It's that time again: predict the actual lineup

[Burke]

Friday:

Pyramaze
Dream Evil
Masterplan
Russell Allen / Jorn Lande
Symphony X

Saturday:

Evil Masquerade
Dead Soul Tribe
Jag Panzer
Evergrey
GAMMA RAY

Oh HELL yes - that would own!!!!!
Throw in Symph X or Evergrey, Pagan's Mind, and Enchant and I'll pay my $130 right the fuck now.

 

[mtlheart]

I think these would be fair and balanced. I'm not a big prog fan, but I think either of these might be viable options.

or

 

[Dark One]

Primal Fear headlining over Fates Warning???

Pretty nice list by the way.

 

[Harvester]

I think these would be fair and balanced. I'm not a big prog fan, but I think either of these might be viable options.

Nice graphic, but you are indeed too far to the power side.

Plus, Primal Fear over Fates Warning??? tsk...tsk...

I'd pay money to see that lineup though.

Glenn H.

 

[Sumeet]

It's tough to predict who's actually going to be on the bill. Even if you're sitting at home, going through all the factors in your head and trying to be very careful to pick bands that are actually feasible, and not just bands you wish would play. I'm sure there are many bands who were on Glenn's "possible" list in the past, who couldn't make it for any number of reasons... personal problems, travel issues, logistical setup problems, financial problems, and so forth.

For example, I think it's probable that there's been some investigation about bringing Labyrinth over for ProgPower USA... but if you think about it, only one Italian band has played ProgPower to this point... despite the fact that this is a festival known for providing European bands with their US debut, and that there are a great many Italian bands who would work well on a ProgPower bill, and attract the proper amount of fan attention relative to their placement on the bill (i.e., Rhapsody would bring in a good number of fans as a headliner, Labyrinth would also be a good draw as a mid-card band, or possibly a headliner).

Maybe it's difficult to bring a band over from Italy? Maybe. Hell, maybe the drop in the US Dollar relative to the Euro has made the festival slightly less profitable for Glenn as a whole... or been the partial cause of ticket price increases. There's just too many behind-the-scenes factors for any outside prognosticator to make an educated guess.

That said, then, I have nothing to lose in guessing that Labyrinth, Evergrey, Primal Fear, and Savage Circus might be on next year's bill.

And Nocturnal Rites would kick ass too, but I have no good reason to suspect that they are on deck.

 

[Matt Crooks]

Plus, Primal Fear over Fates Warning??? tsk...tsk...

I'd pay money to see that lineup though.
Glenn H.

Agreed on both counts. Maybe replace Mercenary with Redemption since Ray would be there already...

 

[Harvester]

It's tough to predict who's actually going to be on the bill.

Sumeet brings up some very good points. There are so many factors that go into the invitation and actual confirmation. Everything from record label politics to the dropping Euro has effected my decisions.

Hell, I have no idea who is on the roster until Jan/Feb for the most part. As for how difficult it is, it varies from year to year to be honest. One year, I got 9 out of 10 bands I went after up front. Another year, I think I got 3 out of the original 10 I went after.

Glenn H.

 

[TheWhisper]

Sorry, didn't see the thread about the Royal Hunt fiasco already up.

 

[Dolamite S. Biffle]

I think Glenn should post the 10 bands that he would like to see and would be fitting in the PP setting (i.e. no Jimmy Buffet and no Bon Jovi)

 

[General Zod]

Hmmm.... I have "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" and "The Sacred Talisman" and always considered them to be quite generic. Not horrible, but nothing that would want make me want to listen to them over (insert power metal band X). Perhaps a revisit is in order.

Britt and I have been discussing these guys a bit over the last few weeks. I think the new one is better, in terms of song quality, but I don't think it's any less generic.

As a whole, however, I don't think Power Metal is any more generic than any other genre. To my ear, most genre break down like this:

1% Bands that define the genre
5% Excellent bands
10% Good bands that are solid, but lack originality
25% Bands that lack originality, and appeal to only a small subset of the genre's fanbase
59% Total shit

Zod

 

[Dark One]

Britt and I have been discussing these guys a bit over the last few weeks. I think the new one is better, in terms of song quality, but I don't think it's any less generic.

As a whole, however, I don't think Power Metal is any more generic than any other genre. To my ear, most genre break down like this:

1% Bands that define the genre
5% Excellent bands
10% Good bands that are solid, but lack originality
25% Bands that lack originality, and appeal to only a small subset of the genre's fanbase
59% Total shit

Zod

Makes sense and in the unbiased picture of things you are right on the money - but I guess it's a matter of a certain genre appealing to you more. During my melodic death metal phase, every generic band out there was in the 10% category for me, I just couldn't get enough of it. Now, the same thing is starting to happen to me in the melodic death/black/thrash style.

