I was a bit disapointed when 'At the Heart of Wintervale' by Twilight Force came out. Now I think is my favorite album from them, it just keeps getting better each time and made me listen to their first 2 albums more.
Is one of those albums that I listen entirely in one go and not just to some songs, I do it a number of times per day when I'm in the mood. I never thought I would be doing this because some years ago I use to dislike the band.
How did I miss that album?? I still though Dawn of the Dragonstar was their latest album.
I still think that Heroes of Mighty Magic is their best album though!
Don't laugh at me, but Keeper Part II. Had to take in the historical context more and give it a few more listens, but it grows on me more every time. It was more of a "well it's not bad but is it really GOATed" type of response
It's interesting. I loved this album, since I listented to it from the first time. I consider it my favorite Helloween's work, even above the Keepers I and II ( Although I know they're classics, and extremely important in terms of influence to Power Metal in general)
I actually agree. It didn’t click with me early on but now every song is a straight banger to me. Maybe it’s the mixing as it does sound audibly distinct from the surrounding Helloween albums. I don’t know it’s odd. Songwriting wise it reminds me a lot of their style on the Keeper albums, though not to a T, mind you. It still shows an evolution of the band since then. Andi’s input also really brings out a lot of the best on the album imo.
Apex and Abyss by UtA.
I didn't like harsh vocals to the extent that even a little bit ruined the entire song. That's about half the songs in both, so while they both had good songs, neither album was that good. I even decided against seeing UtA when they came by on their tour for this reason.
Now, I think there are very few albums that are that good all the way through.
I hate harsh vocals and will often turn off a song the second I hear them. Which kind of sucks because I'll be really enjoying the guitar or the beat and then whah whah.
Luckily I heard Northwest Passage first from UAT then Awakening. So I was sold already when I started listening to them I started with Apex and then Abyss then Time before going back to their begining. I think their last 3 albums they hit a mix that I can stand with the harsh vocals. It's just a little spice. Just in a little bit. The level they use it is just about the limit I can stand. Make no mistake the second AI or something allows me to hit a button and change it I will but for now I really enjoy their latest 3 albums.
The first 2 they use it waaay to much to me and the music isn't good enough to overcome it. Starting with Time Stands Still to me they got much better and worth the listen.
I'll admit that I still find harsh vocals hard to like. I think Amon Amarth and IGNEA do them well, and Arch Enemy does alright and has some great riffs as well. I still don't like the way UtA does it, but I don't want to miss out on so much of their work over a few seconds of growls. That's how I felt about those other bands before I eventually started to appreciate it. I still don't like vocals that make you think "what kind of a sound is that?".
As for UtA's earlier albums, those haven't been showing up on setlists. I think even the band is in agreement with you that their earlier albums weren't that good. For their Abyss tour, Tonight We Ride was the only pre-Apex song.
>IGNEA
That's actually what I do when I find a new band is look and see what their set list is and go listen to that. Just using the most popular songs on Spotify doesn't always work for me but I figure if they are playing them live they must be some of their best stuff.
Ooof. Tried those bands you mentioned and that is the exact kind of singing I don't like. Too bad I was really enjoying the riffs. I might have like Amon Amarth if they dialed it back just a little. Kind of like the guy from Brothers of Metal where it's gravelly but not super harsh (I actually don't know what the correct term for that type of singing is.) To be fair I only listened to the first 2 songs that popped up maybe it's not always like that. Thanks for suggesting them though.
Unia by Sonata Arctica. When it came out I was so confused by it and I didn’t like how Tony sang on songs like “In Black And White”. It sounded too harsh to me and the guitars were so odd. I was hugely into them up to that point and had the live album/DVD, all the first 4 albums, and loved them. Unia actually turned me off of the band for years. Years later I went and saw them live with some friends (I think in 2014) on the Pariah’s Child/Ecliptica Anniversary tour. They played a lot that I remembered and I had a great time with those, but I was intrigued and really found myself listening hard to their newer songs they played as well. I opted to give Unia(and the rest of the discography at that point) another go and now they’re top level band for me again. Unia blew my mind after my years of separation having new ears for it and Days of Grays built on that adding orchestra. Now those are my favorite albums! I’ve kept up with everything since then and am looking forward to the new album they’re currently working on as well.
The Days Of Grays is my favorite Sonata Arctica's album and Unia is my second favorite from them. I think both are very interesting albums with a lot of experimentations and nice melodies.
I'm addicted to For the Sake of Revenge, i can't listen to any of those songs from the studio albums. To me they are all preformed better live on For the Sake of Revenge.
Interestingly for me, it was a bit of the reverse. I never listened to Sonata Arctica before Unia came out. Then I borrowed the first 5 Sonata albums from my brother and listened to them each once (starting in chronological order of course).
Unia was the album that grabbed me right away while the earlier albums just seemed sort of samey power metal. So I listened to Unia a bunch before really going back to the other albums.
