German Power Metal
Introduction
What does German Power Metal sound like?
In the 1980s there was an explosion of development in the heavy metal genre with countless different scenes, sounds and even subgenres being formed. One of those developing scenes had a unique sound that was furious, riffy and most of all powerful. I speak of Germany’s nascent power metal scene, which gave birth to much of the genre period and made several of the best selling metal acts. The goal here today is to highlight its history and bands, both the forerunners as well as lesser known bands that people skipped over or ignored.
While there are notable exceptions, in general its deeply rooted in speed metal. Early on in the scene they looked towards the faster songs of NWOBHM (and other heavy metal bands that we'll get into later), such as Judas Priest and Motörhead, took it even further, to a place more heavy, filthy, and gritty while still maintaining a melodic edge and losing a lot of hard rock influences that was prevalent in traditional heavy metal.
Later on, the groups transitioned towards a sound that was more commercialized, adding an even greater emphasis on a over-the-top theatrics and a worship for all things fantasy and medieval. Featuring a variety of catchy sing-a-long choruses, soaring vocal performances and a highly saccharine style of riffing and production. For a majority of people when you hear "power metal" the image that comes to mind is the style that was pioneered by these bands. It cannot be understated how influential this scene was and how they helped set the stage for the genre to come.
Precursors
In the time before speed, you of course had heavy metal. Germany had a decently sized scene with lots of different bands along with some huge acts. One of these bands is Accept. They got their start in the 1970s alongside their heavy metal compatriots, but it wasn't until the early 1980s that they really came into their own and blew up in popularity. Where they tie in with power metal is with one song, possibly their most famous and popular, Fast As A Shark. You can see many of the tropes to come here, fake out intro, snarling vocals, and the absolutely furious and speeding riffs. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that early on, German speed metal was "Fast As A Shark: The Genre"
The Era of Speed
We begin our tale with one of the biggest record companies in Germany that would prove to be a tour de force throughout the decade, Noise Records. They snatched up nearly all the early major players from this speed metal era, along with a handful of lesser known bands, and made one stand-out roster. The earliest releases were splits and compilations such as the Death Metal Split (not actually death metal) and the Metal Attack volumes. However, in the midst of this there is one band that needs more attention than the rest.
The Era of Power Or: How To Ignore the Cheese and Love Helloween
Out of everything on this primer there are none more influential than Helloween. If you were to put forward a specific album as the single point where power metal originated, it would most likely be Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I and II. Their debut album Walls of Jericho was a phenomenal piece of speed metal in its own right, but with their two follow ups came new elements that firmly cemented their legacy. You have everything on display here, catchy larger than life choruses, noticeably more saccharine production/riffs, long epics, ballads, and much more. It took the scene by storm and skyrocketed the band into international stardom, even netting a performance on MTV. While they would soon have their fall from grace on their next few records, Helloween's first 3 would not soon be forgotten and would spawn a legion of imitators as well as bands who would opt to put their own spin on the formula. Thus, the genre of power metal was born.
The Evolution
It's easy to pinpoint where the genre started, how it blew up and grew in popularity, but it's difficult finding where things changed. From the 90s onward there was a gradual shift all over the genre, towards a style more midpaced and synth-laden. There was no Keeper to kickstart a new wave, rather, more and more bands popped up that weren't playing with speed metal influence while legacy acts followed suit. Bands that you could point to for this change include Stratovarius from Finland and Edguy from Germany. There were of course some bands that carried the torch, but as the years went on they dwindled. By the 2010s the style by and large fell out of favor in lieu of this melodic mainstream sound as well as the emerging symphonic power metal variation. The scene certainly isn't dead or in lack of quality, but it's far different than how it began.
Bands and Albums: Traditional Power/Speed
This section gets into the specifics, albums and bands that you should listen to if you want to get into this scene. The focus here is primarily bands in the traditional style, that follow the general blueprint of Helloween. There was sadly a lot to cut out as I couldn't possibly hope to include everything worth listening to from Germany, but this should give an overview.
Albums:
Walls of Jericho, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I, Part II
I talked a great deal on this band, so I won't dwell too long. This is pretty much the blueprint that all other bands on this list built off of, as well as so many others. They got their start with the incredible Walls of Jericho which is a stellar piece of speed/power metal, and it features Kai Hansen and his far more nasal tone on vocals instead of the Michael Kiske people typically associate with them. Otherwise, the Keeper albums are where Helloween cemented their legacy and remain essential listens. They sadly dropped off, tried to turn to glam but failed. They managed to put out some good albums in the 90s/2000s with new vocalist Andi Davis but none quite reach the same level as the first three albums.
