Tag: Power Metal

Lightforce was a heavy metal band from Australia, active in the late 1980s. They recorded 3 cassette demos from 1986-87, before getting the attention of US-based Pure Metal Records. The band’s label debut Mystical Thieves was a unique entry in Christian metal. While based in traditional heavy metal, it touched on speed metal and power metal without ever fully crossing into thrash territory. It was heavy, loud, and raw. In 1990 the band recorded a fourth and final demo called Break the Curse, which saw the band going in an even heavier direction, just before changing their name.… Continued →

This band had the glammy looks and the flashy hooks, but their sound was heavier than the stereotypes led us to believe. Riding the line between glam metal and traditional heavy metal/power metal, the band played loud, melodic tunes with lots and lots of riffs. Hailing from Hollywood, California, the band came by their glam tendencies honestly. But listen to the riffs on “The Killer.” You won’t hear anything that heavy from Poison or Def Leppard. The band released a pair of cassette demos in 1988 and their only full-length album World Requiem in 1990 before calling it quits, with drummer Scott Ernest joining the ranks of another famed Christian melodic metal band, Angelica.… Continued →

Theocracy return with brand new song “Return to Dust”. Watch the music video for the killer song, below. What comes to mind first and foremost is a collage of exploding head emojis, words like “epic” and “soaring”, images of powerful dragons flying through the night skies with stealth, a choir of angels with swords at their sides using their voices to battle the hoards of demons, and for some reason riding a majestic Falkor over massive fields right at sunset. I think of those things as this song plays loud from the comforting embrace of my headphones.… Continued →

Everyone has their gateway. That first band or artist that got them into a particular style of music. I got into Christian rock in 1988, first hearing and enjoying artists like Petra and Russ Taff, and then quickly moving on to Jerusalem and Whitecross. But this band right here–Sacred Warrior–was my gateway to true Heavy Metal with a capital HM. They had no pop songs, no sleazy hooks or glammed-out looks, but their debut album Rebellion was full of heavy riffs, melodic (but not glam) vocals, and super-heavy and dark chord progressions.… Continued →

This power metal supergroup consists of members from Theocracy, Aldaria & Vandroya. Expect to hear some powerhouse vocals & some serious shredding. Matt Smith apparently started this project as a way to help different charity groups as each song’s proceeds went to a different charity. Enjoy. … Continued →

Theocracy came out and announced that they are releasing a new album this year and it’ll be on a new label home for the first time after releasing 4 incredible albums through Ulterium Records. No bad blood and Ulterium will still release other music on a more scaled down level. I’ve embedded the full statement below. No word yet on the album title or even a new song just yet. All will be announced shortly. Stay tuned!… Continued →

This power metal song is very catchy. Hailing from Brazil, they released 1 EP & 1 LP. Their vocalist Daniel Vasconcelos Pereira de Andrade can be found on YouTube covering such songs as Petra’s Beyond Belief also if you want to review. Just search Dan Vasc. It also appears he auditioned for Dragonforce’s vocalist in 2010. Enjoy   … Continued →

Haven was a heavy metal/power metal band from New Jersey active in the late 80s and early 90s. The band released two stellar full-length albums for R.E.X. and a third independent release that moved away from heavy metal into hard rock and alternative territory. Fans were often divided on Haven, particularly over the vocals. They were kind of a love ’em or hate ’em thing. Personally, I really enjoyed the unique style. There were enough similarities to Geoff Tate (Queensryche), Mike Lee (Barren Cross), or Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) to draw comparisons, and yet there was a roughness to the high-pitched vocals that made them stand out.… Continued →

Recon was a Christian metal band active in the late 80s and early 90s. They were one of the earliest true “power metal” bands in the Christian scene. They played a traditional form of heavy metal that was augmented and supplemented by progressive tendencies and tempos that sometimes approached speed metal. The band released a pair of cassette demos, first in 1989 and then 1990, and also had a song featured on the most excellent California Metal II compilation where I first heard the band. Vocalist Vett Roberts sang in a high-pitched operatic style not too unlike Jimmy Brown (Deliverance) or Geoff Tate (Queensryche), or possibly even a more musical version of King Diamond (Merciful Fate).… Continued →

Long before Scott Stapp was crooning about going higher and breaking out of his own prison, there was this Creed, a traditional heavy metal band from Germany. The band released only one full-length album through Pias Music in Europe (and Pure Metal in North America), after releasing an obscure EP. The band played an intensely melodic brand of heavy metal without ever crossing into glam. And although a couple of the tracks approached breakneck speeds, they weren’t speed metal either. This style of metal was prominent in continental Europe at the time, but never garnered a major audience in the United States beyond the mid 80s.… Continued →

I woke up this morning with this song in my head, so it clearly has the be the Song of the Day. Classic metal. You either love it, or just don’t really get the appeal. It’s 1986, and the only Christian metal that most people are aware of is Stryper. But hairspray and over-the-top production was not all that Christian metal had to offer in ’86. The same year the glam kings released To Hell with the Devil, Saint was dishing out their best album, Time’s End (in fact, it’s in the top 5 Christian metal albums of all time, IMO).… Continued →

Melodic power metal band – Narnia, are back and with two brand new songs. The first song is titled “A Crack In The Sky” and you can find the music video by clicking below. The latest song is “You Are The Air That I Breathe” and just dropped a few days ago. The band’s new album “From Darkness to Light” is out on August 2nd 2019. Who else here appreciates some solid power metal?… Continued →

