What I like about US power metal is its potential to be much darker while still drawing from traditional heavy metal and retaining distinction from thrash metal and the like.
I absolutely love us power metal, to the same extent i love epic heavy metal. Omen, Warlord & Liege Lord are some of my favorites but the genre as a whole is fantastic.
Hope you guys like it - let me know what you'd like to see in the future! By the way, Savatage is actually pronounced like Sabotage but with a v, my brain just melted when I was recording that part...
No, sorry. Is Manowar no USPM ?? Or why is the best band (at least in the 80s/90s) not mentioned?! That's completely beyond me. Battle Hymns, Hail to England, Into glory Ride are THE milestones!
Honestly, I like it. I'm a straight up EUPM fan. Didn't know there were so many US bands, apart from Riot, Rage, Savatage and Manowar. Guess it's time to broaden the power metal horizon.
Enjoyed that. Reminds me of some drunken conversation I would have had outside a tent at Keep It True! I will never tire of looking at classic album covers put together like that.
@@RideIntoGlory Yeah, he is amazing. I was lucky enough to travel to Hammer & Iron fest this year and it was incredible. I hope he comes out of this current situation okay and can keep doing what he loves.
i loved the guide because it opened a brand new world to me when i was exploring the genre in my early metal days. seeing this as a video is amazing. i'd totally recommend this video to new metalheads
Absolutely ecstatic to finally get to watch a video version of the written USPM guides!! They were so formative for me years ago and I am so grateful for them! Thanks Marco, I will definitely use it as a valuable resource for acquaintances and friends looking for that special sound that still captivates me to this day!
Love your website and excited to see where this channel goes. Would love to give a shout out to Virgin Steele. An early 80s pioneer of USPM with Jack Starr and then they changed their sound and became a big influence to Euro Power Metal and Symphonic Metal when Defeis took over.
Cool channel. I love this style of metal. Subscribed. Oh and Into Glory Ride by Manowar is one of my favorite albums. Such glorious cheesy splendor. I adore it. So great channel name.
It's interesting to note how bands like Deicide, Suffocation, and Dying Fetus have used USPM-style riffs, but in the death metal context. This testifies to the enduring legacy of USPM.
Great job on this. Along with the written articles this will be a great primer/ guide for newbies and old school geezers like me. Looking forward to more videos in future. Keep it Heavy!
Great video!! Just one important information that needs to be added: Helstar is a great example of a band that fits the two categories. They have the heavy thrash metal influence, but they also have the prog elements. Awesome band
Cool idea - here's a playlist with all the stuff mentioned in the video in the order they appear! open.spotify.com/playlist/3PC6MPnGFOKjdsAdPYBCXs?si=9L3cJwTbQvyuyZpp8djWWg
Thank you so much for this video. I'm technically a big metalcore fan but I've been trying to get into power metal as I've found I've actually really enjoyed a few power metal bands but there isn't as much on it as other metal genres on the Internet it seems so I will definitely check out your reccomendations
This is terrific. Shared with friends. I credit Ride Into Glory with guiding me into this genre in the first place.. now it's my favourite niche. Thank you!
Great introduction! Being the followers of your website we're glad you decided to start a UA-cam series! Can't wait for the next episode! Cheers from Serbian power metal! 🤘🏻⚔️
Awesome dude! I remember going on your site a while ago and that got me to check out a good amount of sick stuff, very helpful. So good to see this side of power metal getting some attention, can’t wait to see more content in the future!
Spoke to Chris Caffery and Al Pitrelli of Savatage in 1998 on a college radio show. I called in when they were in the studio for an interview with the host who was a rabid Savatage fan. Wake Of Magellan had just come out. I didn't move quickly enough to tape it, as it was a brief talk of a few minutes, but they were really cool and gracious to chat with.