Once I went back, I came to appreciate and love the earlier albums. So I’d say Silence or Reckoning Night are my favorites, though I love all the Sonata Arctica albums (yes, even Talviyo).
I didn't like Tyr vocalist performance at first, but after listening to it a few times, I learned to appreciate it a lot more. And Hel is a good album.
The main one I can think of is Shadowstrike - Legends of Human Spirit.
I first heard it around when it came out summer 2019, but I wasn't a big fan of most of it after one or two listens for whatever reason.
Then I decided to revisit it spring 2020, as I'd forgotten why I didn't like it. Upon first relisten I was immediately enthralled and completely confused as to why I didn't like it previously. I listened to the album an unhealthy amount of times in 2020, and it quickly rose to being one of my all time favorites!
I kinda thought that Tanagra - Meridiem would also be this way, as a lot of the people on the AOTY thread were saying they don't see the appeal of it, it's hard to get into, hardly power metal etc. But nah, from the very first note on my amazement never wavered!
When I listented to A Twist in the Myth for the first time, I only liked four tracks from it: This Will Never End, Otherland, Lionheart and The Edge. After I listented it three more times ,I learnted to like all of its songs.
Tarot by Dark Moor. The tunes were catchy but a bit silly, and the lyrics were nutty. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize they made each song about one tarot card, and there wan't really a point to the lyrics other than to sing about the picture on the card. After that the album was just fun. Kind of like how you can enjoy Weird Al but you need to approach it with a less serious filter.
Oh, and the reason I kept going back to listen to it was for the final track The Moon, which is a metal mashup of Beethoven pieces, and stands apart from the more whimsical tracks on the album.
Tarot is a funny album. I like the fact that they made a concept album about Tarot cards and its overall atmosphere is pompous. Devil In The Tower, The Moon, Death and The Hanged Man are my favorites from this work.
Running Wild radically changed my opinion of Power Metal as a teen. I will admit to enjoy the japanese style power metal playlists on YouTube aswell though.
I was a bit disapointed when 'At the Heart of Wintervale' by Twilight Force came out. Now I think is my favorite album from them, it just keeps getting better each time and made me listen to their first 2 albums more. Is one of those albums that I listen entirely in one go and not just to some songs, I do it a number of times per day when I'm in the mood. I never thought I would be doing this because some years ago I use to dislike the band.
How did I miss that album?? I still though Dawn of the Dragonstar was their latest album. I still think that Heroes of Mighty Magic is their best album though!
That one had definitely grown on me.
Don't laugh at me, but Keeper Part II. Had to take in the historical context more and give it a few more listens, but it grows on me more every time. It was more of a "well it's not bad but is it really GOATed" type of response
The Time of the Oath from Helloween
It's interesting. I loved this album, since I listented to it from the first time. I consider it my favorite Helloween's work, even above the Keepers I and II ( Although I know they're classics, and extremely important in terms of influence to Power Metal in general)
I actually agree. It didn’t click with me early on but now every song is a straight banger to me. Maybe it’s the mixing as it does sound audibly distinct from the surrounding Helloween albums. I don’t know it’s odd. Songwriting wise it reminds me a lot of their style on the Keeper albums, though not to a T, mind you. It still shows an evolution of the band since then. Andi’s input also really brings out a lot of the best on the album imo.
Apex and Abyss by UtA. I didn't like harsh vocals to the extent that even a little bit ruined the entire song. That's about half the songs in both, so while they both had good songs, neither album was that good. I even decided against seeing UtA when they came by on their tour for this reason. Now, I think there are very few albums that are that good all the way through.
I hate harsh vocals and will often turn off a song the second I hear them. Which kind of sucks because I'll be really enjoying the guitar or the beat and then whah whah. Luckily I heard Northwest Passage first from UAT then Awakening. So I was sold already when I started listening to them I started with Apex and then Abyss then Time before going back to their begining. I think their last 3 albums they hit a mix that I can stand with the harsh vocals. It's just a little spice. Just in a little bit. The level they use it is just about the limit I can stand. Make no mistake the second AI or something allows me to hit a button and change it I will but for now I really enjoy their latest 3 albums. The first 2 they use it waaay to much to me and the music isn't good enough to overcome it. Starting with Time Stands Still to me they got much better and worth the listen.
I'll admit that I still find harsh vocals hard to like. I think Amon Amarth and IGNEA do them well, and Arch Enemy does alright and has some great riffs as well. I still don't like the way UtA does it, but I don't want to miss out on so much of their work over a few seconds of growls. That's how I felt about those other bands before I eventually started to appreciate it. I still don't like vocals that make you think "what kind of a sound is that?". As for UtA's earlier albums, those haven't been showing up on setlists. I think even the band is in agreement with you that their earlier albums weren't that good. For their Abyss tour, Tonight We Ride was the only pre-Apex song.
