Neither Savatage, Cirith Ungol, or Manilla Road were power metal; even American style variants. You can lend an argument that they had some influence in the foundation similar to Maiden, Fates, etc. but that’s about it.
Power Metal in its infancy, so the 80s, was very much about the riffs. The more symphonic and epic styles of power metal would not really come into the genre until the late 90s with Rhapsody, Nightwish, Luca Turilli, and Dark Moor (and bands like them). Consider in the 80s, which I listed many examples of, that the sound was more descriptive of speed metal with more melody and soaring vocals. Bands like Rage, Running Wild and Heaven's Gate were from Germany and were more influenced by Accept:
I'd Replace Metallica in the Speed Metal Section because Speed Metal was pretty much growing Organically far before Metallica released their First Full Length.
In Germany You had Accept finally shedding their more Poppier Scorpion Influenced sound to essentially release one of the Most Metallic albums of Early 80's (Restless and Wild.)
This was in 82 mind you.
If I was going to say Speed Metal and It's influence...well...They're a bunch of Bands to Consider.
Accept, Fuggin Motorhead (Who didn't wanna be them.), Hell Even Priest with 1978's Exciter, can all said to codify the genre and build that foundations.
Speed Metal doesn't have the ONE or two creators who influenced it all (Like Bathory with Black Metal.)
Great points!!! Completely agree. Accept were a beast. And Judas Priest and Motorhead would be near the tops of my 70s list (right behind Sabbath)!!!
I'd add Canada's input to Speed Metal as well. I'd argue that both Anvil and Exciter would be near the top of the Speed Metal pioneers!
BUT, I'd still easily keep Metallica in my list over Accept. Metallica's Kill Em' All is the dominant influence I hear in most speed metal. Followed by Priest.
Here's something I wrote about Accept and their impact on metal a short while ago...
=======================================================
The (Teutonic) Metal Gods
If you were trying to pick one band that encapsulated the sound of metal, it would have to be British Steel/Screaming For Vengeance - era Judas Priest. That’s a given. But Accept’s early 80s output would be a close second! In fact, no other metal band dominated the early 80s metal scene quite like Accept besides Iron Maiden (whose run of FIVE utterly essential albums over FIVE years is downright mind boggling.) But Accept (sorta) had (nearly) FOUR classic albums over that same span with Breaker, Restless & Wild, Balls To The Wall, and Metal Heart.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself. It took two albums for Accept to find themselves. Their first two albums (self-titled and I'm A Rebel) are competent but entirely generic late 70s hard rock. But then BAM! Accept arrive fully formed on Breaker in 1981. People will tell you that Breaker’s a transitional album. That's utter bullshit. Especially the first side which is an unqualified masterpiece of 1981 heavy metal and completely on the forefront of where metal was going. Especially the title track “Breaker” itself which just may be the very first speed metal song. Check it out here and see what every future metal band was about to mainline.
Completely metallic, mechanical, fast, dirty and brutal. Taking their key twin influences of, let’s say, 80% Priest and 20% Bon Scott-era AC/DC and running with it. That's right. AC/DC. People forget, perhaps because the Brian Johnson second-rate era far outlived the Bon Scott one, that AC/DC were one of the rawest, dirtiest and heaviest bands on the planet back in the late 70s. If you don’t know this, do yourself a favor and spin “Go Down” or “Dog Eat Dog” from Let There Be Rock. That shit is nasty!
tldr: There are THREE albums by Accept that I feel are ESSENTIAL for the metal canon.
THE THREE U NEED
1. Breaker (1981)
2. Restless & Wild (1982)
3. Balls To The Wall (1983)
And for those three years, they were one of the biggest, most important bands in metal. And the metal axis shifted ever so slightly Eastward. To Germany. And the Continent.
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mickilennialThe Most Trusted Name in NewsProfile Detroit
what of bands that were super ahead of their time and were still around the 1980s but who made music in previous decades that essentially cast a shadow on the decade that came after? Maybe this comes back to the same statement that Gowi made earlier about punk bands that were influential TO metal but weren't metal bands. Perhaps a band like Rainbow or Priest , etc, who made music in the 1970s that rippled out and informed the direction of the genre(s) in the next decade whould be included in another survey question like "what are the top 10 most influential bands on 1980s heavy metal?" Just a thought.
