Your way in
US power metal 1983
The American version, rawer and closer to thrash than its melodic European cousin.
- Heaviness
- 7
- Speed
- 7
- Melody
- 8
- Where from
- USA
- Tempo
- 150-200 bpm
- Song length
- 4-7 min
- Written about
- Battle and fantasy, Defiance, Steel and swords, Working-class American life, occasionally
- Vocals
- Sung
Why this one
| You said | US power metal | Match | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| No words at all When someone is singing, what should come out? | clean | 80% | ×3 |
| As heavy as it gets How much weight do you want behind it? | 7 out of 10 | 70% | ×2 |
| Quick and driving What pace? | 7 out of 10 | 100% | ×2 |
| The beginnings Does it matter when it was made? | 1983 | 44% | ×1 |
| Anger at something real What should the words be about? | Battle and fantasy, Defiance, Steel and swords, Working-class American life, occasionally | 50% | ×1 |
| Weighted mean | 75% | ||
Ranked over all 150 genres in the encyclopedia, on the 5 answers you gave, weighted vocals 3, heaviness 2, pace 2, era 1, about 1 out of 9. US power metal leads the next by 3 points. Where two genres score the same the broader one wins, because a genre with subgenres under it is somewhere to carry on from and a leaf is a full stop.
Five records, in this order
- 1Start one step outside
Judas Priest, Sad Wings of Destiny 1976
Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny. Before the leather, and already perfect.
- 2The one to put on first
Jag Panzer, Ample Destruction 1984
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction. The best US power metal album, no argument.
- 3Then
- 4Then
- 5Then
The first is the entry point for Traditional heavy metal, one step outside, so the second record has something to be heard against. After it come US power metal's essential records in the order the encyclopedia lists them. Every one of these has a page here with links out to somewhere it can be played.
If that is not it
-
D-beat 72%
Named after Discharge's drum pattern: galloping toms, motorcycle guitar and anti-war slogans shouted as choruses.
On the other branch of the tree entirely, and 7 steps from US power metal.
The way into D-beat -
Bay Area thrash 72%
The original epicentre: technical riffing, clearer production and a little more melody.
4 steps from US power metal, meeting it only at Heavy metal.
The way into Bay Area thrash
Not simply the second and third of the ranking: those are almost always near neighbours of the first, which is three names for one suggestion. An alternate has to sit at least 4 steps through the tree from the headline and from the other alternate, which is the same floor the "sounds like this, but isn't" panel uses.
What your answers ruled out
- No words at all put 33 genres at the bottom of that one question, among them Black metal, Death metal, Grindcore. Worth 3 of 9.
- As heavy as it gets put 13 genres at the bottom of that one question, among them Rock and roll, Folk rock, Country rock. Worth 2 of 9.
- The beginnings put 67 genres at the bottom of that one question, among them Folk metal, Metalcore, Nu metal. Worth 1 of 9.
- Anger at something real put 108 genres at the bottom of that one question, among them Alternative rock, Black metal, Blues rock. Worth 1 of 9.
Counted as genres scoring 20% or less on that answer alone. A recommendation that only shows what it chose is hiding half of what it did.