Your blog changed my taste in metal so heavily. I used to only be into the more extreme stuff but power metal bands like Manila Road, Brocas Helm, etc really got me to appreciate clean vocals now so much that not only am I a die hard advocate of the NWOTHM renaissance, but I also have grown to love European bands like Blind Guardian et al. Hell, I even love CIRITH UNGOL now - and this is a lot coming from a guy who’s 2021 album of the year was Realms of Exquisite Morbidity by Malignant Altar hahaha. Your writing is fantastic and I would love to see you write more about the NWOTHM scene. I could listen to Jason Tarpey and Marcus Brecker talk for ages and your interviews are always so good.
Big big fan, have followed you for ages, and yeah - great great stuff as always. I'll definitely use this as an intro if I need to/run across people who're interested. I think a really cool direction might be mini-introductions with more scene specifics? I honestly don't even know how specific certain regions were to USPM/USPM-related bands, but it seems like something that'd be a great way to break it up, and talk more about the history in detail. Either way, look forward to more!
I nearly always avoid comment sections, as they are typically quite diseased. But i took a peek just because of the "Suh Vattage" thing. You correcting yourself in it gave me more faith in your knowledge, thus gaining you a subscriber (and because, other than that, i loved the video).
Was like the first time i aways thought "man, metalcore is a melodic and generic thing" and i listened to Converge, Hatebreed and Integrity i say "woow this is metalcore without melodic :0"
Thank you man, the next video in my channel Debaixo do Chão (while i'm making the Doom Metal vid) will be Power Metal. Your video change a lot the way of the video. I will give you credits in the video.
My favourite power metal band is definitely Cirith Ungol. Do you think they fit more in the aggressive side of uspm or the more melodic side? They seem to have a little of both. Great vid btw.
USPM along with epic heavy/doom are my favorite scenes. In terms of bands, that are really worth mentioning, I reccomend Lordian Guard, Sacred Oath, The Lords Of The Crimson Alliance and Griffin.
Puttnig aside arguments on what USPM is supposed to be or if it even should be a thing, I think the entire scene is massively underrated. I see it as the purest form of heavy metal as it's more intense than trad, but not too influenced by outside music like how hair is with pop, thrash with punk/hardcore, doom with Sabbath, or power with prog or classical.
This sort of discussion is very curious to me … Stuff like Jag Panzer, Savatage, Vicious Rumors we called just „Power Metal“ in the 80ies. This differentiation between Europe and the US/Canada did not exist. Early Helloween we considered to be Speed Metal. Blind Guardian and a whole lot of the following bands, especially from Germany, were Melodic Power Metal for us.
An underrated scene. Would you say the British bands Satan and Angel Witch kind of pioneered this scene in earlier years? Whereas European PM took more from bands like Judas Priest.
I think the biggest influences on the US power sound were Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Bands with more intensity like Angel Witch and Satan definitely laid down some roots too - just killer stuff all around!
I'm not that big on Powermetal, but this is mainly the fault of boring band like Sabaton or Powerwolf. But i planned to check out some of the classics, so thank you for your efforts!
I don't feel Blind Guardian fits well on the chart you showed, especially if we're talking their early stuff. They were very aggressive in the beginning and had gruff vocals (along with the big choruses, yeah, I agree there). They had a big speed metal side to them back in the day.
Blind Guardian is power/speed early and then became full fledged EUPM on Somewhere Far Beyond. They are one of the genre's most popular bands and it's just giving people examples of what EUPM is.
@@RideIntoGlory Right on. I just thought you were talking about the early/late eighties in general, which is when BG was more aggressive. Good video, by the way!
The faster early Maiden songs(Purgatory from Killers, Genghis Khan from Killers, Phantom from self titled, Transylvania from self titled) were all faster and more precision perfect than most U.S. Power Metal bands. You also display Queensrych as a USPM example as proof of USPM having harsher vocals against EUPM, and you use Blind Guardian as EUPM proof, and it is actually the complete opposite between those 2 bands. Queensrych very clean operatic, Blind Guardian harsh as hell, but still melodic. Also, early Savatage is way heavier and darker than anything from anyone you showed. You mentioned their name, but how about showing "Dungeons" or "Holocaust" to express how thrashy and darker than anything else here they got?
