Rateyourmusic's Top 50 power metal of 2010

[General Zod]

General Zod - 300 or so albums is from metal archives though there are plenty of cross genres mixed between thrash and power. Of course a lot of them are underground and get no publicity as well. You argue that pm is dead in the water but you see, once again that only reflects your personal taste. If I can find 28 albums in that list that obviously makes pm far more alive for me. Who is right then? You can't argue that yeah I love pm as a genre, it's my fave when it's done well, but then only barely like 3 from that list. You sound like you are just itching to bin albums cause something better exists already in the style. Fine. That's good for your point of view but if someone else still enjoys what pm has to offer as a genre in 2010/11 then you have to respect that.

I'm sure we could go back and forth on this all day, because as you correctly point out, we're largely arguing our own personal tastes. However, what I think you may not be considering is, how each respective genre compares to itself historically. And to this point I would ask, where are the 2010 Power Metal releases that you expect will be viewed in the same vein as Iced Earth's Dark Saga or Blind Guardian's Imaginations from the Other Side? I can appreciate that someone who hasn't been listening to Power Metal for as many years, may queue up the latest Helloween disc and think it's amazing. But it's unlikely that anyone who's been following the genre is going to put it on the same level as the Keepers discs, or put Gamma Ray's To the Metal up there with Land of the Free. Conversely, when you look at Black Metal, for example, there are bands who are constantly toying with the genre's boundaries and releasing works that will someday be considered classics. I just don't see the same thing happening within Power Metal. Not because I don't want to see it... just because, as I said, the genre's foundations are built upon an inherently limited format.

 

[General Zod]

But I think the problem is that like you said most people are expecting something new and different in the power metal genre. I personally feel that if you change the formula then it's no longer power metal.

Agreed. And for what it's worth, I'm not looking for someone to reinvent the Power Metal wheel. I totally dig the Sinbreed disc, despite the fact that there's nothing original about it. However, if you want to follow a formula to a tee, than you better do it exceedingly well.

 

[nomisofsiman]

Very disappointing and very stagnant IMO. Definitely lacks a focal point - there's no "Rebellion in Dreamland" or "Armageddon" here. A couple tracks are better than others, but overall there's just nothing really interesting here. I fear Kai and co. have run out of ideas.

I think people are overreacting in terms of Gamma Ray as a whole. Yes, I agree this album was very lackluster; however, I wouldn't go so far to say that Gamma Ray has run out of ideas. Lately it seems they're inconsistent. I love No World Order, didn't like Majesty, liked Land of the Free 2 but didn't like the new one. Considering that, I'm looking forward to them releasing a new album.

 

[nomisofsiman]

when it comes to power metal I dont care if they bring something new to the table....I just want it catchy. Nothing worse than a dull power metal disc. While those disc in that list are decent almost none of them are stellar where I would go back years from now and listen to over and over. It was a weak year for the power metal genre.

Completely agree with this one. I too really don't want to see, nor do I think it's really possible to bring anything new to power metal. I just want the songs to be catchy, memorable and contain some decent songwriting.

 

[Fire breath]

General - I differ from you because I am not comparing albums backwards all the time and wondering if they are repeating themselves. Well I do compare but I don't have this strict belief or sense of "ok they've already done that so I don't need it". Take Sabaton as an example. They are my favourite pm band in the world today bar none. They have released exactly the same album 4 times in a row more or less and I am positively happy that they have done so and I hope that their next album will be more songs about wars with big choruses etc. In fact I am a touch worried that the band themselves are getting a little bored and will start to mess with the formula. As many and you yourself have pointed out pm is a pretty limited genre and it all boils down to how songwriting appeals to you. I think you sound completely burnt out on this style judging by your words and yet you say you tried all these albums expecting to like them. Save yourself the disappointment and don't bother next time mate.

 

[The Invisible Guest]

How many of those discs listed above were "the best" discs of that bands career? I'm pretty familiar with half of that list of bands, and I don't think I saw a single one I would say is that bands best disc. I just get that *been there and done that* vibe with power metal right now. It's hard for me to get excited about a genre that's made up of a bunch of bands that have already peaked years ago.



Britt

 

[VenomGA]

I will 2 maybe 3 of these albums in my Top 20 for the year....Pretty crappy year for Power Metal if you ask me...

 

[DTJeff]

I think people are overreacting in terms of Gamma Ray as a whole. Yes, I agree this album was very lackluster; however, I wouldn't go so far to say that Gamma Ray has run out of ideas. Lately it seems they're inconsistent. I love No World Order, didn't like Majesty, liked Land of the Free 2 but didn't like the new one. Considering that, I'm looking forward to them releasing a new album.

