That beginning scream on the Huntress vid....

The late 90s early 2000's resurgence of uspm gets overlooked quite a bit i think. You know with bands such as Crescent Shield, Pharaoh and esp that first Destiny's End album. Prob deserve attention more than p much all the demos from the 80s.



Chevalier play dark speed metal with the bass up front in the mix. Very messy sounding and not for everyone

Ok not with female vocals but hey i like these bands a lot:

Sacral Rage play Helstar like USPM/Speed Metal
Evil Invaders are more a general mix of both German as well as North American speed metal but on meth. Their first album and ep destroy but their 2nd album was a bit uninspired imo.
Ranger play speed metal kind of like early Running Wild and Exciter

Yeah I've got Destiny's End and Crescent Shield on the "essential" list already - some of the only ones I've listed from that era, Virgin Steele and Cauldron Born are the only other major ones I think, but I'll be on the lookout for other stuff. I've never been a big fan of Pharaoh although I guess I could mention 'The Longest Night' somewhere since it's somewhat USPM-ish. The two after that don't really sound like USPM at all, I'd say (even though it's power metal from the US, it's just so different stylistically).

USPM is a hard genre to define at times because of its ability to crossover into trad, thrash and prog. I'm sure you're well aware of the below recs but I'll throw them out there anyway.

Brocas Helm
Lazarus Sin
Matthias Steele
Medieval Steel
Slauter Xstroyes
Tyrant
Prototype

I'm by no means an expert on UPSM, but I would absolutely consider Emerald (US)'s 1987 EP Armed For Battle a hidden gem.

I am familiar with Emerald and all the bands MetlaNZ mentioned except for Prototype! Will check them out. Thanks for the input guys!

EDIT: Are you referring to this Prototype? https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Pr ... 3540309190

Pharaoh def play power metal, just one of the few post 80s bands that actually did something quite different. In terms of riffing etc it def follows that formula and not the beefy EUPM one. I can imagine if the longest night came out in the 80s people would be comparing em with Helstar and Slauter Xstroyes.

The newer Pharaoh albums play around with the songwriting and musicianship a lot, so it's not what you're looking for if you want strictly 80s or 80s sounding stuff. They fit in with Chris Black's other projects and a lot of the new bands that came out in the mid 2000s or so - just doing things their own way. Even The Longest Night is quite unique.

Nah, this one:
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Prototype/447
I thought I'd chuck em in there. They're bloody good but are classified as Prog Metal on MA, but as I said the lines can get blurry when it comes to USPM.

Gotta have another listen to Pharaoh. I remember having a bit of a listen years ago and liking what I heard but not taking it further.

I know they're Canadian but do you have Zions Abyss - T.A.L.E.S. on there?

Since we're delving into lesser known USPM releases, anyone familiar with Thee Final Chaptre? Some pretty great stuff here:



Warning - more Christian than Sacred Warrior.

Yeah, I have Zions Abyss on there, I believe it's on the essential list actually, that's a great album.


Sounded interesting from what I checked, but not really like USPM. Far more technical and less bombastic than any USPM I've heard. Thanks anyway though.


Huh. No, hadn't heard them before. Damn, this is some pretty cool stuff, shame about the Christian shit. Wouldn't say *more* than Sacred Warrior, but just as bad. The music is better than Sacred Warrior though, I've never particularly liked them, musically or otherwise. Thanks for mentioning!


In general, I'm realizing I've heard most of the 80s stuff but there's a lot of newer stuff I haven't heard (which is pretty much in line with what tomcat_ha was saying), so newer USPM is more likely to be helpful to me. Thanks again guys!

Hey everybody, I've had an itch lately for trad/power metal from the early days (80s-90s) that have an organic sounding production and have cover art that's fantasy themed/look like a panel in a old comic book. That second condition is a big one for me in this search. Think Cirith Ungol, Virgin Steele, Omen, Manilla Road, Heavy Load, etc. Even some new school epic/power metal bands like Eternal Champion can fit the bill.

Do you have any more for me? I'll root back through the bands posted before this, too. I've been listening to power metal a while and am growing tired of slick production and synth suffocating an otherwise enjoyable song. Any help is appreciated.

You seem like you know your stuff with those bands you've mentioned, so you may already be aware of some of these recs and the second condition tightened things up a bit, it meant I had to leave out Slauter Xstroyes, Doomsword, Medieval Steel, Elixir and Tyrant. Hope you enjoy and some of this scratches that itch for ya.

Armored Saint - March Of The Saint
Brocas Helm - Black Death
Cauldron Born - Born Of The Cauldron
Chastain - 1st 4 albums
Cloven Hoof - Dominator [The most recent 2017 reissue on High Roller is the one to listen to]
Crimson Glory - Transcendence
Desolation Angels - S/T
Domine - Champion Eternal + Dragonlord
Exciter - Long Live The Loud [Speed Metal but with a touch of Trad/Power and the artworks ace]
Exxplorer - Symphonies of Steel
Fates Warning - The Spectre Within + Awaken The Guardian
Helstar - Burning Star + Nosferatu
Hexx - Under The Spell
Jag Panzer - Tyrants + Ample Destruction
The Lord Weird Slough Feg - S/T [Miskatonic ver]+ Twilight Of The Idols
Matthias Steele - Haunting Tales Of A Warriors Past
Riot - Thundersteel
Sacred Oath - A Crystal Vision
Solstice - Lamentations + New Dark Age
Twisted Tower Dire - The Curse Of Twisted Tower
Vicious Rumors - Soldiers Of The Night + Digital Dictator
Warlord - Deliver Us
Wolf - S/T

Ever wondered what Adramelch's Irae Melanox wound sound like with death metal vocals? Then check this! It's so bizarre.