I can easily recognize the style of USPM in bands like Jag Panzer, Helstar, Lord Liege, Heretic, and Attacker from second album on… However, I don’t recognize it as easily with bands like early Queensryche/Savatage and Warlord. It’s almost like there’s power metal from the US and then there’s also a sub-sub genre known as USPM. Or is Warlord and early Savatage/Queensryche just the beginning of stages USPM before fully evolving into the Jag Panzer style? Or are those bands just much more melodic and it makes them sound different?
Eventually yes, that's the plan! It just took me a while to put this together so I'll need some time on the next one to make sure I can keep up the quality
No mention of Iced Earth, Sanctuary, or Kamelot? 😢 And you brought up Fates Warning and progressive power metal so I was hoping that you would also mention Symphony X.
Iced Earth (early) and Sanctuary is USPM but there's literally hundreds of excellent bands and an 8 min video - you're free to check out my in depth guides where I do talk about much more. Kamelot and Symphony X are just power metal from the USA and not USPM as it's defined if that makes sense
I think I’m a bit confused on Riot’s Thundersteel. It sounds much more European to me with it’s overall melodicness and also the style of guitar riffing too. Is this album part of the USPM scene simply because they are a US band playing power metal or are they really playing the USPM style and I just never noticed?
I can see/hear that. And their last couple albums are even more European power metal sounding than ever. I feel like there are quite a few examples of American bands playing a more European style of power metal but what about the other way around? Can you think of any European power metal bands that play in the style of USPM? Would late 80’s era Cloven Hoof qualify?
@@sammyorr2265 Late 80s Cloven Hoof does indeed qualify! As for other European bands playing USPM, I've never come across any but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I'll have to look a little harder myself.
@@sammyorr2265 European power metal bands that do this US style? Well, I'd say there are some songs from Blind Guardian that are between the styles. There's _Deliver Us From Evil_ (a track for their upcoming album as if early 2022) and the stuff from the album Somewhere Far Beyond. I'd put more, but I think this should be a good start. Helloween has some aggressive songs too like _Liar_ (Andi Deris is already kind of gruff), but I need to do more research.
@@CarloNassar While the new Blind Guardian song is pretty heavy and aggressive, it still sounds like European power metal to me. However, thanks for bringing up this song because I had not heard it yet. Are you familiar with the band Persuader? They sound a lot like the heavier side Blind Guardian. They are probably one of the heaviest European power metal bands I can think of.
I got into metal through Euro PM and I still love the classics of the genre. But USPM/Epic Heavy Metal has certainly become my favorite metal subgenre. For a long time I couldn't at all see them as anything different enough to not just call it Heavy Metal. But after listening to a ton of bands I can now differentiate between scenes. Still I would categorize USPM, Epic HM and NWOBHM all as subgenres under the Heavy Metal subgenre of Metal. Unlike Power Metal (Euro) which I'd put as a sub-genre under Metal, alongside Heavy Metal, not under it. The absolute most important element of Euro PM is the uplifting and positive vibe. And then to a smaller extent a lighter, cleaner sound. Whereas Heavy Metal has a rawer sound, especially in vocals. Riot is a USPM band that probably is closest to Euro PM, as they have lots of uplifting melodies. Yet they certainly fit into USPM. Unlike Kamelot which is a Euro Power Metal band from the US.
And I have to add that I think because of this it's misleading to call USPM just Power Metal. Since over 90% of all people understand PM as Euro PM. Whereas USPM is not a Power Metal subgenre but a Heavy Metal subgenre. Thus it would be best to always call it USPM or Heavy Metal. Really, I'd rather it would've been named US Heavy Metal or something else instead, but here we are.
