It's been a while since I've heard these guys, and I honestly can't recall what they sound like, but I don't remember liking it too much.

Just came across another one on YouTube: Insania. These guys are like a tame version of Rhapsody, or really just symphonic power metal in general. Soaring vocals, lots of keyboards (sometimes taking the lead and other times laying off). Pretty cheesy music and lyrics, but still a lot of fun. I've listened to a few tracks, but here's a cool one:



Up next: Excalion. Do these guys count as obscure? At the very least, they aren't a top 30 or so power metal band. I bought their newest album recently, and though it is only my first release of theirs, it has quickly become a favourite. More symphonic power metal, but with a heavy emphasis on keyboards. At times it ventures into Freedom Call territory with the happiness, and much like that band, the singer of Excalion has quite a distinctive voice. Are their other two albums about the same as the newest one?

Excalion is a priceless band to me. Waterlines and High Time are both exquisite experiences when it comes to the genre.

Here's a few you might like...

Salamandra


Rampart


Claudio Minotti's Liturgy of War

rather overlong intro but very enthralling piece with great guitar and a fucking incredible vocalist (the way Halford should have sounded on Nostradamus). The band is currently lodged in Canada but the singer is Romanian and Claudio Minotti is Italian. I find the structuring and delivery rather Euro anyway.

I'll add another one!

Crystallion - Hundred Days

Awesome power metal concept album about Napoleon's infamous '100 days' where he returned from Elba to Paris to regain control of France, only to be defeated finally at the Battle of Waterloo. Great songs, very well done presentation.

Maybe not so obscure but not discussed a lot but Thy Majestie is some good Italian power metal. Their most recent album was really good.

When looking up the extraordinary singer Carlos Zema I found out he's in this decidedly European sounding power metal band from Texas, Immortal Guardian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUgnHoJ2YQw

Any love for The Dogma in here? Really cool Italian PM with a gothy flourish and a great, unique style - a real sense for heavy riffs that most Italian bands don't have. Newest album Black Widow (though it's four years old now) is one of the most original PM albums I've heard in some time. Soaring PM vocals mixed with heavier riffs, some proggy stuff, etc - not for everyone, but I dig it. These songs are the more straightforward ones on the album, but there are lots of really weird, atmospheric moments too. If they could write an album with great hooks all the way through it'd be first class stuff, but sadly a lot of their tunes tend to have hooks that don't "hit" very hard.

Good topic, will certainly check some of this stuff out, a couple of bands i would like to mention.

DRM


Ark Storm (These guys are actually from Japan, but its a very euro-power style)


Galloglass

Bumping this thread because it's one of the best ones here and I found a few more bands this morning. I've only listened to a song or two from each of these bands, but so far so good!

Wizard


This is the title track from their Head of the Deceiver record and leans towards the heavier/more aggressive side of things. Maybe something like Majesty, but with more force. It looks like they've got a pretty extensive discography, which I can't really speak to, but this song is wicked.

Domain

Checked out a couple tracks from their Stardawn record, which has an awesome, Iron Savior-esque cover. This particular song is filled with insane shredding. Seems like it's a super long concept record (the last track is 25 minutes. I didn't listen to it because I'm gonna save that for when I finally track this one down). This seems like it could be a huge lost gem. This is another band with an extensive discography, but the cover art for this album really caught my eye.

Steel Attack


I think these guys are probably better known than the other two. They're pretty standard Euro power in the Walls of Jericho/Stormwarrior variety, at least based on what I've heard of them. Random question: anyone have any info on the legitimacy of a 2-1 version of their first two records that came out in 2006? Found it for sale somewhere, but I can't find any information about if this is a real release or not.

Wizard and Steel Attack are pretty cool. I know of Domain, but I don't remember any of their music.

Edit - Here's my first contribution:

I haven't heard all the Wizard albums, but I remember liking their first two and the Odin album - that one especially was killer. The vocals are fun and they know how to write killer, chugging metal riffs in the mode of Iron Savior, Paragon, etc. Their first two are available for free on the band's website and despite being really low fi and amateur, they're fun in the way that amateurish heavy metal can be.

Haven't seen this thread before so I'd like to bring up Dynazty.

