Yeah Beyond Twilight is great but not really a PM band. I'd always lumped them purely under prog. They had an excellent feel for just crafting these strange, hallucinogenic atmospheres and soundscapes. Zierler's newest project is also very good.

Anyone heard of Induction (Czechia)? They just released their sef-titled debut album. It's really symphonic and features Kai Hansen on one of the songs. I was thinking, who the heck are Induction, then??!! Boom, their guitarist is named Tim Hansen...

Catchy as heck...

Yeah, I sorta stretched that a bit, didn't I lol. Either way, solid band.

Probably not the most obscure choice, but the three Vision Divine albums with Michele Luppi are god-tier PM. Some people call this prog/power, and they do a few proggy touches, but mostly it's just really well-written, classy power metal that happens to have some elaborate instrumentation from time to time.

Michelle Luppi just elevates bands to the next level. His work on Secret Sphere's "Portrait of a Dying Heart" is actually incredible. That's easily one of the best power metal albums largely because of him.

I love The 25th Hour and Stream of Consciousness. Never got as into The Perfect Machine, but I haven't heard it as many times, so perhaps I should revisit it soon.

I actually enjoy the 3 subsequent records from Vision Divine as well. Their second stint with Fabio was better than the first, and I actually thought their new singer did a really admirable job considering the two guys he was taking over from. Just a solid band all around (which is odd, because Labyrinth does not have the same level of consistency).

I liked what I heard of their newer stuff too but it's just a bit more pedestrian than the Luppi ones. He really added something that seems to kinda be gone now. It's still solid 80% stuff though, at least.

Perfect Machine is definitely a more straight-ahead album, fairly heavy for them.

25th Hour is probably the best. Just so compact and with wonderful hooks that never leave your head.

Labyrinth's Architect of a God was a stunning album though.

I like Elegy even though they are not that obscure. Still someone mentioned Edguy, so I believe it's worth pointing them out. Here is one of their best songs from their most recent album. Orgasmic! More in the prog/power umbrella though. Also you could say they are dream theater but with better vocals. (Holland)




This solo project is pretty cool. Very unique vocals and compositions. And I don't care, bash the mechanical drums all you want this band is great. (Greece)



One of Metal Enterprises rare gems that isn't average or terrible. From Germany. Very obscure power metal.



Last but not least, glorious PM from Italy with female vocals. Very notable influence from Omen especially on the vocals.

Oh shit, Elegy is pretty damn good. I've honestly never heard them. Dude from Eternity's End's first album is on this and he seems to have a knack for this kind of high octane, technical power metal.

Although Ian Parry is a competent singer, I much prefer the first three Elegy albums with Eduard Hovinga. Lots of character and not afraid to go over the top.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAnSM_TOTao

Oh man this is definitely better. Ian Parry is cool but he always sounds like he should be fronting a Saxon-esque trad band. Funny how sound and taste don't overlap. This other guy is reminding me of being a kid and hearing Tobias Sammet and Michael Kiske for the first times.

Yeah that guy singing for Elegy has an awesome voice

Anyone get into much Domine?



This one is definitely right on the border of true metal-style riffs but with the classic power metal chorus.



Then you get the super-epic 11 minute, six-part shit like this. Massive.

Great band! I posted them on the previous page when I was really getting into them. I binged their discography a few weeks ago. My favourite record is definitely Emperor of the Black Runes, but they don't really have any weak material. They're a super underrated band for some reason. It feels like nobody really talks about them but they have one of the craziest singers and tons of riffs.

It seemed like they were big back when I first got into metal, but I suppose never putting out any albums since 2007 tends to diminish your profile. Haven't heard anyone talk about them in years really.

My favorite from them is Stormbringer ruler
Seems that if you are from Italy and your PM is not very symphonic you're not getting anywhere, i have many times wondered why bands like Domine, Thy majestie and Altair, all among the best in their style, are not having the same level of exposure/recognition as others at the same level (like scandinavian counterparts for example).

I only just learned this thread existed today, so I've been scouring it for some tasty cuts. I've also noticed that we're missing some great bands in here that deserve more attention.

Tales of Evening
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpI_j9iLrSA

Power Theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFyOrjGDfHE

Scarleth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxDWqYS9dtg

Derdian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu014t042bU

Seven Spires
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P51LZLg7v6k

Control the Storm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX-GDKhdgUs

MindMaze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSzqwzYtuy8

Ariadna Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCIilWG-Oec

Dialith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAoLfXEpPAo

Dawn of Destiny (especially their first two albums)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYZlHsn6BNE

Borealis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFIEHARSQcY

A Sound of Thunder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTNwwYUnYHE

Mary's Blood...like, c'mon, this was obviously coming, you know who I am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EX7Nu6JI7Y

I'm sure they've been mentioned on the previous pages, but what's everyone's thoughts on Pyramaze? The debut is one of my favorite pm albums of all time. Lance King absolutely crushed it on that album and the follow up. But the band's new singer is actually quite good, too! They don't get mentioned a lot, but they're a quality band.

I like Immortal with Matt Barlow. I've heard several others, but haven't spent as much time with them.

I'd suggest going back and starting with the debut. It's awesome.

The debut and Legend Of The Bone Carver are both masterworks, and I've generally enjoyed just about everything that Lance King has involved himself with since he started out with Gemini. He gets a fair bit of flack for having a thin sounding higher range, but honestly I think he's basically a more versatile outgrowth of where Geoff Tate was in the late 80s. Bone Carver had a particularly compelling vocal performance out of King, and the lead guitar and keyboard work on said album was positively top notch.