See, I'm looking at this with a different perspective. Loved No World Order, really liked Majestic, thought Land of the Free was solid, and the new one is definitely subpar. So that's a relatively downward trajectory over the course of 4 albums for me.

 

[adaher]

In regards to what Zod said, power metal just needs to be heavy and have good hooks to be good for most people.

I think one reason power metal is in the doldrums is becuase a lot of the biggest bands are trying to do something else and they just can't pull it off. trying to make their lyrics more serious or playing slower with more proggy elements just exposes their shortcomings as artists.

 

[General Zod]

Take Sabaton as an example. They are my favourite pm band in the world today bar none. They have released exactly the same album 4 times in a row more or less and I am positively happy that they have done so and I hope that their next album will be more songs about wars with big choruses etc.

I completely understand what you're saying; I have no desire to see Manowar evolve (I also have no fear that they will ). However, with respect to Sabaton, the reason I don't like the new album isn't because they failed to evolve, it's because it's the weakest collection of songs they've released.

In fact I am a touch worried that the band themselves are getting a little bored and will start to mess with the formula. As many and you yourself have pointed out pm is a pretty limited genre and it all boils down to how songwriting appeals to you.

Agreed. However, where is the band who released a great collection of Power Metal songs? Not necessarily original or groundbreaking... just great, kick ass songs?

I think you sound completely burnt out on this style judging by your words and yet you say you tried all these albums expecting to like them. Save yourself the disappointment and don't bother next time mate.

If I was burnt out on the genre, than the Sinbreed disc wouldn't be finishing the year in my Top 10 this year.

By the way, in your assessment of the current state of Power Metal, where you went through about 20 of the bigger 2010 Power Metal CDs, where was the disc that you thought was fantastic? Here are some of the descriptors you used....

"the album is fine"
"for me this is just a real solid album"
"meets expectations"
"This one is actually a disappointment"
"they make the same album all the time"
"Actually a disappointment"
"quite stagnant"
"a disappointment"

Those are hardly glowing words of praise for your genre. Where are the amazing, 10/10, buy or die Power Metal CDs of 2010? The discs that you'll be reaching for in five years?

 

[nomisofsiman]

However, with respect to Sabaton, the reason I don't like the new album isn't because they failed to evolve, it's because it's the weakest collection of songs they've released.

I have to agree with this completely. The new Sabaton was probably one of the more anticipated discs for me and outside of maybe 2-3 songs, it was pretty damn poor in my opinion without anything particularly memorable. And that "Metal Ripper" song is one of the worst things I've ever heard in a long time.

 

[Soundscape]

I find most Power Metal in general to be pretty samey and redundant anyway. But keep something in mind, assuming that list is filtered from the overall top albums list
http://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/2010

Rym's ranking/formula is hardly perfect. Their rankings are largely based on number of ratings, rather than average rating. Just because an album has less ratings overall, shouldn't necessarily detract from the fact it may have an overall higher rating. Some albums may just be more obscure, and that's why it's ranked lower, even though those who have rated it, think it's a better record.

 

[dcowboys311]

I'm confused at all this talk of power metal becoming 'stagnant.' I'd argue that it was 'stagnant' within the first five years of its existence. It's never been a dynamic genre. Everything was done within the first few years. I don't know of anyone who listens to power metal for experimentation or musical exploration...just kickass tunes.

The big bands aren't releasing albums that live up to their earlier albums anymore. Is this because they're power metal bands? Or is it because bands just don't release as high quality music when they've been around for 25 years? I can't think of ANY bands, regardless of genre, who have released their finest material after being around for two decades.

I do think that power metal's popularity and growth is slow in comparison to black, death, and thrash metal, and this might be why the genre seems stagnant. Not as many new releases and new bands penetrating the scene. But from a musical standpoint, come on...it was all done decades ago. Nothing new to see here.

 

[Diabolik]

I'm confused at all this talk of power metal becoming 'stagnant.' I'd argue that it was 'stagnant' within the first five years of its existence. It's never been a dynamic genre. Everything was done within the first few years. I don't know of anyone who listens to power metal for experimentation or musical exploration...just kickass tunes.

The big bands aren't releasing albums that live up to their earlier albums anymore. Is this because they're power metal bands? Or is it because bands just don't release as high quality music when they've been around for 25 years? I can't think of ANY bands, regardless of genre, who have released their finest material after being around for two decades.