Outside Judas Priest, Graham Bonnett's side projects; well the easiest answers would lend to Motorhead, Scorpions, Riot (started as a metal/hard rock group in the mid 70s), and the like. But ESPECIALLY Riot. Some people also cite UFO but I've always found even them at their most metallic still firmly hard rock.
Re power metal, I'm not a huge fan of the genre, but most of the stuff I like is US power metal (as opposed to the more melodic and often cheesy European counterpart), which borrows from speed and thrash. Much more to my taste than the more proggy or symphonic bands. That's not to say you should ignore Gowi's great recs ofc. But if you're interested in something like that, give these a go:
I both respect and groan when I see a band named after a villain in Lord of the Rings. That may be why I have a hard time getting over that superficial stuff and enjoying Cirith Ungol. lol (yes, Repo, as stupid and shallow as that is, I am thinking part and ONLY PART of why I didn't vibe with that Cirith Ungol rec months ago was the nerdy name. I am sorry.)
Whatever you want to call this it's FUCKING AWESOME!!! 😈😈😈😈😈
Will make my top en of '84 EASY and that year is STACKED!!!
Ha! I had no idea their name was related to LOTR. Super cool looking name if u ask me! CIRITH UNGOL, the USURPER!!! ,needs to be said in a DEATH METAL voice! That makes everything a bit cooler!
ALSO, if this didn't truly didn't influence Power Metal, it really SHOULD have!!!
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Mercury wrote:
what of bands that were super ahead of their time and were still around the 1980s but who made music in previous decades that essentially cast a shadow on the decade that came after? Maybe this comes back to the same statement that Gowi made earlier about punk bands that were influential TO metal but weren't metal bands. Perhaps a band like Rainbow or Priest , etc, who made music in the 1970s that rippled out and informed the direction of the genre(s) in the next decade whould be included in another survey question like "what are the top 10 most influential bands on 1980s heavy metal?" Just a thought.
Gowi wrote:
Outside Judas Priest, Graham Bonnett's side projects; well the easiest answers would lend to Motorhead, Scorpions, Riot (started as a metal/hard rock group in the mid 70s), and the like. But ESPECIALLY Riot. Some people also cite UFO but I've always found even them at their most metallic still firmly hard rock.
Repo's TOP TEN Influential Metal/Hard Rock Bands of the 70s
1. Black Sabbath
2. Judas Priest
3. AC/DC (just listen to Accept!)
4. Motorhead
5. Rush
6. Scorpions
7. Rainbow
8. Deep Purple
9. Van Halen
10. Queen
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mickilennialThe Most Trusted Name in NewsProfile Detroit
Neither Savatage, Cirith Ungol, or Manilla Road were power metal; even American style variants. You can lend an argument that they had some influence in the foundation similar to Maiden, Fates, etc. but that’s about it.
I think you're unnecessarily putting constraints on a genre you yourself called surprisingly diverse (or something along those lines). I've always considered all 3 of them at least partially US power metal, and so have many others. At the very least, they're notable parts of that scene. But, like Repo said, whatever Cirith Ungol are, they're an absolute blast (the other 2 as well). _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
I do not consider influence as being a foundational piece. It'd be like me calling Blue Cheer metal.
But, I sorta would. Like when I make my 1968 Metal chart, Blue Cheer will be #1! If you were a Metalhead in 1968, if you liked things heavy and loud, Blue Cheer were your favorite band. Don't discriminate against us old folks!! We have the right to metal too!!! 🤣
I worship grunge. When grunge started taking over in the late 80s with a Punk boot up the seat of Classic 70s Hard Rock ass, I felt like I was in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial. Killer 70’s rock grooves toughened up with all the stomach turning cheesiness and idiotic lyrics removed? Yes! Yes! Yes!
But, grunge wasn’t the first time Hard Rock got a little punk up the seat of its pants. No. It started in 1979 with the NWOBHM. But, More sound by far the closest to Proto-grunge with several tracks on their second LP sounding for all the world like late Soundgarden.
I mean for the love of God just check out this track
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