"Falsetto" is not the same thing as "high-pitched". King Diamond used falsetto, but hardly any other of the high-pitched metal vocalists used falsetto.
I think just dividing between countries are not very helpful; some EUPM are aggressive (especially early German power metal such as 90s Blind Guardian) and some USPM are somewhat theatrical and melodic (Savatage). Most USPM already borderline with heavy or speed metal anyways. Japanese power metal is just as much of its own scene as USPM and EUPM Also most USPM aside from Manowar and Iced Earth haven’t kicked off very well after the late 80s due to several reasons such as marketing competition against glam and thrash, so it didn’t gain as much time to develop thoroughly like EUPM did.
I have to agree without a doubt. Honestly, I think the style of power metal in this video should be called something like "riff-focused" power metal, while the other that's considered European could be something like "theatrical" power metal. Plus, some bands like Blind Guardian and Vicious Rumors are between the two styles. With that being said, I 100% agree with your comment.
@@SarimFaruque If we're talking Blind Guardian (early 90's and also their latest album in 2022) I don't know about comparing Sonata Arctica. Either way, I can see what you mean.
@@CarloNassar Bands like Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica are on the softer side of power metal, while Blind Guardian is very riff-based, going on speed metal very often. Goes to show how stylistically varied EUPM can get, and how it's not a very suitable "sound" label that all bands from the scene have in common.
@@CarloNassar Looking back, I'm starting to see the clear difference between the scenes. USPM overall seems to be more like trad heavy metal with an extra punch to it, and EUPM is more like speed metal gradually going towards a melodic direction. Of course, you can still hear some speed metal in USPM and trad riffs in EUPM, but that seems to be more of the original intent. The issue I have right now is regarding their similarities that they are both labeled as "power metal." I know that they both extend from trad heavy and speed metal, and the fantasy imagery, but what else makes Sonata Arctica closer to Jag Panzer than Iron Maiden's SiT or Seventh Son?
Helpful visuals, clear explanations and examples, an inviting attitude - overall a great debut for the channel, nicely done!
Oh, man, am sorry but i have to say this: i love your channel. Youre the Best.
Thanks for the recommend Goniloc. This was pretty solid
What I like about US power metal is its potential to be much darker while still drawing from traditional heavy metal and retaining distinction from thrash metal and the like.
I absolutely love us power metal, to the same extent i love epic heavy metal.
Omen, Warlord & Liege Lord are some of my favorites but the genre as a whole is fantastic.
Hope you guys like it - let me know what you'd like to see in the future! By the way, Savatage is actually pronounced like Sabotage but with a v, my brain just melted when I was recording that part...
Great band. Power of the Night is one of my top ten songs
No, sorry. Is Manowar no USPM ?? Or why is the best band (at least in the 80s/90s) not mentioned?! That's completely beyond me. Battle Hymns, Hail to England, Into glory Ride are THE milestones!
Excellent video, Marco! Got into USPM through Riot's Thundersteel and Manila Road's Crystal Logic
Honestly, I like it. I'm a straight up EUPM fan. Didn't know there were so many US bands, apart from Riot, Rage, Savatage and Manowar. Guess it's time to broaden the power metal horizon.
Enjoyed that. Reminds me of some drunken conversation I would have had outside a tent at Keep It True! I will never tire of looking at classic album covers put together like that.
I went to KiT 2019 and it was one of the best times of my life man, what a killer fest. Oli really keeps the spirit alive
@@RideIntoGlory Yeah, he is amazing. I was lucky enough to travel to Hammer & Iron fest this year and it was incredible. I hope he comes out of this current situation okay and can keep doing what he loves.
i loved the guide because it opened a brand new world to me when i was exploring the genre in my early metal days. seeing this as a video is amazing. i'd totally recommend this video to new metalheads
Good stuff, Marco! This format is definitely welcome alongside the longer, more in-depth articles featured on the website!
