Power Metal

Power metal is fast, melodic, and triumphant, built on galloping double-kick drums, soaring high vocals, twin-guitar harmonies, and big anthemic choruses. The dominant European strain, led by Germany’s Helloween and Blind Guardian and Britain’s DragonForce, adds keyboards and speed for a bright, uplifting sound, while the US strain runs heavier and more thrash-influenced. Lyrics revel in fantasy, mythology, heroism, and hope. It is metal at its most epic and optimistic.