Albums:
Gates to Purgatory, Under Jolly Roger, Death or Glory, Pile of Skulls
Running Wild are interesting. They're one of the earliest in the scene, forming in 1976 and releasing their debut album Gates to Purgatory almost a whole year prior to Walls of Jericho. Yet they never got as much international success as Helloween. Still they managed to craft an amazing legacy, being a favorite in the metal underground and staying consistent in quality for decades. Realistically I could have slaid "Listen to the first 8 albums" in this section, but instead these albums were chosen for representing their different eras. Gates to Purgatory is rough, satanic, anarchist and gritty speed metal. Under Jolly Roger saw them move away from satanic imagery and opt instead for the pirate/historical theme they became known for, while moving towards a power metal oriented sound. Death or Glory isn't a transitional album but it is their most iconic and where you can see the band truly cemented themselves, helped by frontman Rock 'n Rolf taking singing lessons. Pile of Skulls is their last transition, into a something more akin to traditional EUPM but still with a Running Wild flair, it's also a criminally overlooked album in their discography in general and well worth the listen. Again though, listen to their first 8 albums regardless.
Albums:
Follow the Blind, Tales From The Twilight World, Somewhere Far Beyond, Nightfall in Middle-earth
Blind Guardian are one of the most recognizeable power metal acts. Like many others they got their start worshipping Helloween, even Kai Hansen himself giving a helping hand and support, but very quickly developed their own style and became influential in their own right with a new style of riffs and having Hansi layer his vocals on the choruses much like Freddy Mercury of Queen. They started with a primal kind of speed metal and gradually add more bombast and melodicism, with Tales From The Twilight World and Somewhere Far Beyond being where they truly found their calling. I chose 4 here but their first 6 are well worth the listen. Past Nightfall they began another transition, towards symphonic power metal. There are still enjoyable moments to be had, but YMMV.
Albums:
Heavy Metal Breakdown, The Reaper, The Grave Digger
Grave Digger has been a mainstay ever since the beginning, being an original Noise Records alumni, showing up alongside Running Wild, Helloween and Warrant on the Metal Attack Vol. 1 split. Musically Grave Digger was the band that took the most influence from Accept, with incredibly similar vocals and an equal hard rock swagger. They played relatively straight forward speed metal at the start of their careers up until the incredibly unfortunate "Digger" rebranding as they attempted to commercialize themselves, to very unfavorable results, before heading back as Grave Digger in 1991. In 1993 they released their first album newly reformed, with an approach way more like traditional power metal but still with their grit and hard rock sensibilities. In the 2000s with the release of the The Grave Digger they got a lot more aggressive and evil sounding, very reminiscent of Trapped! era Rage. Afterwards they followed this formula very closely, occasionally having hits and other times misses.
Albums:
Heading For Tomorrow, Land of the Free, Somewhere Out In Space
Kai Hansen wasn't content to stop music after leaving Helloween. Together with Ralf Scheepers the two joined together and made Gamma Ray, with Scheepers on vocal duties and Kai playing guitar. On their first 3 albums, you would be surprised if you were expecting something similar to Helloween. There's still a little for sure but it leans a lot more on hard rock and regular ol heavy metal, sounding like if Judas Priest went power metal. These albums did not do too well in the grand scheme of things and it was only until Land of the Free that the band really blew up. What changed was the lineup as well as their approach. Ralf left the band as a result of living too far away as well as to unsuccessfully try out for Judas Priest. Subsequently Kai took over vocal duties, his first time singing on a full album since Walls of Jericho, and the music shifted to be a lot more Helloween-like but modernized along with some interesting parts that sound like Blind Guardian at the time. They've stayed relatively consistent after Land of the Free and despite the bloated long albums there are some fun moments.
