US Power Metal

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United States Power Metal, USPM for short and sometimes alternately called American Power Metal is one of the two main types of heavy metal music to use the term power metal, the other being European Power Metal. Like European Power Metal, the United States in the name refers to the genre's origins, rather than any specific requirement for artists to be from the US in order to play the style, though most USPM acts are, indeed, American.

USPM first appeared in 1983. It's development could be described as the American reaction to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. US bands wanted to go one better than their UK counterparts and so the sound that would become known as USPM began to take shape. They played faster and more aggressively, albeit not to the levels of thrash metal, though some artists would cross over with thrash as well as speed metal. Generally USPM bands were closer in style to their traditional heavy metal roots, especially when compared to the later European power metal sound, which is commonly called just Power Metal without the European prefix, with USPM used just to differentiate. It is because of these vast differences that some metal fans have trouble with recognizing the two forms of power metal as the same genre. They're not wrong either, but also not entirely correct. The best way to describe power metal as a whole is that it's a cross between traditional heavy metal and speed metal. US power metal acts kept the genre closer to traditional heavy metal while European power metal acts kept it closer to speed metal. The idea was to add power to the music that other heavy metal bands at the time didn't have. USPM acts just did it a different way to what is now more widely accepted as the (European) power metal sound.

Typically, the USPM term is used to label artists that sit somewhere between traditional heavy metal and thrash metal, with some artists leaning more towards one or the other and often completely crossing over with the other style. USPM vocalists tend to use high register singing, something which is also heard in European power metal, though it is not considered an essential ingredient in the USPM sound, with some vocalists taking the music in a rougher direction.

There is quite a level of variance within US power metal. Some artists are more hard hitting and thrashy, while others take the music in a slower, more melodic and progressive direction. The two types of USPM are commonly known as Blue-collar USPM and White-collar USPM respectively.

Blue-collar USPM artists feature the harder, thrashy sound. The artists Helstar (who eventually adopted a more thrash metal based sound), Jag Panzer and Riot are some of the more well known blue-collar USPM acts. Some artists in this style of USPM have been known to take the genre quite close to the European power metal sound, such as Iced Earth, further demonstrating the relation between the two types of power metal music.

White-collar USPM artists are less hard hitting, adding more melody and progressive elements to the USPM sound. The band Crimson Glory is considered a prime example of this type of USPM, while others would be Pharaoh and Heir Apparent. Certain acts more commonly known as progressive metal acts such as Fates Warning are also considered to be a part of USPM.

- Biography written by adg211288.

Sub-genre collaborators (shared with Power Metal & Neoclassical Metal):
  • DippoMagoo (leader)
  • adg211288
  • Sisslith

us power metal top albums

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HELSTAR A Distant Thunder Album Cover A Distant Thunder
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CRIMSON GLORY Transcendence Album Cover Transcendence
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ICED EARTH The Glorious Burden Album Cover The Glorious Burden
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ICED EARTH Incorruptible Album Cover Incorruptible
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SANCTUARY Into The Mirror Black Album Cover Into The Mirror Black
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JAG PANZER The Fourth Judgement

Album · 1997 · US Power Metal
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UMUR
"The Fourth Judgement" is the third full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Jag Panzer. The album was released through Century Media Records in August 1997. It´s the successor to "Dissident Alliance" from 1994 and features two lineup changes as guitarist Chris Kostk has been replaced by Joey Tafolla and lead vocalist Daniel Conca has been replaced by Harry Conklin. Both replacements are returning original members of Jag Panzer and both appeared on the band´s 1984 debut album "Ample Destruction". So "The Fourth Judgement" features 4/5 of the lineup who recorded the debut album, and only drummer Rikard Stjernquist isn´t an original member.

After the disasterous attempt at making a comeback album with "Dissident Alliance (1994)", the band soon realized that the groove metal direction they had pursued on that album didn´t work for them, and with the return of Tafolla and Conklin they were ready to give it another go at making a "real" comeback album.

From the first notes of opening track "Black" it´s audible that Jag Panzer have returned to their original US power/heavy metal roots and thankfully any traces of the groove metal of "Dissident Alliance(1994)" have been completely wiped from the band´s sound. Jag Panzer again sound like Jag Panzer. Influences from traditional British heavy metal artists like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are obvious, but the same are influences from US power/heavy metal artists like Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, and Crimson Glory (the 80s versions of those artists). So this is music for those who appreciate hard rocking heavy metal riffs and rhythms, melodic themes and lead guitar sections, epic atmospheres, and a world class lead vocalist in Conklin, who is able to hit both the high notes, but also sings a little more gruff when that is needed.