Absolutely ecstatic to finally get to watch a video version of the written USPM guides!! They were so formative for me years ago and I am so grateful for them!
Thanks Marco, I will definitely use it as a valuable resource for acquaintances and friends looking for that special sound that still captivates me to this day!
Love your website and excited to see where this channel goes.
Would love to give a shout out to Virgin Steele. An early 80s pioneer of USPM with Jack Starr and then they changed their sound and became a big influence to Euro Power Metal and Symphonic Metal when Defeis took over.
Cool channel. I love this style of metal. Subscribed. Oh and Into Glory Ride by Manowar is one of my favorite albums. Such glorious cheesy splendor. I adore it. So great channel name.
One of the all time best albums! Cheesy and epic in the best way
It's interesting to note how bands like Deicide, Suffocation, and Dying Fetus have used USPM-style riffs, but in the death metal context. This testifies to the enduring legacy of USPM.
thank u goniloc for bringing me here, very cool
Great job on this. Along with the written articles this will be a great primer/ guide for newbies and old school geezers like me. Looking forward to more videos in future. Keep it Heavy!
Great video!!
Just one important information that needs to be added: Helstar is a great example of a band that fits the two categories. They have the heavy thrash metal influence, but they also have the prog elements. Awesome band
Can we get an Spotify playlist with USPM highlights
Cool idea - here's a playlist with all the stuff mentioned in the video in the order they appear! open.spotify.com/playlist/3PC6MPnGFOKjdsAdPYBCXs?si=9L3cJwTbQvyuyZpp8djWWg
Thanks for this introduction, I don’t have many knowledge except Manowar, Queensryche and Crimson Glory, Riot
Thank you so much for this video. I'm technically a big metalcore fan but I've been trying to get into power metal as I've found I've actually really enjoyed a few power metal bands but there isn't as much on it as other metal genres on the Internet it seems so I will definitely check out your reccomendations
Great start. Very pleasant and informative listen while being concise.
Great explanation! Very informative and incredibly well-written and researched. Keep at it!
This is terrific. Shared with friends. I credit Ride Into Glory with guiding me into this genre in the first place.. now it's my favourite niche.
Thank you!
Great introduction! Being the followers of your website we're glad you decided to start a UA-cam series! Can't wait for the next episode! Cheers from Serbian power metal! 🤘🏻⚔️
I genuinely learnt some shit here. Thanks man. This was a wild ride!
Great job Marco! Happy to see RIG continue to grow. Glad Goniloc was able to help. Excited to see his fan base appreciated your work.
Awesome dude! I remember going on your site a while ago and that got me to check out a good amount of sick stuff, very helpful. So good to see this side of power metal getting some attention, can’t wait to see more content in the future!
Spoke to Chris Caffery and Al Pitrelli of Savatage in 1998 on a college radio show. I called in when they were in the studio for an interview with the host who was a rabid Savatage fan. Wake Of Magellan had just come out. I didn't move quickly enough to tape it, as it was a brief talk of a few minutes, but they were really cool and gracious to chat with.
Great video. I stumbled across your website a few months back and loved it. Keep up the great work.
Your blog changed my taste in metal so heavily. I used to only be into the more extreme stuff but power metal bands like Manila Road, Brocas Helm, etc really got me to appreciate clean vocals now so much that not only am I a die hard advocate of the NWOTHM renaissance, but I also have grown to love European bands like Blind Guardian et al. Hell, I even love CIRITH UNGOL now - and this is a lot coming from a guy who’s 2021 album of the year was Realms of Exquisite Morbidity by Malignant Altar hahaha. Your writing is fantastic and I would love to see you write more about the NWOTHM scene. I could listen to Jason Tarpey and Marcus Brecker talk for ages and your interviews are always so good.
Great! I got some new records and bands to check out 🤘
This is great! People who dismiss pm need this video. Now hopefully somebody can help explain speed metal to people ;)
Great job! Been a metal head most of my life and never knew the USPM distinction, loved the video and love attacker I had never heard of them before!