Albums:
Prayers of Steel, Reign of Fear, Perfect Man, The Missing Link
Rage is probably has the most amount of releases on this list other than Running Wild. Counting their years as Avenger, to date they have released 23 albums. Like the others Rage got their start playing speed metal, Prayers of Steel and Reign of Fear, before transitioning into power metal, Perfect Man. But that label doesn't really do the band justice because they play similarly to Running Wild and Grave Digger, but with a degree of technicality reminiscent of Savatage yet with a furiosity that makes their namesake make all the more sense. Rage's discography stays consistent and very similar, with a bit of thrashier elements here and there, up until Lingua Mortis where they began experimenting with symphonic instrumentation and collaborated with an actual orchestra. Past Lingua Mortis they returned to their usual sound but with some symphonic elements every now and again as well as proggier parts that are more in line with Symphony X than Savatage.
Albums:
The band that has never had a consistent lineup, Scanner have actually been playing music since the late 70s. Prior to their current name they released a single demo and full length under the band name Lion's Breed which is a fairly decent heavy metal record. But from there they changed their name and adopted a sci-fi aesthetic. Culminating in the release of the monumental Hypertrace. It took all the things that were good about Keeper era Helloween and crafted a riff filled adventure from start to finish. On the follow up Terminal Earth there was already a lineup change but the music wasn't affected by it and it plays relatively similarly to Hypertrace. Past that there are a few cool moments here and there but they don't compare at all to the first 2 albums and trail off into something proggier and at one point poppier. Still, the first 2 albums are absolutely essential listening to anyone interested in diving below the surface of speedy power metal
Albums:
Wizard of the Lost Kingdom, Changing Times
Mania were another sad victim of a short lived career but an excellent output. They are very similar to the other 80s era Noise Records bands with a very fast and aggressive attitude, calling to mind mostly Scanner and Helloween. They only released a handful of demos, the excellent EP Wizard of the Lost Kingdom and debut album Changing Times, but the two listed here are well worth the listen.
Albums:
You only need to take one look at the leopard print pants that Chroming Rose wear in the music video for the self titled track off of Louis XIV to know their influences. Chroming Rose play German power metal (think Scanner) by way of 80s glam metal, but weirdly enough with a historical theme about French rulers instead of the usual sex, drugs and rock and roll. However, like all bands in this area of sound it wouldn't last forever. Gardens of Eden was more of the same and still fun, Pressure and New World found some line-up changes and some more Pantera inspired grooves with schlocky glam ballads and their final album Insight, before the band separated for good, was purely acoustic ballads. I can only really recommend the first two albums and they stand head and shoulders above what followed.
Albums:
Atlain were a short lived band that to date only released two albums, Living in the Dark in 1984 and G.O.E. in 1985. Speed is the name of the game here and they play in line with bands like Rage, Scanner and a bit of Judas Priest, which makes sense given their connections with Rage and Holy Moses. Both albums are very similar and spectacular listens.
Albums:
Airwolf were another short lived band, only releasing a single demo and full length before splitting up later on. They're very similar to Atlain and Mania, pulling from very the same influences such as Scanner, Rage and of course Judas Priest. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or anything but it's a very cool listen and a good example of the kind of stellar albums that can be lost to time just because no one discovered them while they were still active.
Albums:
First Strike (EP), The Enforcer
If the executioner with the axe wasn't clue enough what you're going to get yourself into, you'll immediately know when turning on either of these records. Warrant is far more angry and thrashy than their contemporaries, almost like Iron Angel if they were more power/speed. The band broke up shortly after the release of The Enforcer but later reformed and released their comeback album Metal Bridge, which takes the band as far into power metal as they'd ever gone before. It's decent enough, but in their discog the first EP and album are far more worth your time.
Albums:
Mephisto, In Search of Lost Refuge
Mephisto were yet another unknown band from the early scene that released only 2 albums before disbanding sometime in the 90s. What we have here though is phenomenal. Mephisto play power/speed metal that sounds as if it were heavily informed by US power metal as well as Stormwitch. There's a lot of intricate playing and it also features a vocalist that sounds far more clean and higher pitched. Both albums are relatively similar and very enjoyable.
Albums:
Wizard originally got their start playing a that mix of the classic German sound and the epic leaning tendencies, and metal warrior obsession, of Manowar. The early albums are fairly sloppy but endearing in a way, but from Bound By Metal onward they began tightening their sound and turning into an early example of what Stormwarrior, Paragon, Persuader and co. would end up doing for most of their careers. They lean heavily on Blind Guardian and have the same ability to craft leaping choruses, yet the Manowar is still there and you'll hear plenty of midpaced sprawling epics.