The material on the 10 track, 41:40 minutes long album is well composed, powerful, and memorable. Highlights include "Call of the Wild" and "Shadow Thief", but "The Fourth Judgement" is through and through a quality release. Great songwriting, high level musical performances, and a sound production which may lack a bit of bottom end, but on the other hand sounds a lot like something you would expect to hear on an 80s heavy metal release, and therefore suits the material perfectly. You won´t find many other releases in a similar style from 1997 (maybe Metal Church and a few others who had soldiered on from the 80s, but not many others), and there is no arguing that "The Fourth Judgement" isn´t an album of its time, but it´s a statement from Jag Panzer, that they are back on the right track, after their failed attempt to impress contemporary audiences, with their rather awful version of groove metal. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

NASTY SAVAGE Nasty Savage

Album · 1985 · US Power Metal
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UMUR
"Nasty Savage" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by US, Florida based thrash/speed metal act Nasty Savage. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in August 1985. Nasty Savage were formed in 1983 and earned themselves a name on the local scene by playing some intense live shows and through their well received demo tapes.

Stylistically the 11 tracks on the 43:55 minutes long album is thrash/speed metal with the occasional more traditional heavy metal elements thrown in. Hard edged heavy/thrash metal riffs, blistering solos, and a heavy pounding rhythm section. Lead vocalist Nasty Ronnie is relatively unique and his voice and his delivery are pretty surely an aquired taste. He has a raw vocal style and rhythm to his delivery which belongs in thrash metal territory, but he also performs some pretty high pitched theatrical screams, which aren´t far from sounding like King Diamond. The instrumental part of the music also occasionally reeks a strong Mercyful Fate influence, although it´s in a thrash/speed metal context. The lyrics are time typical with subject like sex, violence, and praise of heavy metal culture. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

The album was recorded at Morrisound Studios, Tampa, Florida, which at few years down the line would become the hotbed of death metal productions, but that´s of course getting ahead of history. The sound production is raw, organic, and pretty well sounding for the time. You can hear every detail and instrument in the mix. So upon conclusion "Nasty Savage" is a good quality debut album by Nasty Savage, but the vocals are definitely a deal breaker. Some will enjoy the unique delivery, and some won´t be able to appreciate Nasty Ronnie´s vocals, and it will have great impact on the listening experience if you do or don´t. Personally I lean towards the latter opinion. I enjoy his high pitched vocal moments, but I´m not too keen on his raw vocal delivery, which often ends on a high register note. It´s sounds pretty odd and unnatural. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

VIRGIN STEELE The House Of Atreus: Act I

Album · 1999 · US Power Metal
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SilentScream213
By this point, Virgin Steele had acquired a fantastic sound all their own, mixing operatic traditional Heavy Metal with more aggressive USPM and true Power Metal. This was another in a string of concept albums, this time focusing on the Oresteia. I will say, of all the epic Greek myth to focus on, they really chose… one of the least epic. The preceding Illiad would have been much more interesting and action packed, fitting the music style better. The Oresteia is essentially a soap opera.

The good songs here sit among the band’s best. Opener “Kingdom of the Fearless” is a great way to kick off the story, a lengthy epic filled with power and glory. “Child of Desolation” is my personal favorite, showcasing the band’s knack for cheesy, beautiful ballads driven by melody and emotion. The Fire God borders on Thrash Metal, as one of the most aggressive songs they’ve done. But, not all the songs are this good.

The big issue here is how obscenely bloated it is. I mean… the amount of filler/interlude tracks outnumber the regular ones! And many of them approach or even exceed the 2 minute mark as well. It cannot be ignored. Granted, some of these are rather decent, but it’s waaay too much. Virgin Steele kept their previous concept albums a bit more under control, with Invictus definitely dancing on the line with its interludes, but this one is ridiculous.

It's got amazing tracks like their other concept albums, but this one suffers a lot in terms of front to back listenability. Also, the concept is not very fitting for a Power Metal album. They picked one of the few stories in Greek myth with zero action, zero fantasy, zero adventure… I feel this is overrated, great moments though it has.

RIOT Mean Streets

Album · 2024 · US Power Metal
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Kev Rowland
Riot were a band who appeared in many ways to get more praise in the UK than they did in their home of New York, with both ‘Rock City’ and ‘Narita’ gaining lots of praise during the NWOBHM era although their sound was quite different. It was always Mark Reale’s band, and after his death in 2012 the question was whether or not to continue, but continue they did with a slight change to the name, and this is the third release with the same line-up of Todd Michael Hall (vocals), Nick Lee (guitars), Mike Flyntz (guitars), Don Van Stavern (bass), and Frank Gilchriest (drums). There may not be any original members left but both Stavern and Flyntz originally joined in the Eighties while Gilchrist was there more than 20 years ago, so while none played on the classics, they have every right to use the name.

This is American commercial metal with high vocals, some harmonies, all played in a style where the bottom end seems almost transparent and it all feels very Eighties, as if Bon Jovi had never really gone away. But you know what? I always enjoyed this style of music and felt the likes of Poison, WASP and the rest had far more musical chops than they were often given credit for, and these guys can trace their beginnings back to 1975 and a debut in 1977. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Riot deserved to be huge, and the reason that never happened was out of their control. In fact, Classic Rock wrote a great piece on them a few years ago which started with “In the late 70s, Riot were the Great White Hopes of American rock. But that was before the public ignored them, their label disowned them, and their singer quit. And then things got really bad…”.