Thanks, dude. I've heard of a few of these before, but not all of them! I'll have to get to work. Though they don't fit that second criteria, its nice to see Medieval Steel mentioned. They had one ep/album I listened to a while ago that was killer and musically fit the exact vibe I'm searching for here.

Have you heard Medieval Steel's "Dark Castle" album from 2013/14. I love it. Pure class. Even after 30yrs they made it sound so effortless and easy to write this kinda music, which of course it's not. I think they're one of those bands that won't release anything until it's as close to perfect as possible, a real labour of love. It's strange there's no reviews for it. Don't go listening to it on Youtube tho, the rips are terrible, I've got the Empire CD version and it sounds mint.

I haven't yet. The only work I've heard from them is "The Dungeon Tapes." I'll have to check it out soon. Right now I'm hooked on Brocas Helm's "Defender of the Crown" album. The natural production, epic lyrical content and presentation are sick.

Yep very cool album. I forgot to mention Attacker and Leige Lord. Their 80's albums are well worth checking out too.

This is what you're looking for, friend.

First thing to come to mind off the top of my head. There's also the band that literally used the cover for the AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide as a (demo) album cover: https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/G ... ide/205369

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "organic" production, but if you're fine with the productions on CU and MR albums, I'm sure you'll be fine with these, rather well-produced for demos (Stormbringer was just remastered, actually). If you just mean "not super modern/slick/polished" then obviously there won't be a problem!

I've been similarly working on a big EUPM guide. My goal is to gear it more toward USPM fans. Maybe we could combine the two in some way and cover both genres? Not sure if you'd be interested in that. If you are let me know!

This may be a difficult question, but are there other bands with songs like Wytch Hazel's "He is the Fight"? The whole album, but particularly that song has a feel to it that I just don't hear in more traditionally styled metal bands that often, though I can't say I'm especially well informed about them. It has a melancholy about it, which at least partially comes from the emphasis on the major and minor 7ths and 2nds in the guitar harmonies.

It really doesn't sound like anything you'd commonly hear in the world of heavy metal--you might need to travel to the realms of 70s rock to find something similar.

Yeah, there's a bit of a vibe of bands like Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult and others, but that doesn't quite capture it either. The new Night album has some similar properties at times as well.

He said one of his main inspirations for the album was Fleetwood Mac - Rumors, which is why that album is actually kinda unique in the world of retro metal/rock. It's got that soulful, heart-on-sleeve quality to it, and an ease at making catchy melodies at the forefront of the sound.

Hmm. I could potentially see a tie-in working, particularly if you're trying to gear yours more toward USPM fans. Sure, send me a PM with what you've got and maybe we can figure something out!

Fleetwood Mac has never connected with me for the most part, but it's probably been a long time since I've heard the non-singles from this, so maybe it's worth hearing again with an ear to that.

Do you need band recommendations for that project?

Does anyone have any good recommendation for moody, even depressive heavy metal? I got the idea while listening to New Light Choir's second album. Kinda having trouble coming up with similar stuff. Spell's album from last year kinda fits the bill as well, maybe also Sumerlands, some Cauldron. Can't really think of much else. Oh, In Solitude's last album as well. So no super over-the-top and screechy vocalists, no sword and sorcery fantasy lyrics, no doom metal, just heavy metal with a melancholic feel to it.

Angel Dust - Enlighten the Darkness could fit - a very sobering, morose piece of music.

Dawnbringer - Night of the Hammer might be good too; that is a quite bleak version of the usual trad metal.

Pentagram - Anatolia and Unspoken are fairly different in vibe from a lot of melodic metal; maybe not depressive but they're fairly dark and downbeat without going into some sort of a doom or prog thing or whatever.

Dawnbringer would actually be the perfect recommendation except I already know about it. I'll check out the others. Thanks!

Anyone have any more?

Upwards of Endtime is pretty melancholic heavy metal. All three albums are in that style but the third one is probably the best. Been a while since I listened to them but they came to mind when I thought about that kind of style.

But not much sounds like New Light Choir. Sumerlands and Upwards of Endtime maybe. Depressive heavy metal is a rarity. In terms of full albums anyway. Manilla Road has some songs I could qualify like "Court of Avalon" that have a melancholic vibe but they're also really uplifting. They all tend to just be ballads though without the riffy quality of NLC. Pagan Altar, maybe? Queensryche's "Roads to Madness". Surely these you've already heard.

The Hittman comeback album from last year is not very happy either. Try on "The Ledge" see how it fits....but it is a different style from New Light Choir.

I need to check this out.

Late find for me but Greyhawk's debut album is some really nice heavy/power metal from last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMZYga4pENg

Up there for the most fun trad metal albums of 2020 for me, along with Eternal Champion, Ironflame, Glacier etc.

New Swedish band, trad/retro. Kinda rockish, kinda speedy, lots of twin guitars, great singer. I like.

Self released. https://viralofficial.bandcamp.com/releases

Millennial Reign just hired a female vocallist with a new ep out yesterday and I think they've opened for Accept

Two days ago i found The Four Centaurs, from the Colombian Heavy Metal band Sörceress, since then is on continuous play.
I recommend for who enjoys Heavy Metal, specially for the nwothm.

Does anyone know an album that sounds similar to Dragon Fodder's "March of the Mites"? I kinda like the sound there, and I'm doing it to try and get into power metal this year.