Albums:
Iron Savior started out as a collaborative effort between friends Piet Sielck and Kai Hanson. The band formed in 1996 around the same time period that Gamma Ray released Land of the Free and Somewhere Out In Space and on their debut album there's a lot of similarities, as well as a few differences. Piet primarily does all the vocals and his gritty approach is more reminiscent of Paragon (More on them in a second) and Persuader than it is classic Helloween. On the follow-up album, Unification, the Persuader comparison becomes even more apparent as many of the songs sound heavily inspired by Blind Guardian. Kai ended up leaving the band after the release of Dark Assault and since then the band has remained relatively the same despite its line-up changes, the only difference in sound being a cleaner production style and a rock inspired sound that reminds you a bit of Accept.
On another note, Piet Sielck also did a lot of production work for Remedy records in the 2000s and you can thank him for bands like Paragon, Stormwarrior and Crest of the Martyrs era Twisted Tower Dire sounding the way they do.
Albums:
Paragon didn't start out as Remedy records darlings. They originally were a lot darker and evil sounding, similar vibes to the early Warrant material. Eventually they got vocalist Andreas Babuschkin who sounds like a more charismatic and generally in key Chris Boltendahl and before long started the era that they would be known for. Chalice of Steel already had hints of what was to come but it was with Steelbound and Law of the Blade that cemented them, thanks in part to the prior mentioned production stylings of Remedy. Past that they generally stay in the same style, even after leaving the label, with some good moments as well as some not so good. However, overall, they're not a band to miss.
Albums:
Have you ever wished that Helloween stuck with their Walls of Jericho sound? Well Stormwarrior are here to help. They are one of the finest modern bands in the scene and are essentially "Walls of Jericho The Band" but with a distinct viking theme. They never stray too far from that formula and have an incredibly consistent discography, if you like one album of theirs you will most likely enjoy the rest.
Albums:
Stormhunter is a modern band that follows very closely to the bands of old, the result of which sounds like a modern version of Running Wild, gruff vocal delivery and all. It's almost like if Stormwarrior decided to worship Death or Glory instead of Walls of Jericho. This changed a little on their third effort An Eye For An I where the production is a lot cleaner and there's more of a melodic focus, sounding like old school Blind Guardian at some points. They're still an active band and recently released an EP mid last December.
Bands and Albums: The Offshoots and Not Quite So Traditional Power Metal
This section is reserved for bands that are at least adjacent to the scene or take the traditional formula and add a unique twist to it. This could be anything, like adding thrash or prog or even influences from USPM. It also includes the "melodic power metal" bands from the 90s onward that follow Stratovarius and the other various bands.
Tales of Terror, Stronger Than Heaven
Stormwitch originally got their start as an amazing traditional heavy metal band, with their debut album Walpurgis Night reaching cult like status. And for good reason because it sounds like Iron Maiden but more raw and with an occult like atmosphere and lyrical theme, a bit like Mercyful Fate. Afterward they cleaned their sound and flirted way more heavily with power metal. It's similar to how Cloven Hoof developed on A Sultan's Ransom, still with their occult trad atmosphere. After Stronger Than Heaven they got even more polished and commercial, much to their detriment because it lost a lot of what made the band so good in the first place. But even still the first 3 Stormwitch records are phenomenal and worth a listen to see a different way of how power metal can be approached.
Albums:
Return of the Evil, Destinies of War
Unlike lots of other bands on this list, Attack are actually still together as a group. Albeit without releasing new material since 1995. They started out their careers playing mostly hard rock influenced heavy metal but gradually transitioned into a power metal band that never forgets its roots in heavy metal, very similar to Stormwitch in that way. All 4 of their records range from good to great and are worth the listen.
Albums:
In Control, Livin' In Hysteria
Heavens Gate were a band that flew too close to the sun. On their first 2 albums they crafted some of the most fun and catchy heavy metal inspired power metal Germany had to offer and even had some pure epic heavy moments like on tracks Neverending Fire off of Livin' In Hysteria and Path of Glory off of In Control. Where did it go wrong? One not need to look far for answers, one glance at the track listing of Hell For Sale will reveal a cover song of Always Look On The Bright Side of Life from the Monty Python movie Life of Brian. There's some some glimpses of the Heavens Gate of old but there's an injection of quirkiness and attempts at humor and silliness that just fall flat. But even still the first two albums are amazing and remain two of the best releases to come out in that time period.