They've already released five full-lengths but still seem to be pretty unknown and there's not a single review on MA. I've discovered them a few weeks ago (kudos to YouTube recommendation section!) while watching a ToxicRose video (their outfits are nice but the music's rather meh...).

They mix heavy and glam-like metal with hard rock and power metal but they should still somehow qualify for this thread. I haven't listened to all their albums yet but they got some very neat tunes - not suitable for everyone but they shouldn't fail to satisfy many powermetalheads.

Land of broken Dreams (Classic sing-along anthem)
Cross the Line (Killer tune!)
Sultans of Sin

Oh and they will support The Vision Bleak and Pain in a few days so I'll see them live, stoked for that night!

I've mentioned them a few times on here, but no one took the bait. I'm really surprised, because their last two albums are really good. They were originally (I believe) a glam metal band and they switched to power metal, so that's why they have that unique sound.

Edit - This is my favorite Dynazty song:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BY1vbU9ZqIM

Hey, yeah, that Dynazty band is cool. Really catchy, energetic stuff. I can dig it.

I heard about Dynazty from ProgPower because they're nuts about those guys over there. I keep The Human Paradox (the song) on repeat, and am awaiting the day I find some of their stuff on CD! They've definitely got that poppy power metal sound down.

Also, I saw someone post Thornbridge. I've heard one of their songs before and it sounded great too!

I suppose I can contribute. Amadeus is a Spanish power metal band I stumbled across a while ago. I don't have their second album, but their first one is very good stuff and can get a little proggy at times. Fantastic lead guitar work.

How would everyone feel about turning this into the General Euro PM thread? The recs thread is mostly USPM and heavy metal now.

I've been trying to get people to listen to this band, so check these guys out:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Sxk58yE8VeE

Ah yeah, this is the thread that introduced me to Shadow Host two years ago, so that's pretty great. I can't see myself checking out too much else simply because the dozens of embedded youtube vids slow the page to a crawl and it takes way too damn long to be able to do anything smoothly (hence why I'm just giving links instead of embeds from here on out).

One I can't believe I didn't contribute back then since I've been listening to this album for close to a decade at this point is Twilight of Days by Athena. The album does have problems (the vocals are mousey, the guitar/keyboard tone is really plasticky and thin), but the strength of the hooks and overall songwriting more than makes up for the flaws in my eyes. I've never heard the previous two albums so I can't tell you what they sound like, but ToD tends to attack from two angles. One being a generally "typical" europower angle, with huge choruses, strong hooks, high tempo, tons of double bass, et cetera; while the other side throws song at you that are more midpaced and brooding, with lots of chugs to compliment the still strong melodies. It's basically the perfect definition of a flawed gem and I rank it right next to other perennial favorites of mine like Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Persuader, Gamma Ray, and others.

Twiling of Days
Till the End
Falling Ghosts

This next one is well known for the Japenese metal freaks like Perdition666, Dudemanguy, and the other obvious culprits (and it's technically not Europower for that reason but I think I saw Galneryus posted earlier so I'll make an exception), but I adore Light Bringer as well. Again I only really know one album, this time 2013's Scenes from Infinity (though I've at least also heard Monument but it wasn't nearly as good so it only got one or two listens). It's chock full of upbeat, poppy PM songs with great vocals and hooks that get stuck in my head for days at a time. It's very heavy on the keys, which is nice because he's a ludicrously talented player, as is every member of the band. Everybody solos on this album. A lot. It's a ton of fun to listen to, and it's one of my proudest discoveries of the last few years.

Hyperion
Fallen Angel
Venus (this is potentially the catchiest song I've ever heard

And lastly I'm not entirely sure how "obscure" they are since I discovered them thanks to the vocalist being featured on the new Avantasia album, but I really, really like the new Sinbreed album as well. The vocalist appears on "Draconian Love" on that Avantasia album, and the deep, soulful vocals were really intriguing to me and I wanted to hear them in a non-ballad context, so I sought out his original band. It's pretty misleading, because on Master Creator here, he utilizes a very gruff tenor, not much unlike Tobi's mid range, actually. I can't pretend this is all that unique in any way, but it's just some damn good, high energy, melody slathered Europower with great choruses, which is basically all I ask for when it comes to this genre anyway.

