The tradition & historical record
1 min read · 1 sourcePower metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contrast with the heaviness and dissonance prevalent in, for example, extreme metal. Power metal bands usually have anthemic songs with fantasy-based subject matter and strong choruses, thus creating a theatrical, dramatic and emotionally "powerful" sound. The term was first used in the mid-1980s and refers to two different but related styles: the first largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal; and a later, more widespread and popular style based in Europe with a lighter, more melodic sound and frequent use of keyboards.
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Power metal”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.
power metal is subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 1
The source record links this tradition to 14 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. 1