Albums:
Forced Entry, The Mystery of Time
Forced Entry and STS 8 Mission are effectively the same band but with a name change, pulling their new name from the 8th NASA space shuttle mission for an unknown reason. Anyways, if you played Forced Entry's self titled record and The Mystery of Time blind and without knowing who made the album, you would be think they were a cult USPM band as they sound nothing like their contemporaries. The comparisons to make would be bands like Heir Apparent and Crimson Glory. The STS 8 Mission name change happened right after the release of the self titled Forced Entry album and since then released two other albums apart from The Mystery of Time. They're decent enough and a bit more commercialized but not as memorable as their first two records.
Albums:
Have you ever thought to yourself, "Man I wish there was a band that sounds like Scanner and Fates Warning had a love child that was all about Native American struggles."? First of all, that is a very specific request. Second of all, Crows is here to fill that niche. The Dying Race sounds like a perfect mix of the German Power/Speed sound with the progressive aspects of US Power Metal along and a decent amount of Helstar in the mix. The result is a very technical and it never feels show-offy. This is sadly their only full length and they split up shortly after its release, but it well worth the listen and genuinely a fantastic unknown gem.
Albums:
Like Crows, Abraxas was a short lived but spectacular band that managed to combine classic German power metal with progressive US power metal bands such as Fates Warning and Queensryche. Readily switching from speedy sections to wonky prog shuffles at the drop of a hat. To date their only proper release is The Liaison, their later release Tomorrow's World is a repackaged version of The Liaison with a few more bonus tracks and a different track order.
Albums:
Mob Rules the World, Power World
Centaur is another 90s band that never got much recognition (apart from oddly having one of their songs be the theme song to wrestler Yuji Nagata). They're like Abraxas in style in that they take heavily from progressive US power metal bands, most notably Crimson Glory, while still playing trad adjacent EUPM like Stormwitch, albeit with far more synths. As their careers went on the band got progressively, well, more progressive. More midpaced and a lot lighter. Centaur are still active haven't released anything since their 2009 album The Origin of Sin.
Albums:
Liar is a great example of the question "how did these guys not get bigger?" They were signed to an earlier version of Century Media Records and the two albums they put out were incredibly unique and unlike anything else at the time. Liar is heavily influenced by equal parts progressive power metal and thrash metal, sounding as if Rage decided to listen to nothing but Savatage and bay area thrash for months prior to recording. Both of their albums are pretty similar, but I feel Cheatin' Games is the more consistent of the two (but I could not find a youtube link).
Albums:
Existence is one of the most unique bands on this list. On their debut album, that was recorded in 1990 and only released in the year 2000, Reign in Violence sounds as if you took Manowar and Warlord and put it through an EUPM filter, all wrapped up in an off kilter package featuring so many different song structures, tempos and melodies. It's chaotic and sounds like each instrument is played separately from each other yet manage to create something that sounds cohesive. They released two other albums afterwards but there is little to no trace of them online and I was only able to encounter a random blogspot rip of Ventricular Fibrillation (after several minutes of combing through medical videos), while decent it is not worth the effort trying to find.
Albums:
There are two constants for Mystic Prophecy, Roberto Liapakis will be on vocals and be pretty damn good at his job and their music will sound like anthemic chorus oriented power metal with tons of thrash influenced groove. Vengeance is a sloppier early example of their work while Savage Souls is where they more or less solidified their style. Past that point they continued playing in the Savage Souls style to relatively similar results across albums apart from the abysmal attempt at a cover album.
Albums:
Theater of Salvation, The Savage Poetry, Metal Opera I
Edguy is the brain child of Mr. Tobias Sammet, who helped bring a new style of power metal to Germany. But things didn't start out this way. Their first albums were rough and more akin to demos. On Vain Glory Opera they brought on Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius fame to help mix the album and it doesn't take a leap of imagination to assume that he rubbed off on them, as the band featured more mid paced epic songs that would not look strange on an Episode or Visions era Stratovarius album along with your usual Helloween-isms. But it was Theater of Salvation where their efforts were truly realized and marked the start of their golden era. In the middle of this was The Savage Poetry which was released in 2000. It is a re-recording of their first album and much in the same style but with much better production. It's noticeably more traditionally "german power metal" than the two albums that sandwich it.