Creation of Reality
The Voice
Moonlit Night

I got all their stuff on CDs, even found the Japanese pressings with bonus tracks on ebay. Bit expensive but you only live once. I guess it's their first album that's a bit rare by now, only one left at discogs right now.

As you mentioned ProgPower festival Red Circuit comes to my mind. While they are not that unknown they're still semi-obscure. I know some folks cannot stand them because of the greasy vocals.

>>> Oceans apart (One of their catchiest.)

One more thing: All Sabaton fans should know Tommy Johannson by now, singer, guitarist and main force behind ReinXeed. A good band with an often too sugary production and loads of keyboards (why am I even mentioning this? - it's a power metal thread) but one of my personal favs. Tommy sings like a god and his guitar playing skills are more than decent too.

>>> Dragonfly

Her Whisper is one of my favorite obscure PM bands (don't think I've seen them mentioned yet). One of the heavier pm bands I've heard and I love the mood/atmosphere. Pity they broke up (the album under the Dark Design moniker wasn't that good).

All that Remains
Non Serviam
Structures of Deceit
Their Finest Hour

I found these guys in the exact same way, and even had the exact same reaction as you! As great as Herbie is, he sounds totally different in Sinbreed than he did on Draconian Love. Master Creator is the only Sinbreed album I've bought so far, but I love it. It's like Masterplan if they were going full force all the time.

And on the mention of Herbie, he's also singing for Symphonity now. They just put out their second record, which features both Herbie and Olaf Hayer (Dionysus, Luca Turilli). I've only heard a couple of tracks, but I'm sold on those guys too!

Great thread. I've too many "obscure" PM bands in mind right now to list them all in one post but here are 5 underrated/overlooked bands that are worth listening to:

Krusader


Eagleheart


Isidris


Darktribe


Eternal of Sweden


I may post more later, hope you like those.

How about some insanely obscure power metal?

I present Ice Sword:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JvWhuaIfITs

I'm glad someone besides me mentioned Light Bringer Scenes of Infinity is probably my favorite power metal album from the perspective of musicianship/wankery... the only other power albums I'd give a 5* rating to are both Lost Horizon albums, Angra's Temple of Shadows, and maybe Imaginations From The Other Side.

Given that I'm a megaweeb, obviously J-power is more my thing than Europower, in general. But I've listened to a good amount of Europower and can give some recs here, for sure.

Landguard's sole album is very rough-sounding, with weak vocals and poor production, but I like the slightly janky quality of it. It reminds me of Adramelch, in a very good way.

Orphan Gypsy have a similar atmosphere to Lost Horizon. Definitely worth checking out.

Hammerforce are an interesting Russian band with trance synth (always a plus in my eyes) and very unconventional but still catchy song structures. Another Russian band that combines trance with power metal, though in a very different way, is Lifeform. They have an oddly depressive atmosphere for power metal, too.

Platitude are another favorite underrated Europower act of mine. Their first two albums have absolutely incredible keyboard work and very catchy choruses.

Requiem are fairly typical Finnish power metal, though a bit more guitar-dominant than Sonata Arctica. They have some really fun riffs.

Acropolis are a VERY obscure Israeli band who released only one EP, as far as I know. Very fast, almost Dragonforce-level, but not as drawn-out, and their songs have nice proggy surprises occasionally.

Melodius Deite are technically Thai, but they play a solidly Europower style, which sounds like Symphony X meets Dark Moor (with a bit of Magic Kingdom), to my ears. Mostly instrumental.

Terra Prima are pretty generic Angra-core, but I really like the basswork on their debut. Definitely a step above other Angra clones like Glory Opera and Terra Sur.

Concept have a really bad vocalist but otherwise are pretty excellent power metal with some neo-prog atmosphere, and very good instrumentation.

I have a serious fondness for Spanish-language vocals, and I have to say Amadeus have probably my favorite Spanish-language vocalist in power metal. Also some very good rhythmically dynamic instrumentation.

