Power metal is a style of heavy metal music combining characteristics of traditional metal with thrash metal or speed metal, often within symphonic context. Traditional heavy metal, also known as classic metal, trad metal, or often simply heavy metal, is the seminal subgenre of Heavy metal music before Speed metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was the direct musical progenitor of Thrash metal. Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (frequently abbreviated as NWOBHM) is a heavy metal music movement that started in the late 1970s in Britain, and achieved The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. Traditional heavy metal, also known as classic metal, trad metal, or often simply heavy metal, is the seminal subgenre of Heavy metal music before Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression Speed metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was the direct musical progenitor of Thrash metal. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a later more widespread and popular style based in Europe (especially Germany, Italy and Scandinavia) with a lighter, more melodic sound and making frequent use of keyboards. Speed metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was the direct musical progenitor of Thrash metal. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard.

Musical characteristics

Power metal is today associated with an epic sound tempered by characteristics of speed metal, power metal's musical forerunner. Speed metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was the direct musical progenitor of Thrash metal. Power metal's lyrical themes, though as varied as metal itself, typically focus on fantasy and mythology (eg. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" Rhapsody of Fire, Blind Guardian, Falconer), comradeship and hope (eg. Rhapsody of Fire (formerly known as ThunderCross and - more recently - Rhapsody) is an Italian Symphonic Power metal band led by Blind Guardian is a German heavy metal band which is often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in Power metal and Speed metal DragonForce, Hammerfall, Lost Horizon, Highland Glory), war (eg. DragonForce are a British band formed in 1999 History DragonForce was formed in 1998 from the remnants of the band Demoniac under the name For The C J Cherryh novel see The Gene Wars universe. HammerFall is a Power metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden Lost Horizon are a power / Progressive metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. Highland Glory is a Norwegian Power metal band founded in 2001 by members of Phoenix Rizing Manowar, Sabaton, Iced Earth), personal struggles and emotions (eg. Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn New York. Sabaton is a Heavy metal band from Sweden Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida that combines influences from Thrash metal, Power metal, Sonata Arctica, Evergrey) or combinations of the listed themes. Sonata Arctica is a Finnish Power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1996 Evergrey is a Progressive metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. Many typical metal themes such as anti-religion and politics are comparatively rare but not unheard of. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions

Power metal is highly focused on the vocalist, with "clean" vocals being much more prevalent than the growling vocals often associated with death metal and black metal. Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs fast tempos heavily distorted guitars deep growling vocals morbid lyrics Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It often employs fast tempos shrieked vocals highly distorted guitars played with Tremolo picking, Following in the tradition of Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford and other heavy metal vocalists, power metal vocals are often in a high register. Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona on July 10, 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA is an American heavy Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England) is a British singer Airline pilot, radio show Robert John Arthur Halford (born August 25, 1951) is an English singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band The majority of the genre's vocalists sing in the tenor range, capable of hitting very high notes. The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice There are however many exceptions such as Pyramaze / Iced Earth frontman Matt Barlow, Falconer frontman Mathias Blad, and Sabaton frontman Joakim Broden; they sing in either baritone or bass range, though in certain songs like Creator Failure, Barlow hits very high notes reminiscent of Rob Halford. Pyramaze is a Danish / American melodic progressive Power metal band Matt Barlow (born 10 March 1970 in Biloxi Mississippi, US) is an American heavy metal singer and police officer Falconer is a distinctive Swedish folk / Power metal band formed by the former guitarist of Mithotyn Stefan Weinerhall. Mathias Blad is a Swedish actor and singer mainly known for being the lead singer of the Heavy metal band Falconer. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Power metal vocalists Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray, Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian, Jens Carlsson of Persuader / Savage Circus and Matt Smith of Theocracy record multi-layered vocals reminiscent of Queen, creating a choral effect. Kai Michael Hansen (born January 17, 1963, in Hamburg, West Germany) is a Power metal Guitarist and Vocalist Gamma rays (denoted as &gamma) are a form of Electromagnetic radiation or light emission of frequencies produced by sub-atomic particle interactions Hans Jürgen Kürsch, better known as Hansi Kürsch (born August 10, 1966 in Lank-Latum Germany) is the lead vocalist of Power metal Persuader is a Swedish Power metal band that was formed in 1997. Savage Circus is a German / Swedish Power metal band originally created as a side project by Thomen Stauch before leaving Blind Guardian Theocracy is a Christian Progressive Power metal band founded in 2002 by Matt Smith of Athens, Georgia. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist ^[1][2] Few power metal vocalists double as instrumentalists, but the setup is not unheard of. Some singers within other heavy metal genres have high registered voices as do those singers of power metal bands. For example Joey Belladonna of American thrash metal band Anthrax had a voice that was often high-pitched. Joey Belladonna (born Joseph Bellardini on October 13, 1960 in Oswego New York) is a heavy metal singer and drummer best known as former Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression Anthrax is a New York City -based heavy metal band that released its first full-length album in 1984 As a result, high registered singing is not restricted to power metal bands even though the style is typical within the genre.