Good shit man
Big big fan, have followed you for ages, and yeah - great great stuff as always. I'll definitely use this as an intro if I need to/run across people who're interested.
I think a really cool direction might be mini-introductions with more scene specifics? I honestly don't even know how specific certain regions were to USPM/USPM-related bands, but it seems like something that'd be a great way to break it up, and talk more about the history in detail. Either way, look forward to more!
I nearly always avoid comment sections, as they are typically quite diseased. But i took a peek just because of the "Suh Vattage" thing.
You correcting yourself in it gave me more faith in your knowledge, thus gaining you a subscriber (and because, other than that, i loved the video).
Jag Panzer, Omen, Riot, Attacker....all legends.
Battle Hymn! most epic power track ever..
Into Glory Ride by Manowar is the first pure Power Metal album, and will always be the best.
Exactly, the most important USPM band is not even mentioned.. They have so many classics in that genre..
Damn you open my mind
Was like the first time i aways thought "man, metalcore is a melodic and generic thing" and i listened to Converge, Hatebreed and Integrity i say "woow this is metalcore without melodic :0"
Thank you man, the next video in my channel Debaixo do Chão (while i'm making the Doom Metal vid) will be Power Metal. Your video change a lot the way of the video. I will give you credits in the video.
Now this is epic
Just like how Manilla road pioneered both power metal and epic heavy metal
Vicious Rumors
Good choice.
Cool breakdown of USPM. I’ve always considered USPM to be a more street level variant of the genre, whereas the Euro bands are a bit more glossy.
I'm late here, but this is great- thank you!
Great effort man, congrats
My favourite power metal band is definitely Cirith Ungol. Do you think they fit more in the aggressive side of uspm or the more melodic side? They seem to have a little of both. Great vid btw.
More aggressive and if you ask me they fit the term "epic heavy metal" more cleanly than anything - video to come on that in the future :)
Amazing! I really like USPM Guide and the other guides too. But I think one guide is missing. What do you think about a guide of German Power Metal?
USPM along with epic heavy/doom are my favorite scenes.
In terms of bands, that are really worth mentioning, I reccomend Lordian Guard, Sacred Oath, The Lords Of The Crimson Alliance and Griffin.
I have a soft spot for Manila Road having lived in Wichita for a moment.
AWESOME !!! \m/
Great video dude.
Puttnig aside arguments on what USPM is supposed to be or if it even should be a thing, I think the entire scene is massively underrated. I see it as the purest form of heavy metal as it's more intense than trad, but not too influenced by outside music like how hair is with pop, thrash with punk/hardcore, doom with Sabbath, or power with prog or classical.
> No mention of Manowar?
This sort of discussion is very curious to me … Stuff like Jag Panzer, Savatage, Vicious Rumors we called just „Power Metal“ in the 80ies. This differentiation between Europe and the US/Canada did not exist. Early Helloween we considered to be Speed Metal. Blind Guardian and a whole lot of the following bands, especially from Germany, were Melodic Power Metal for us.
An underrated scene. Would you say the British bands Satan and Angel Witch kind of pioneered this scene in earlier years? Whereas European PM took more from bands like Judas Priest.
I think the biggest influences on the US power sound were Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Bands with more intensity like Angel Witch and Satan definitely laid down some roots too - just killer stuff all around!
I'm not that big on Powermetal, but this is mainly the fault of boring band like Sabaton or Powerwolf. But i planned to check out some of the classics, so thank you for your efforts!
it is my favorite metal scene!
I lsiten to a lot of 80's bands, but what about new bands?
Helstar's definitely a favorite of mine 🔥
Can’t wait for EUPM
Virgin Steele is perfection!
Would you consider Kick Axe USPM?
Hansi Kursch DOES have a more gruff side to his vocals at times.