The Greek Power Metal band, Diviner, have just released their new music video for the song “Heaven Falls”. This is the first single off the upcoming album – “Realms of Time”, due out June 7th on Ulterium Records. Ulterium Records is a label we’ve been following here for a decade now and home to such bands as Theocracy, Darkwater, Sinbreed, Harmony, Inner Wish, Millennial Reign, and more. Check out the label here and pre-order the new Diviner album here on CD and Vinyl LP.… Continued →

Darkwater are back with a new album titled “Human” which will hit the streets on March 1st through Ulterium Records. Check out the fantastic new prog-heavy song “A New Beginning” by Darkwater, below. Pre-order right here on Vinyl or CD.… Continued →

Ulterium Records will release the Theocracy album “Mirror of Souls” in honor of the 10th anniversary of this acclaimed album. You can pre-order from Ulterium direct right here. It is a limited pressing and available in 2 different color options (Colored option limited to 150 copies). I still remember hearing this record for the first time and being blown away by not just the quality but the musicianship and those vocals! There really isn’t another “Christian” group like them out there and they deserve all the praise they get.… Continued →

There’s a new Christian metal supergroup on the rise. They go by Disciples of God, or simply D.O.G.. Roxx Productions are helping the band with making their debut at SoCal Metal Fest 2. The band has a powerhouse lineup, bringing members from some of the oldest thrash and power metal bands. The lineup includes Terry Russel of Holy Soldier and Neon Cross on Vocals and Drums, Larry Farkas of Vengeance Rising and Die Happy on Guitars, Don Webster of Neon Cross on Guitars, and lastly, Terry’s son, Colton Russel on Bass.… Continued →

The power metal band Signum Regis has released a new music video from their album, Decennium Primum, titled “The Future King”. The band released their new album in March 2017. Keep checking out Signum Regis, and watch the video below. … Continued →

Check out this rad new power metal song from Signum Regis titled “Damnatio Ad Bestias”. From the upcoming album “Decennium Primum” due out March 17th 2017. Pre-order right here or on iTunes/Amazon. … Continued →

A great independent Ambient metalcore act known as Heliocentric has released their debut song, titled “Moonshine”. The song is musically amazing and brings me to think of bands like What We Do in Secret and Wage War. The uncleans are very hardcore style, while the cleans seem like a power metal vocalist. The band is a one man project run by Jared Smith. This song is great, check it out below and go follow Heliocentric, or go buy it at Bandcamp! … Continued →

Check out the (awesome) power-metal of Theocracy along with some other fantastic releases from Ulterium Records on bandcamp here. Listen some of the new Theocracy album “Ghost Ship”, below. … Continued →

You most likely have never heard of Symphony of Heaven as it is a brand new band. Logan Thompson is the one-man band that is Symphony in Heaven. He has an instrumental called “Anno Domini” that is great. SOH released a song titled “Stratagem” that is primarily power metal styled up until the vocals come in. Pure death metal gutturals. It’s like Lightforce (pre-Mortification) and Mortification put together. The song is incredible. Go check it out here! … Continued →

In September of 2016, power metal band Signum Regis announced they would be releasing an EP this year. Well, they were in such a groove recording those initial 7 tracks that they decided not to ruin the mood and moved forward to make a full album. They’ve entered the studio and recorded 3 more songs to bring it to a total of 10 tracks clocking in at 46 minutes. This will be their 5th album overall. It is titled Decennium Primum and it will be released on March 17.… Continued →

Theocracy have just released their brand new full length effort, “Ghost Ship” on October 28th through Ulterium Records. This most anticipated new release and 4th album from this Georgia band is sure to win over even the most skeptical of metal fan. Technical, fast, melodic, and full of soaring melodies (and guitar solos). Check out a music video for the title track below. Limited vinyl is available from Ulterium Records and on Amazon. … Continued →

Swedish melodic metal act, Harmony, have released a brand new lyric video for their song “Inhale” off the upcoming album “Theatre of Redemption” due out November 28th in Europe and December 2nd in the U.S. via Ulterium Records. Pre-order physical media right here from Ulterium Records.… Continued →

Sinbreed released a music video for the track “Bleed”. Check it out below. The bands latest album, titled Shadows, is out now via AFM Records.… Continued →

IVM chats on the phone with Stryper's long-time lead singer Michael Sweet. After 30 years in the industry, what does the band have on their minds. And, how are they reacting to the early success of their new album? Find out that and more.

The Yellow and Black attack is back. If you understand that statement without any explanation, that may be all you need to go buy this album. If that didn't make sense, read on.

Righteous Vendetta are back with the culmination of what they started in this year's "EP Vol. 1." But, does the fact that so many songs are recycled hinder the lasting value of this effort? Read on to find out.

A while back I had the opportunity to connect with Iron Sharpens Iron and be one of the first to review their Beware the Wolves EP. For a recap, the band had a moving and powerful testimony that helped to feed even more passion into an album that was dominantly leaning towards power metal. With their recent release of the song “Justice,” see lyric video below, the band begins to expand their range into the metalcore genre. As Brandon noted, rather than a RIYL that would stray towards Blessed by a Broken Heart, now the band is going head to head with the likes of Phinehas and August Burns Red.… Continued →

Check out the new music video from power metal band, Scelerata, for their song “Rising Sun”. The band’s new album “The Sniper” releases on November 6th through Nightmare Records. Fans of Theocracy, Sonata Arctica, Sinbreed, Helloween, Dragonforce, and Barren Cross will be pleased.… Continued →