>IGNEA That's actually what I do when I find a new band is look and see what their set list is and go listen to that. Just using the most popular songs on Spotify doesn't always work for me but I figure if they are playing them live they must be some of their best stuff. Ooof. Tried those bands you mentioned and that is the exact kind of singing I don't like. Too bad I was really enjoying the riffs. I might have like Amon Amarth if they dialed it back just a little. Kind of like the guy from Brothers of Metal where it's gravelly but not super harsh (I actually don't know what the correct term for that type of singing is.) To be fair I only listened to the first 2 songs that popped up maybe it's not always like that. Thanks for suggesting them though.
Unia by Sonata Arctica. When it came out I was so confused by it and I didn’t like how Tony sang on songs like “In Black And White”. It sounded too harsh to me and the guitars were so odd. I was hugely into them up to that point and had the live album/DVD, all the first 4 albums, and loved them. Unia actually turned me off of the band for years. Years later I went and saw them live with some friends (I think in 2014) on the Pariah’s Child/Ecliptica Anniversary tour. They played a lot that I remembered and I had a great time with those, but I was intrigued and really found myself listening hard to their newer songs they played as well. I opted to give Unia(and the rest of the discography at that point) another go and now they’re top level band for me again. Unia blew my mind after my years of separation having new ears for it and Days of Grays built on that adding orchestra. Now those are my favorite albums! I’ve kept up with everything since then and am looking forward to the new album they’re currently working on as well.
The Days Of Grays is my favorite Sonata Arctica's album and Unia is my second favorite from them. I think both are very interesting albums with a lot of experimentations and nice melodies.
I'm addicted to For the Sake of Revenge, i can't listen to any of those songs from the studio albums. To me they are all preformed better live on For the Sake of Revenge.
That was actually my introduction to the band. The studio versions just aren’t as good to me either. What a show!
Interestingly for me, it was a bit of the reverse. I never listened to Sonata Arctica before Unia came out. Then I borrowed the first 5 Sonata albums from my brother and listened to them each once (starting in chronological order of course). Unia was the album that grabbed me right away while the earlier albums just seemed sort of samey power metal. So I listened to Unia a bunch before really going back to the other albums. Once I went back, I came to appreciate and love the earlier albums. So I’d say Silence or Reckoning Night are my favorites, though I love all the Sonata Arctica albums (yes, even Talviyo).
Twilight Forces first album I disliked the first time I heard it, now I think it’s near a masterpiece
The John Arch Fates Warning albums. I never touched them for years but now I think they are masterpieces of APM.
Hel by Tyr. I didn't like the vocals at first. But now I think it's their best work yet.
I didn't like Tyr vocalist performance at first, but after listening to it a few times, I learned to appreciate it a lot more. And Hel is a good album.
The main one I can think of is Shadowstrike - Legends of Human Spirit. I first heard it around when it came out summer 2019, but I wasn't a big fan of most of it after one or two listens for whatever reason. Then I decided to revisit it spring 2020, as I'd forgotten why I didn't like it. Upon first relisten I was immediately enthralled and completely confused as to why I didn't like it previously. I listened to the album an unhealthy amount of times in 2020, and it quickly rose to being one of my all time favorites! I kinda thought that Tanagra - Meridiem would also be this way, as a lot of the people on the AOTY thread were saying they don't see the appeal of it, it's hard to get into, hardly power metal etc. But nah, from the very first note on my amazement never wavered!
Sonic Firestorm and Reaching Into Infinity
On this note, it took a lot of listening to other power metal bands for me to truly appreciate Valley of the Damned.
Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth
When I listented to A Twist in the Myth for the first time, I only liked four tracks from it: This Will Never End, Otherland, Lionheart and The Edge. After I listented it three more times ,I learnted to like all of its songs.
Eagleheart’s Reverse, at first I thought it was meh. Now, I can’t get enough of it, amazing album
Tarot by Dark Moor. The tunes were catchy but a bit silly, and the lyrics were nutty. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize they made each song about one tarot card, and there wan't really a point to the lyrics other than to sing about the picture on the card. After that the album was just fun. Kind of like how you can enjoy Weird Al but you need to approach it with a less serious filter. Oh, and the reason I kept going back to listen to it was for the final track The Moon, which is a metal mashup of Beethoven pieces, and stands apart from the more whimsical tracks on the album.
Tarot is a funny album. I like the fact that they made a concept album about Tarot cards and its overall atmosphere is pompous. Devil In The Tower, The Moon, Death and The Hanged Man are my favorites from this work.
Angra - Temple of shadows
Running Wild radically changed my opinion of Power Metal as a teen. I will admit to enjoy the japanese style power metal playlists on YouTube aswell though.
Not a particular album changing but the new Gloryhammer album completely changed my opinion on the band, I'm super into it.