" is Nevermore's worst CD, and hardly fits the Power Metal genre. And when did Queensryche become Power Metal? That's got to be the silliest classification I've ever seen.

Zod

 

[Yngvai X]

IHowever, "Enemies" is Nevermore's worst CD, .

I dunno...I think what made that album so shitty was the ass production. The remix is coming out soon, and I think once the album has good production it'll be as good as DHiaDW cause the songs Enemies rocked.

And these days genres are broadening. I mean you take a band like Opeth and then a band like Nile and one like Dark Tranquility...all these fall into the cateogory of "death metal" somehow but they don't sound at all like each other. So in this respect I don't see whats so hard to believe about calling bands that sit on the boarderline thrash end like Iced Earth, Nevermore, Grave Digger, Rage etc powermetal...they all have melodic vocals and owe their roots to classic metal...if gothic metal bands like Nightwish and After Forever can get lumped in to powermetal then so can the thrashier bands.

 

[General Zod]

And when did Queensryche become Power Metal? That's got to be the silliest classification I've ever seen.

...MTV in the 80s was all hair all the time...

Bon Jovi
Warrant
Poison
Winger
Kiss
Queensryche

I stand corrected. Queensryche... "Hair Metal"?

Zod

 

[J-Man]

Its MTV's fault that #1 Mainstream radio stations won't touch NIGHTWISH, PYRAMAZE, ORPHANED LAND and the likes. so kids today can't really see what good metal is, metal that has a heart and soul to, metal that is played by someone with TALENT. #2 Most major music stores shudder when you as if they have any power metal, and the answer you get "oh you mean like Nickelback or such" They just dont know. Then it is the mainstream radio stations fault (especially in my town) the program directors don't have a clue. I mean the same LED ZEPPLIN song 11 times in 6 hours( i aint BSing They played stairway to heaven 11 times in under 6 hours.
I am happy to say that i am bring my daughters up righteous Power Metal, Progressive Metal Symphonic Metal, Melodic Metal, with a touch of Dark metal, and hey they are growing up just fine, they like what they like. So i say to all these people that really dont know about true Power metal(Dave Navarro comes to mind) your just jealous Dave. cause Gus G. or Kai Hansen, or Thomas Youngblood can play better than you.