Powergod is a band that doesn't get too much love of late, and even back in the early 2000s when they were at their peak of output, they seemed to fly under the radar. They basically got overshadowed by Metalium, which was basically a slightly more polished version of the same speed metal-infused German sound that Powergod dealt in, but frankly I think the latter had a special something that definitely deserved more attention. Although they really struck gold when they got former Spiral Tower vocalist Alex Koch, their first album is an excellent listen.



Speaking of which, even though they only had one album, Spiral Tower is also a band that was quite good, basically a more technically apt version of Sacred Steel with a stronger vocalist as well.

I don't know how obscure they are or where they're from or even if they considered power metal (could be progressive, perhaps), but holy fuck Triosphere kicks ass! I have seen them mentioned on here a few times over the past couple years, and I finally decided to check them out. I'm listening to The Heart of the Matter and there hasn't been a weak song yet. Great female vocals, nice melodies...but the standout for me is the solos. They're all short but sweet...full of feeling, and very complementary to the song. I'd recommend checking these guys out if you haven't already.

Thread resurrection! Is there anything new and epic out in 2020 that I might have missed?

You need to hear the EP from Fellowship. It's like Twilight Force but better.

Sick, thanks!

Really good. This is what dragonforce would sound like if they didn't suck

These guys played live in my country around 2 years ago and I missed them because of a stupid ass lesson exam I had to take the next day( I had to wake up early and they played at 22:00) and I want to pull my hair out for missing them. I also lost an Omen gig with the same incident.

For my recommendation of pm this time I recommend Casus Belli, a Greek band:



Hands down, one of the best power metal songs to come out Frome Greece. There is also a version with Peavy from Rage on Vocals here:

Here's a weird one - TOC - Loss Angeles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvNvPe-GP-c

Power metal with some prog, jazz and hard rock laced in. Real pulpy noir aesthetic to the lyrics and all that, and the singer is killer. I ordered it off Discogs just now since I can't find it anywhere else. This is a real unique piece of music and they should've continued.

Some of its parts are sort of post metal. Good composition nevertheless, I like it

They had a kind of cold feel to some of it - that song isn't actually even one of the better ones though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nat4td5Y28U

This one is a killer.

I'm sure it was mentioned on previous pages, but man, I just discovered Sweden's Majestica! What an awesome sound these guys have. Sort of like Pathfinder but a bit more epic IMO. Highly recommended!

I'm really not much into power metal - which is funny, because I still recognize quite a few names in this topic - but since they weren't mentioned yet, I'll just do it:

Galloglass from Germany only had two albums out, but “Heavenseeker“ in particular is a fun ride from start to finish. They don't take themselves entirely serious, which is best displayed in “Banished From Eternity“:



There were plans to release a third album with Andrew McDermott (Threshold) as lead singer, but unfortunately he passed away and apparently they called it a day then.

I've seen a few people here talk about Pentagram from Turkey, labeling them this or that... but to my ears this is basically power metal to the bone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4lKNZsB7ak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nduk2CX233A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9uwSt5wqIU

Anyone hear the release from Cristiano Filippini, Flames of Heaven? Sort of came out of nowhere, but it's really impressive throughout. Sounds like a mix of Keldian and Pathfinder.

Damn it, I was just about to mention both Keldian and Pathfinder. Those two, along with Orden Ogan (which may or may not be considered obscure depending on who you talk to) are probably my favorite bands from this genre. I still have a few to bring up, though. This genre was a big part of my introduction to metal as a whole, and I scoured the youtube power metal mixes for underground gems a lot back in the day. Some of these may have been mentioned earlier, but here's a few off the top of my head:

Power Quest - Initially made up of quite a few ex Dragonforce members if I remember correctly. They had a run of 3 albums (Wings of Forever, Neverworld and Magic Never Dies) that I still love to this day. Cheesy as all hell and their synth usage makes Sabaton seem like the masters of self control. Still fun though.

Privateer - This band features the same vocalist as Pathfinder, and his vocals are the highlight here. They only released a few albums, and the one entitled "The Traitors" is the only one I ever heard. Sadly, only the title track stuck with me, but it's definitely worth a listen.

Olympos Mons - Truth be told, I've only heard one song from this group, but it's a good one. The track is called "Lady in White."

Royal Jester - Swedish power metal. The album I loved was their 2010 release "Night Is Young."

Exos - A super sappy sound, and in all reality it's not a particularly unique sound they bring, but the song "Time for a Change" has a melody that's damn catchy.

Iron Fire - Not sure if this counts as obscure, but they're Danish power metal with a super classic sound (on the one record I've really given a listen to). I really like how 90s the album "Thunderstorm" feels, and it has a few really good songs.

Twilightning - Their album Delirium Veil is a solid work of power metal, and the title track is simply amazing.

That's about it for now, hopefully these help you find some new tunes to fight dragons with.

After this thread I'm not sure there are any dragons left to slay. I think we've vanquished them all.

Love Iron Fire. Their recent output has been great but Revenge is my personal favorite. Ironhead is without a doubt one of the greatest PM songs written.

GIVE ME A SIGN!!!

Predator - Escape From Nowhere:


AND SHOW ME THE WAY!!!

Sorry, I just really love this band. Seems the stream to their full LP got deleted because this was the only song I could find from them on YouTube. Shame they never made any more music because (as a non-power metal fan) they're probably my favourite pure power metal band.

I think the best pm album I've heard this year is the Sacred Outcry release.

I was going to throw in Power Quest (having seen them in a pub with about twenty people) - sortof glad that someone got there first !