I'm also obligated to mention Auvernia, who do not get nearly enough respect. Both their albums absolutely overflow with riffs and ideas, which can make them seem a bit all over the place at first. But they have such ballsy energy and overwhelming speed that I can't not enjoy them. And their instrumental breaks are fucking awesome - I love bands that do extended solo breaks, and Auvernia are almost on par with Light Bringer and Galneryus when it comes to giving those sections interesting and diverse personalities. (If anyone knows any other PM or prog bands with cool instrumental sections, please let me know!)

They also have some black metal influence, similar to Black Destiny.

Acropolis is awesome! Aren't the members all Russian or something? The production on that EP is questionable at best, but their songs are catchy.

Nautiluz
https://youtube.com/watch?v=4_OH0vo2ftc

Delirion
https://youtube.com/watch?v=n2T_qUcPUtg

Beorn
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UAiDobLt8-U

This is fucking awesome. Shit, I can't believe I never heard of this before. I looked up that singer thinking anyone that good must've been someone I already knew, but nope. Really great, heavy stuff - I'll buy it. Listening to samples on Amazon and it sounds incredible on the other songs, too.

EDIT: Just bought it now.

Krusader and Isidris, the other bands in your post I hadn't heard yet, were also pretty cool - PM is in good shape if bands like that keep plugging on and getting better, very solid.

My contribution for now: Desert Near the End



Heavy, extreme stuff like Iced Earth but with actual songwriting skills. Pugilistic, extreme metal-influenced stuff and it works on sheer intensity and drive.

Without even listening, Emp gushing like that is rare enough to pique my interest, so I'm on it as well.

I honestly struggle to even consider the newest Desert Near the End album to even be power metal. The riffs ooze Iced Earth often enough, but between the thrashy aggression, harsh vocals, and abundance of blast beats and other death metal elements in the percussion, I'm not sure they fit in this thread. That said, the album is great and y'all should listen to it anyway, but don't expect anything to come from the Sonata Arctica/Helloween camps like most bands in this thread.

There are a few out there I can add to this thread:

Archontes is a Russian europower band with an emphasis on speed and intricate keyboard and guitar melodies, with piercing vocals that sometimes remind me of Midnight and other times of Andre Matos.



Aphelium, from Venezuela, has only released a single demo, but it's definitely worth checking out. Both songs on the demo are laced with symphonic elements, but they don't detract from the guitars' pummeling riffs. Expect some prog elements as well, especially on "Cleopatra".

I heard it again just now to make sure I wasn't crazy or just drinking when I did that other post. But yeah, Eternal of Sweden really is very, very good. Crushing midtempo riff, sort of a weighty, apocalyptic sound and vocals that remind me of Daniel Heiman's midrange but grittier. That was easily as good as any big name PM band. Liking the choirs in the chorus, too - an old PM trick but it's done well.

Desert Near the End is very borderline, yeah. I think they have enough melody to pass for it. The first few songs on the album are easily the most extreme, but much of the latter half has a lot more melody and power metal styling. The vocals and drums make it sound more extreme than it is and the production is a bit muddy and claustrophobic for the genre, but I think it still counts through the guitars and writing.

I cannot say enough good things about Solar Fragment's second album. It was a real slow burner for me, I liked it at the beginning, but came to love it after a few listens. The songwriting is really great and the production is punchy and clear. Moana's Return, In the Circle, Race the Seas, all great tracks.

I've been posting about this band lately, but hopefully they get noticed in here.

DragonHarp
https://youtube.com/watch?v=IzOMp7urR5E

I never had a chance to check everything out the first time this thread was around, but I just came across these guys on reddit, and it sounds great to me! Will definitely be keeping an eye out for both of their records!

I think I had the same reaction when I listened to this band for the first time last winter
Glad you like it!


I already mentioned DarkTribe in my previous post but here are some more PM bands from France as I guess most of French PM bands are quite unknown, except for Heavenly, Fairyland and maybe Nightmare.

Alkemyst
If you had one obscure French power-prog band to know, it would definitely be this one.


Qantice


Karelia


Galderia
If you like classic, cheesy PM that's fun to listen to, there you go!


Elvenstorm
A speed/power metal in the vein of Running Wild. No need to mention that it's not as good as RW, but it's still decent though.