I do think that power metal's popularity and growth is slow in comparison to black, death, and thrash metal, and this might be why the genre seems stagnant. Not as many new releases and new bands penetrating the scene. But from a musical standpoint, come on...it was all done decades ago. Nothing new to see here.

Helloween.

 

[dcowboys311]

I can appreciate that someone who hasn't been listening to Power Metal for as many years, may queue up the latest Helloween disc and think it's amazing. But it's unlikely that anyone who's been following the genre is going to put it on the same level as the Keepers discs, or put Gamma Ray's To the Metal up there with Land of the Free. Conversely, when you look at Black Metal, for example, there are bands who are constantly toying with the genre's boundaries and releasing works that will someday be considered classics. I just don't see the same thing happening within Power Metal.

Black metal and power metal are inherently different, though. I don't think you can fairly compare the two at all. The second wave of black metal thrived on one-upping, topping, and being more 'extreme' than their contemporaries. Every band took it upon themselves to go above and beyond and stand out. That attitude and ethos has survived to this day. Not saying that all black metal bands have these beliefs (that's obvious that they don't) but many still do try to experiment and be a step ahead of the rest. That attitude has never really prevailed in power metal. Nothing wrong with that...just different goals and objectives.

You hinted at this, but I think your perspective is more biased as a result of the time you've spent with the genre than you realize. A newbie to power metal might think these new records are on par with Keepers or Nightfall. Who's to say they won't be the new classics? Nobody really knows yet.

Every generation thinks that the TV shows they grew up with are the best and the new stuff is 'garbage.' That same analogy can apply to power metal (or most other styles of metal to be honest).

 

[edgeofthorns]

By reading this list, I've realized that I've only heard 4 of these discs. I don't know what that says about me...am I bored, lazy, or just don't care anymore?

I think it's the latter. I have a few select "veteran" power metal bands that I think peaked earlier in the decade like Edguy for example, with Kamelot being another. After these bands started releasing weak discs I just never started exploring any of the newcomers. Why? I guess I assumed they couldn't do it better.

...by the way, I'm a huge Jorn fanboy and I think the new Masterplan sucks! It's bland...it bores me to tears...even Jorn couldn't salvage it for me.



~Brian~

 

[The Invisible Guest]

The big bands aren't releasing albums that live up to their earlier albums anymore. Is this because they're power metal bands? Or is it because bands just don't release as high quality music when they've been around for 25 years? I can't think of ANY bands, regardless of genre, who have released their finest material after being around for two decades.

Vanden Plas, Amorphis, Overkill, Accept, Flotsam and Jetsam, Anathema, Mekong Delta, Nevermore, Pretty Maids, and many other long standing acts have been releasing music within the past few years that rank among their best material ever.

Just my opinion though.


Britt

 

[dcowboys311]

Vanden Plas, Amorphis, Overkill, Accept, Flotsam and Jetsam, Anathema, Mekong Delta, Nevermore, Pretty Maids, and many other long standing acts have been releasing music within the past few years that rank among their best material ever.

Just my opinion though.


Britt

Heh, yeah thought of a few myself a few minutes after hitting 'submit'. Darkthrone being the primary one. Can't say I agree with the majority of your list aside from Amorphis, but there are a few I'm not familiar with so I can't comment.

The difference with bands like Amorphis and Darkthrone is that their sound has never really been 'stagnant'. They've never released the same album twice. Always evolving, always progressing. With the power metal genre, there isn't room for much evolution and progression. Once you start evolving and progressing, you're not really power metal anymore. And that's ok. I guess the point I was trying to get at was that bands tend to run out of ideas after 25 years when releasing the same style of album over and over. It's natural.

 

[Diabolik]

Every generation thinks that the TV shows they grew up with are the best and the new stuff is 'garbage.' That same analogy can apply to power metal (or most other styles of metal to be honest).

not true....the shows I grew up with are horrible. It wasnt till like the last decade where TV quality has changed for the better with the HBO / Showtime shows and others like Lost and Breaking Bad.

 

[Diabolik]

The difference with bands like Amorphis and Darkthrone is that their sound has never really been 'stagnant'. They've never released the same album twice. Always evolving, always progressing. With the power metal genre, there isn't room for much evolution and progression. Once you start evolving and progressing, you're not really power metal anymore. And that's ok. I guess the point I was trying to get at was that bands tend to run out of ideas after 25 years when releasing the same style of album over and over. It's natural.

look at Grave Digger...their latest is probably thier best yet. Running Wild put out some of thier best stuff since the 80's near the end of thier career.