Power metal guitarists and bassists generally play rapid streams of notes, but change chords comparatively slowly, with a harmonic tempo of once per measure or slower. A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres A bass player (bassist is a Musician who plays a Double bass, Bass guitar, keyboard bass or wind This article describes musical chords in traditional Western styles In Music theory, harmonic rhythm, also known as harmonic tempo is the rate at which the chords change Fast and demanding guitar solos, however, are almost guaranteed. The slow changing of chords are significant in defining power metal just as the fast rapid chord changes often define traditional thrash metal. Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression

A number of power metal drummers generally play with two bass drums for added speed, utilizing them to play a constant stream of sixteenth notes (semiquavers) with snare drum accents on the beat. A drummer is a Musician who plays a Drum or drums particularly a Drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set" Marching percussion A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. In Music, a sixteenth note (American or "German" terminology or semiquaver (also occasionally demiquaver, British or "classical" This style is fairly common in power metal as in other heavy metal subgenres, though it is by no means universal. Power metal though has become the most prevalent in the use of this technique. The style was perfected by drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg of Helloween, setting a blueprint for many other drummers to follow. Ingo Schwichtenberg ( May 18, 1965 - March 8, 1995) was one of the founding members of German Power metal band Helloween Helloween is a German power / Speed metal band founded in the early 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool Some drummers however do not use this technique and use a more thrash metal style of drumming with rapid bursts of double bass that involve three to six beats with the double kick. Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression Iced Earth and Blind Guardian both have had drummers who have used this style of drumming as opposed to the more common style. Even more uncommon is the use of the blast beat in the genre. A blast beat is a drum beat often associated with Grindcore, although its usage predates the genre and has spread to many other forms of Extreme metal. The American power metal band Cellador is an example of a power metal band that utilizes blast beats in many of their songs; DragonForce are known for their extensive use of the technique, as well. This article is about the power metal band For the television production company see Celador. DragonForce are a British band formed in 1999 History DragonForce was formed in 1998 from the remnants of the band Demoniac under the name

Power metal bands often incorporate keyboards into their musical arrangements, though their usage varies from subtle accents to a full-blown melody line. Some symphonic power metal bands such as Rhapsody of Fire, Fairyland and Nightwish have also been known to record with more symphonic elements, and as such, they utilize a full orchestra to fill the role a keyboard plays in other power metal bands. Rhapsody of Fire (formerly known as ThunderCross and - more recently - Rhapsody) is an Italian Symphonic Power metal band led by Nightwish is a symphonic Power metal band formed in 1996 in the town of Kitee, Finland.

This style is very popular in Europe, Japan, and some countries of South America (including Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina and Colombia), the province of Quebec, Canada, where it has a very strong fan base and in North America where its popularity is slowly rising. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

Types of power metal

American power metal

American power metal emerged in 1980s United States as an offshoot of classic metal, thrash metal and speed metal. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Traditional heavy metal, also known as classic metal, trad metal, or often simply heavy metal, is the seminal subgenre of Heavy metal music before Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression Speed metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was the direct musical progenitor of Thrash metal. It is usually fast, straightforward and somewhat heavy and aggressive, with a distinct epic 'fighting' feel. Keyboards never take a major role in this style, with the focus on vocals and riffs. The music is very similar to its influences but coined the term 'power metal' and was vital in inspiring the later melodic power metal movement. Europe has its own bands playing in a very similar style such as Grave Digger. See also Gravedigger (disambiguation. Grave Digger is a German Heavy metal band formed in 1980.

Examples: Manowar, Jag Panzer, Crimson Glory

European/melodic power metal

This style emerged in 1980s Europe with Germany's Helloween and Finland's Stratovarius with a strong focus on melody and uplifting, positive themes. Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn New York. Jag Panzer is a Power metal band from the United States of America. Crimson Glory is a Progressive/Power metal band from the USA which formed in the early 1980s Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Helloween is a German power / Speed metal band founded in the early 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Stratovarius is a Finnish Power metal band that formed in 1983 Helloween mixed fast palm muted speed metal riffs with high pitched clean vocals and guitar. Helloween is a German power / Speed metal band founded in the early 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool The palm mute is a playing technique for the Guitar or bass. This technique is known as Pizzicato by Classical guitar players (see Classical Speed metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was the direct musical progenitor of Thrash metal. Stratovarius further developed this melodic direction by making heavy use of keyboards and neo-classical guitar solos. Stratovarius is a Finnish Power metal band that formed in 1983 An electronic keyboard or digital keyboard is a type of Keyboard instrument. This genre branched and spread over Europe and into most of power metal's subgenres, incorporating further influences from classical and folk music and reinforcing the high fantasy imagery as well as sometimes developing a more emotional, romantic edge. High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of Fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. The style has become one of the largest metal subgenres (outside the alternative metal movement) and its popularity is far from waning. Alternative metal is an eclectic form of Heavy metal music that gained popularity in the early 1990s alongside grunge. The United States also has its share of European style power metal bands, an example of which is Kamelot. Kamelot is an American Power metal band from Tampa, Florida. They incorporate many elements of symphonic and Progressive

See also

• List of power metal bands
• Neo-classical metal
• Progressive metal
• Symphonic metal

References

External links

• PerfectProg.Com The Bigest Progressive Metal Database and Proggressive Metal Radio Progressive and Power Metal
• Power Metal at All Music Guide
• Informative resource, that lights the news of heavy music.