Quote:
Originally Posted by hohokrikid
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hmm.. coba dengerin lagu"nya helloween ama stratovarius, ndan..
kalo mau tau lebih dalam, baca ini, ndan..
Power metal is a style of
heavy metal music combining characteristics of
traditional metal with
speed metal, often within symphonic context. 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,
Scandinavia),
Brazil and
Japan (early
Visual Kei bands) with a lighter, more melodic sound and frequent use of
keyboards.
Musical characteristics
Kai Hansen of
Gamma Ray during a show in Barcelona, Spain.
Power metal is today associated with fast tempo and melodic harmonies, the sound tempered by characteristics of
speed metal, power metal's musical forerunner.
Vocals
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. Following in the tradition of
Ronnie James Dio,
Ian Gillan,
Bruce Dickinson,
Rob Halford and other
heavy metal vocalists, power metal vocals are often in a high register. The majority of the genre's vocalists sing in the
tenor range, capable of hitting very high notes, like Timo Kotipelto of
Stratovarius, Michele Luppi of
Vision Divine,
Michael Kiske (ex-
Helloween) or Ralf Scheepers of
Primal Fear. 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, Dracula and many other songs,
Matt Barlow hits very high notes reminiscent of Rob Halford, or makes use of the growling technique.
Power metal vocalists
ZP Theart of
DragonForce ,
Timo Kotipelto of
Stratovarius,
Tony Kakko of
Sonata Arctica,
Andi Deris of
Helloween,
Kai Hansen of
Gamma Ray,
Hansi K�rsch of
Blind Guardian, Jens Carlsson of
Persuader /
Savage Circus , Matt Smith of
Theocracy,
Roy Khan of
Kamelot and
Lord Tim of
LORD record multi-layered vocals reminiscent of
Queen, creating a choral effect.
[1] However, high registered singing is not restricted to power metal bands even though the style is typical within the genre. Some singers within other heavy metal genres also have high registered voices similar to singers of power metal bands. For example
Joey Belladonna, of American
thrash metal band
Anthrax, has a voice that is often high-pitched.
Lyrical themes
Power metal's lyrical themes, though as varied as metal itself, typically focus on
fantasy and
mythology (e.g.,
Symphony X,
Rhapsody of Fire,
DragonForce,
Dragonland,
3 Inches Of Blood,
Ascension,
Blind Guardian,
Shaman,
HammerFall,
Falconer,
Domine,
Virgin Steele),
camaraderie and hope (e.g.
Stratovarius,
Helloween,
Gamma Ray,
Lost Horizon,
Highland Glory), personal struggles and emotions (e.g.
Sonata Arctica,
Primal Fear,
Angra,
Masterplan,
X Japan) war and death (e.g.
Manowar,
Sabaton,
Iced Earth,
Firewind) or combinations of the listed themes. Many typical metal themes such as anti-
religion and
politics are comparatively rare but not unheard of.
Instrumentation
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. 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. Power metal often makes use of Major chord progressions as well as circle progressions. Some of the most influential and imitated power metal guitarists are
Kai Hansen of
Gamma Ray,
Michael Weikath of
Helloween and
Timo Tolkki of
Stratovarius. It is a common trait in power metal for the bass guitar to take a back seat, so to speak; often simply providing the chord root notes and being drowned out by the more prevalent rhythm guitars. However, some power metal bands incorporate bass that is more audible with colorful patterns distinct from the rhythm guitars, such as
Helloween,
Hibria, and
Symphony X.
A number of power metal
drummers generally play with
double bass pedals or two
bass drums, utilizing them to play a constant stream of
sixteenth notes (semiquavers) with snare drum accents on the beat. 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. 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. 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. The American band
Cellador, the Finnish band
Kiuas and the British band
DragonForce are good examples of power metal bands that utilize blast beats in many of their songs.
Power metal bands often incorporate keyboards into their musical arrangements, something popularized by
Jens Johansson of Stratovarius, 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 the keyboardist plays in other power metal bands.
American power metal
This branch of power metal emerged in 1980s United States as an offshoot of
thrash metal,
speed metal, and
heavy metal. Though very close to its roots, US power metal (often abbreviated USPM) is often faster than standard heavy metal, with a more riff-driven approach than its later European counterpart, but more melodic and often with a higher emphasis on guitar leads than thrash. USPM is also notable for its wide (but not universal) use of high-register operatic vocals, a trend which would continue with the birth of European power in the late 80s/early 90s. A notable difference between the American and European styles is the use of keyboards; While almost universal in the European style, they are fairly rare in the American style. US power metal saw a sharp decline in popularity at the beginning of the 90s, though a small number of bands continue playing the style today. In the 2000s it has seen a resurgence in popularity, with many older releases being reissued and new bands forming in the style.
Notable USPM bands include
Leatherwolf,
Manowar,
Iced Earth,
Manilla Road,
Virgin Steele,
Fates Warning,
Savatage,
Liege Lord,
Jag Panzer,
Crimson Glory, and
Helstar.
European power metal
Blind Guardian, one of the key acts in European power metal
In some cases referred to as Melodic Power, especially for bands such as
Sonata Arctica, and
Dragonforce, originating from
New Wave of British Heavy Metal, European branch of power metal emerged in latter half of the 1980s with
Germany's
Helloween,
Blind Guardian and
Rage and
Finland's
Stratovarius in the 1990s, with a strong focus on melody and uplifting, positive themes.
Helloween mixed fast
palm muted speed metal riffs with high-pitched clean vocals and guitar. The album
Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 was a landmark in the development of the European style.
Stratovarius further developed this melodic direction by making heavy use of
keyboards. 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. The style has become one of the largest metal subgenres and its popularity is far from waning. The United States also has its share of European style power metal bands, an example of which is
Kamelot. It should be noted that some other power metal bands put less emphasis on speed.