During all this Tobias started a side project titled Avantasia, releasing their debut album Metal Opera I in the year 2001. It isn't called Metal Opera for nothing, they're proper concept albums with multiple characters and a story told from start to finish. Each of the characters played in these albums are various other power metal vocalists across the sphere at large who come in on different songs and sing a couple verses. The songs themselves can vary greatly from proper power/speed tracks to mournful cheesy ballads that would not look out of place in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.
Most say that the golden era of Edguy lasts up to and including Hellfire club, because past that point Tobias put most of his focus on Avantasia. Both bands in general grew further and further away from what they once were and featured much more ballads. Eventually Edguy itself got put on hold so Tobias could focus on Avantasia, and the band still manages to bring together musicians across metal to work together on a single album.
Albums:
Stairway to Fairyland, Crystal Empire, Eternity
While not the most original band, Freedom Call is a stellar melodic power metal band that takes inspiration from all over. They're like a mix of early Kai era Gamma Ray with Stratovarius as well as a little bit of Edguy, all wrapped up in a brass synth obsessed coat. Their first 3 albums are widely regarded as their best material and classic era, sharply dropping into mediocrity after that. They made a bit of a come back later on in their career but the first 3 is still the way to go.
Angel Dust were originally a speed metal leaning Teutonic thrash band. Their first two albums are absolutely essential in that kind of vein, but after that they split up only to reform later on in the latter half of the 90s with a new melodic power metal sound. Their first comeback, Border of Reality is decent but inconcistent at times. Bleed is where the band really came together and made something special, the title track especially is one of the best EUPM songs to come out in the last half of the 90s and is where the band really showcases their talents. Their final two albums take a more progressive approach and sound very reminiscent of Symphony X, sadly they don't quite get to same levels that Bleed did but are still good for what they are.
Albums:
Lord of Earth and Heavens Heir, Defenders of the Crown
There's one section of modern power metal commonly referred to as "arena power metal" which has a lot of chuggier elements, is more midpace and has more bombast, developing directly from epic and melodic power metal bands of the 90s. Where the "arena" part comes from is the anthemic vibe and focus on catchy choruses, sounding almost like a power metal version of AOR. What does that have to do with Human Fortress? They were one of the first bands to ever take this approach and on their first two albums crafted two of the best examples. Lord of Earth and Heavens Heir is a little rougher and less polished but still a lot of fun. Defenders of the Crown develops on the debut and truly perfects the arena power metal formula. Past Defenders is... rough. They decided to cash in on mid 2000s trends and switched to metalcore, to unfavorable results. They've since attempted a return to power metal form but lost a lot of the magic that made the first two records special in the first place.
Albums:
Ignore everything you know about the Dio fronted Black Sabbath album. The band Mob Rule, alas, only shares the name. They instead play melodic power metal and sound like a mix between Kai era Gamma Ray and Stratovarius but with a lean towards epic long form tales and songs ala early Avantasia. They always had lofty narrative asperations even from the start of their discography with the endeeringly sloppy Savage Land, all their albums follow a general story and concept that they come up with. Eventually with time the band grew more proficient and their albums more cohesive, while also adding a lot more symphonic elements and piano. This change began with Hollowed Be Thy Name and fully came to be with Among the Gods. Unlike other bands that went down that path, the symphonic parts never feel overwhelming or like they're added to the detriment of the metal instrumentation. After Among the Gods, Mob Rules generally stayed the same. Their whole discography is oddly enjoyable and stay very consistent if you're a fan of any of their material.
Albums:
Man or Machine, Beneath the Surface
In their brief time active throughout the 2010s, Alpha Tiger played a variety of different styles and have changed sounds on every album. Their first album Man or Machine is pretty unabashed in it's appreciation for Fates Warning and Queensryche, yet still have it's own German power metal twist. On Beneath the Surface the band added more general EUPM elements and sounded like equal parts Running Wild/Older Helloween. On iDentity they went for more of a heavy metal/hard rock route and sound similar to a lot of the bands you'd find on the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal YouTube channel. Then on their final self titled album they changed yet again to something that sounds akin to Jess and the Ancient Ones but heavy metal, organs and all. They're all good in their own ways but the only ones that really fit this primer are the first two.