First time I've seen somebody on the forums bring up this band...they're definitely one of my favorite bands currently! Their first album is slightly better, though...on The Phantonauts they mainstreamed their sound a bit. I didn't think Pellek was the best fit for them (his voice is too glossy for a band that progressive) so I'm secretly glad that he moved on from them.

I would rather say that their first album was clearly prog oriented while their second album essentially fits in the power metal genre (quite similar to the kind of metal played by the Italian band Labÿrinth, in my opinion). I kind of agree with you that this may not be the type of metal that best fits Pellek's voice, but honestly, I like his voice on this album. Or at least, his voice doesn't bother me here.

Any talk about Russian power metal is incomplete without Epidemia, arguably the biggest power metal band in Russia. Their first album is nigh-on unlistenable due to poor production and even poorer singer, but after that they got this guy called Maxim Samosvat, who grew into а top class metal vocalist and one of the best in Russia.





Inspired by Edguy's metal operas, they made two albums called Эльфийская рукопись (The Elven Manuscript) and Эльфийская рукопись: Сказание на все времена (The Elven Manuscript: The Tale of All Times), gathering many familiar and respected Russian metal vocalists. These two albums gave them status they now have. They recorded one more album with Samosvat, called Дорога домой (The Way Home), which is another fine power metal record.



After that, Samosvat departed, and as of now I'm not familiar with their recent material. What I do know is that this band deserves some attention here and reviewing, whether good or bad. There are many power metal fanatics here, someone could dig this. I'd do those reviews myself, but they'd suck since I haven't written a review for over four years. So help yourselves

Catharsis from Russia. The albums "Imago" and "Krylya" are top-notch examples of that classical inspired stuff. Not any metal opera or symphonic type, just the guitar playing and keyboards capture a grandioseness on their own.

Immortal Choir from Brazil. They add a peculiar rainforesty vibe, partly through lyrics but also the sound, to a creative mix of heavy albeit wobbly produced power metal tunes. Shame they only made one album.

You're right, Qantice were power metal-oriented on The Cosmocinesy, but The Phantonauts saw them become primarily a power metal band. So it makes sense that they went with a more "conventional" vocalist. I'm curious to see how David Akesson fits in with them. He sounded good live, other than missing a few notes (Pellek never performed live with them but he's so technically sound he might have fared better).

After reading through the comments in this thread's recent resurgence, it looks like I have some homework! I'm happy to see mentions of Sinbreed, Eternal of Sweden, Darktribe, Solar Fragment, and Desert Near the End. All have had strong releases as of recent.

I imagine this page is already loading slowly for people, so I'll just list names and you can look them up if you so choose.

Helion Prime: This is one of those bands that does a great job of balancing melody and heaviness. The sci-fi themes can get a bit cheesy at times, but I have really enjoyed their debut. "Ocean of Time" is a good place to start for people checking them out.

In Vain: Like Desert Near the End, there is a lot of thrash here, but there are also power metal elements. Lots of aggression and strong vocals. The album The Little Things that Matter is great from start to end.

Reverence: I can't believe more people don't bring this band up. Gods of War easily made my top 10 albums last year. They've got a USPM feel with huge choruses and great riffs.

Sunburst: I feel like I have to mention Sunburst any chance I can get, because I had been waiting for their debut to come for what seemed like forever. I have always been a fan of Gus Drax and felt like he never quite found the right band until forming Sunburst. Fragments of Creation features some of the best vocals and guitarwork in power metal this year.

Tanagra: This band is pretty different. Not quite sure who I would compare them to, but they've got some really catchy material. I'm not a big lyrics guy, but I like the whole weird fantasy/existential themed thing they've got going on.

Night Mistress: Another power metal band that shows obvious influence from traditional heavy metal. I haven't listened to them as much as others on this list, but I rediscovered Into the Madness a few weeks ago and forgot how solid it was.

Also, if anyone is ever looking for lesser known power metal bands, I would recommend the youtube channel called "Unknown Power Metal YT" if you haven't come across it before. He uploads pretty often and I have learned of many bands from him.

The absolute BEST Europower album EVER released is Morifade's "Possession of Power".

A criminally underrated jewel that will never be surpassed.