Power metal (at least in the Euro Power Metal side of things) breaks down like this:

10% Bands that I want to listen to
90% Bands that I don't

 

[YtseJammer]

Objectively:

Gamma Ray
Rhapsody
Within Temptation
Masterplan
Freak Kitchen
Vision Divine
Mob Rules
Pyramaze
Wastefall
Prymary (this year's Outworld)

And I'll guess Avian plays the pre-party.

I'd love to see Shaman and Labyrinth...but I don't think they're in the cards.

 

[FatesFan]

I think it is safe to say that there will be some bands from Sensory and Intromental. Just a guess.

 

[Kyra]

I wondered about that. I don't really have a clue how much it costs to bring in one band over another so it was a shot in the dark.

I also thought that by cutting the length of the overall show it might help keep the fever pitch up all night long. Currently it seems the crowd is pretty spent by the time the last band hits the stage. I generally stay for all the artists, but I do recall the Rage fiasco. They were awesome, and hardly anyone I know stayed to watch them ... mainly because they were all music'ed out for the night.

Britt

Late reply, but hey Britt, speak for yourself. I left after about 4 songs, and it had nothing to do with being music'ed out - if I liked it, I would have stayed. In fact Rage is the only headliner I've left early for. There's a reason they had such a poor response, and it isn't just because they were in the #5 slot. And that's not to insult them or anyone who likes them at all - it just so happens that most of the people there weren't into them. If there were only 4 bands that night, and Rage was last, I'm betting people still would have left.

I think the 10 band show is the perfect length. Plus, by having 4 major bands, you increase the chance that most of the attendees are going to enjoy at least 1 or two of them.

think it's true that they would have had a better turnout in the #4 slot simply because

 

[sh0kr0k]

Wow mtlheart, great graphics!

I like your line-up the best!!



...but how do I choose between Helloween & Gammaray?!!?!

 

[aztattooedsean]

pyramaze wastefall riverside I never turn down Pain of salvation pagan's mind andromeda

 

[Harvester]

I think it is safe to say that there will be some bands from Sensory and Intromental. Just a guess.

Same was said about Inside Out a couple of years ago....

Glenn H.

 

[General Zod]

There's a reason they had such a poor response, and it isn't just because they were in the #5 slot. And that's not to insult them or anyone who likes them at all - it just so happens that most of the people there weren't into them.

I don't disagree with you. However, I think there was something more at play here; the size of their discography.

Every year Glenn has bands who I haven't heard (or have heard, but whose music I didn't pay much attention to). Some of these bands I love, some of them I don't. For those that I love, by the time ProgPower rolls around, I know the words to half their catalog. I think when Rage was announced, people took a spin over to their web site, looked at their discography, and said, "Oh, screw this."

I think had Rage only had three discs to their credit, a lot more people would have bought those three discs, been into those three discs, and would have been there when they played live. Instead, they saw that Rage had 20 discs, said to themselves, "I'm not going to know any of the of the songs they're going to play", and chose to blow them off.

By the way, this is just my own little personaly conspiracy theory. I'm not sure if there's an ounce of truth to it.

Zod

 

[rockyracoon]

I don't disagree with you. However, I think there was something more at play here; the size of their discography.

Every year Glenn has bands who I haven't heard (or have heard, but whose music I didn't pay much attention to). Some of these bands I love, some of them I don't. For those that I love, by the time ProgPower rolls around, I know the words to half their catalog. I think when Rage was announced, people took a spin over to their web site, looked at their discography, and said, "Oh, screw this."

I think had Rage only had three discs to their credit, a lot more people would have bought those three discs, been into those three discs, and would have been there when they played live. Instead, they saw that Rage had 20 discs, said to themselves, "I'm not going to know any of the of the songs they're going to play", and chose to blow them off.

By the way, this is just my own little personaly conspiracy theory. I'm not sure if there's an ounce of truth to it.

Zod

I'll buy this theory. It was much more feasible to really take time and know Circus Maximus inside and out, than a band like Rage. As someone preparing for an event like PP, I would much rather be completely knowledgable of a couple bands with only a few albums than just kinda gloss over a catalog of 20 albums. Thankfully, with a band like Therion, I was already familiar with their catalog, but for people who were not familiar prior to PP, it could surely be an overwhelming task to not only obtain all their music, but then find time to listen extensively.

 

[edgeofthorns]

One band that absolutely seems to get no play on these boards is Nocturnal Rites. I think as far as Power Metal goes they are quite solid, and definately deserve a Prog Power invite in the near future. I think they are a #3 quality band. I don't consider myself a big fan of theirs, but I think they are quality, and for some reason seem to come in under the radar.

Britt

Britt, I 110% agree with you. I have to give Fatesfan props for helping me see the light on those guys!