Given what they have been through, there is no way Riot (V) should be here all those years later producing something which is a modern American hard rock/metal classic which brings back the days when they were young and hopeful, but they have. This is a superb release which made me smile the first time I played it, the grin getting wider with each song. This could well be their best release since ‘Fire Down Under’ more than 40 years ago, and that is saying something. Essential.

SAVATAGE The Dungeons Are Calling

EP · 1984 · US Power Metal
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Warthur
This was recorded at the same sessions that yielded Savatage's debut album, Sirens, which in practice means it's much of a piece with it (especially given the fairly tight schedule they were on). It's pretty engaging, but as with Sirens we don't really get that much of what would make Savatage truly stand out coming through here; they're still rooted in NWOBHM-ish trad metal, and the power metal and progressive elements that would eventually be hallmarks of their sound are mere whispers on the wind at this stage. Not bad, but anyone with a decent range of early 1980s metal in their collection has already heard plenty of stuff like this.

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ICED EARTH Live in Ancient Kourion

Movie · 2013 · US Power Metal
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Kingcrimsonprog
Live In Ancient Kourion is a live concert Blu-Ray from the American Power Metal band Iced Earth. It was filmed at the ancient Kourion Theater in Limasol, Cyprus (a site with a 6,000-year history according to the liner notes) in 2012, in support of the Dystopia album. The line up features Jon Schaffer, Brent Smedley, Troy Steele, Luke Appleton and then-new singer Stu Block.

The career-spanning set contains 27 songs from all eras of the band’s history, in a concert that lasts around 2 hours and 35 minutes. Its pretty great value for money in that regard.

The performance is very strong indeed, with all band members putting down solid performances with no weak links. Stu capably handles the material of previous singers Matt Barlow and Tim Ripper Owens in a suitable but distinctive way. He fits the band perfectly and is immensely talented. Elsewhere; the dual guitar lines and solos are sublime and the drumming is powerful and rock-solid. If you like Iced Earth then this is a really strong and representative example of what they are all about.

Highlights include strong performances of ‘Burning Times,’ ‘Wolf,’ ‘Declaration Day,’ ‘Days Of Rage’ and ‘Dantes Inferno.’ ‘Boiling Point’ and ‘Damien’ are also especially energetic and exciting here – if you were wondering if you’d enjoy this release, then I suggest trying those two tracks out.

The stage design and the simple, tasteful lightshow in conjunction with the well-integrated use of smoke and pyro perfectly complements the band’s meaty, honest approach to Metal music. The crowd get into it and both clap and sing along on many occasions. Sometimes not only singing the words but also the guitar melodies. The concert really shows a confident band delivering their best to an appreciative crowd.

The camerawork and editing are absolutely solid, the audio recording quality and live mix are spot-on and overall this is a very strong release on both the audio and visual fronts. Sometimes you’ll get a DVD with way too many flashy transitions and cheesy editing choices, or the bass guitar missing from the mix, but a lot of care has obviously gone into making this a tasteful and musician-friendly affair. Admittedly I have seen concert Blu-Rays with better picture quality (Sabaton, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius and Hammerfall spring to mind) and here it can be a tiny bit grainy, soft-focus or washed out at times depending on the lighting conditions in the venue at the time however just because better examples exist, it doesn’t mean the picture here is anything to complain about.

In terms of bonus features there are photo galleries (4 minutes of very high resolution photos of the band and the beautiful Cypriot landscape), a 9-minute world tour story (breaking down the logistics involved such as how many guitar picks and flights the band went through) which mixes photos and graphics with interview footage, as well as the 31-minute Documentary feature “The Making Of Live At Ancient Kourion.”

The version I got comes with a slipcase in a digibook-style box which contains booklet featuring photos, credits and liner notes from bandleader Jon Shaffer. It houses the Blu-Ray version, DVD version and CD version of the concert for maximum flexibility.

The Blu-Ray specs are as follows: Region 0, Format 16:9, Audio comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 2.0 or DTS HD Surround 5.1.

Overall; Live In Ancient Kourion, especially this edition, is a very worthwhile release and I whole-heartedly recommend it to fans of the band, or fans of Traditional Heavy Metal and Power Metal in general.

ICED EARTH Festivals of the Wicked

Movie · 2011 · US Power Metal
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666sharon666
There's a lot of value for your money in this DVD package. Three full festival appearances are included, two with singer Matt Barlow and one with singer Tim "Ripper" Owens. There's also the seemingly customary documentary and all the band's music videos with the exception of the older Desert Rain back from the Night of the Stormrider era, as well as the advert for the Ten Thousand Strong video and photo slideshows. For the price this seems to retail at (I bought it for just £9.99), this is a very worthwhile package for any Iced Earth fan. The one catch is that it in reality looks more than it is, as both the Barlow fronted shows feature a completely identical setlist. It's still a very good value package to get despite this, but 4 stars is all I feel inclined to award it because of the amount of repetition. Still for the very reasonable price, if you like this band, buy it anyway.

(I originally posted this hastily written review here: http://bit.ly/pafvQh )

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