I don't feel Blind Guardian fits well on the chart you showed, especially if we're talking their early stuff. They were very aggressive in the beginning and had gruff vocals (along with the big choruses, yeah, I agree there). They had a big speed metal side to them back in the day.
Blind Guardian is power/speed early and then became full fledged EUPM on Somewhere Far Beyond. They are one of the genre's most popular bands and it's just giving people examples of what EUPM is.
@@RideIntoGlory Right on. I just thought you were talking about the early/late eighties in general, which is when BG was more aggressive. Good video, by the way!
BG still does something like that nowadays, especially with the song _Deliver Us From Evil._
The faster early Maiden songs(Purgatory from Killers, Genghis Khan from Killers, Phantom from self titled, Transylvania from self titled) were all faster and more precision perfect than most U.S. Power Metal bands.
You also display Queensrych as a USPM example as proof of USPM having harsher vocals against EUPM, and you use Blind Guardian as EUPM proof, and it is actually the complete opposite between those 2 bands. Queensrych very clean operatic, Blind Guardian harsh as hell, but still melodic.
Also, early Savatage is way heavier and darker than anything from anyone you showed. You mentioned their name, but how about showing "Dungeons" or "Holocaust" to express how thrashy and darker than anything else here they got?
I can easily recognize the style of USPM in bands like Jag Panzer, Helstar, Lord Liege, Heretic, and Attacker from second album on… However, I don’t recognize it as easily with bands like early Queensryche/Savatage and Warlord. It’s almost like there’s power metal from the US and then there’s also a sub-sub genre known as USPM. Or is Warlord and early Savatage/Queensryche just the beginning of stages USPM before fully evolving into the Jag Panzer style?
Or are those bands just much more melodic and it makes them sound different?
You gonna do some other genres
Eventually yes, that's the plan! It just took me a while to put this together so I'll need some time on the next one to make sure I can keep up the quality
No mention of Iced Earth, Sanctuary, or Kamelot? 😢 And you brought up Fates Warning and progressive power metal so I was hoping that you would also mention Symphony X.
Iced Earth (early) and Sanctuary is USPM but there's literally hundreds of excellent bands and an 8 min video - you're free to check out my in depth guides where I do talk about much more.
Kamelot and Symphony X are just power metal from the USA and not USPM as it's defined if that makes sense
@@RideIntoGlory If you mean Iced Earth as in early stuff, then may I ask how early we're talking? Burnt Offerings early?
Virgin steele, riot, metal church, savatage, crimson glory, fates warning, queensrÿche, iced earth, sanctury and helstar are my favorites.
I think I’m a bit confused on Riot’s Thundersteel. It sounds much more European to me with it’s overall melodicness and also the style of guitar riffing too. Is this album part of the USPM scene simply because they are a US band playing power metal or are they really playing the USPM style and I just never noticed?
Thundersteel actually influenced EUPM quite a bit. Starting sometime in the 90s, Riot would go full on EUPM, which they still play today.
I can see/hear that. And their last couple albums are even more European power metal sounding than ever. I feel like there are quite a few examples of American bands playing a more European style of power metal but what about the other way around? Can you think of any European power metal bands that play in the style of USPM?
Would late 80’s era Cloven Hoof qualify?
@@sammyorr2265 Late 80s Cloven Hoof does indeed qualify! As for other European bands playing USPM, I've never come across any but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I'll have to look a little harder myself.
@@sammyorr2265
European power metal bands that do this US style? Well, I'd say there are some songs from Blind Guardian that are between the styles. There's _Deliver Us From Evil_ (a track for their upcoming album as if early 2022) and the stuff from the album Somewhere Far Beyond. I'd put more, but I think this should be a good start.
Helloween has some aggressive songs too like _Liar_ (Andi Deris is already kind of gruff), but I need to do more research.
@@CarloNassar While the new Blind Guardian song is pretty heavy and aggressive, it still sounds like European power metal to me. However, thanks for bringing up this song because I had not heard it yet. Are you familiar with the band Persuader? They sound a lot like the heavier side Blind Guardian. They are probably one of the heaviest European power metal bands I can think of.
Great example of true power metal band from Europe is Heavy Load
I got into metal through Euro PM and I still love the classics of the genre. But USPM/Epic Heavy Metal has certainly become my favorite metal subgenre. For a long time I couldn't at all see them as anything different enough to not just call it Heavy Metal. But after listening to a ton of bands I can now differentiate between scenes.
Still I would categorize USPM, Epic HM and NWOBHM all as subgenres under the Heavy Metal subgenre of Metal. Unlike Power Metal (Euro) which I'd put as a sub-genre under Metal, alongside Heavy Metal, not under it.
The absolute most important element of Euro PM is the uplifting and positive vibe. And then to a smaller extent a lighter, cleaner sound. Whereas Heavy Metal has a rawer sound, especially in vocals. Riot is a USPM band that probably is closest to Euro PM, as they have lots of uplifting melodies. Yet they certainly fit into USPM. Unlike Kamelot which is a Euro Power Metal band from the US.
And I have to add that I think because of this it's misleading to call USPM just Power Metal. Since over 90% of all people understand PM as Euro PM. Whereas USPM is not a Power Metal subgenre but a Heavy Metal subgenre. Thus it would be best to always call it USPM or Heavy Metal. Really, I'd rather it would've been named US Heavy Metal or something else instead, but here we are.
"Falsetto" is not the same thing as "high-pitched". King Diamond used falsetto, but hardly any other of the high-pitched metal vocalists used falsetto.
Right, but many of the top USPM bands use falsetto. Check out Crimson Glory's S/T for example
Whare was man o war
One of the all time greatest bands, but not enough time to talk about everything in 8 minutes. I will for sure discuss them in a future video!
They’re pretty well known so everyone looking for USPM would stumble into them quickly I think.
I think just dividing between countries are not very helpful; some EUPM are aggressive (especially early German power metal such as 90s Blind Guardian) and some USPM are somewhat theatrical and melodic (Savatage). Most USPM already borderline with heavy or speed metal anyways. Japanese power metal is just as much of its own scene as USPM and EUPM
Also most USPM aside from Manowar and Iced Earth haven’t kicked off very well after the late 80s due to several reasons such as marketing competition against glam and thrash, so it didn’t gain as much time to develop thoroughly like EUPM did.
I have to agree without a doubt. Honestly, I think the style of power metal in this video should be called something like "riff-focused" power metal, while the other that's considered European could be something like "theatrical" power metal. Plus, some bands like Blind Guardian and Vicious Rumors are between the two styles. With that being said, I 100% agree with your comment.
@@CarloNassar 90s Blind Guardian to be exact seems to have more in common with something like Iced Earth than Sonata Arctica, sound-wise
@@SarimFaruque
If we're talking Blind Guardian (early 90's and also their latest album in 2022) I don't know about comparing Sonata Arctica. Either way, I can see what you mean.
@@CarloNassar Bands like Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica are on the softer side of power metal, while Blind Guardian is very riff-based, going on speed metal very often. Goes to show how stylistically varied EUPM can get, and how it's not a very suitable "sound" label that all bands from the scene have in common.
@@CarloNassar Looking back, I'm starting to see the clear difference between the scenes. USPM overall seems to be more like trad heavy metal with an extra punch to it, and EUPM is more like speed metal gradually going towards a melodic direction. Of course, you can still hear some speed metal in USPM and trad riffs in EUPM, but that seems to be more of the original intent.
The issue I have right now is regarding their similarities that they are both labeled as "power metal." I know that they both extend from trad heavy and speed metal, and the fantasy imagery, but what else makes Sonata Arctica closer to Jag Panzer than Iron Maiden's SiT or Seventh Son?
God damn though, so much contradictory shit being said. Not only that, but much full on bullshit statements.