The Magazine

5 chapters

Power Metal History

A phrase on a 1982 demo tape, a sound fixed in Hamburg between 1985 and 1988, a heavier American school, a lean decade kept alive by Europe and Japan, the 1997 revival, a video game and a run of number one albums: the whole story, in order.

By Julien Vasseur · latest chapter Mar 26, 2026

1. Swords Raised at Full Speed: The History of Power Metal, from Hamburg to the World
2. What Power Metal Is, and Where It Came From
3. Hamburg, 1985: How Europe Built Its Own Power Metal
4. American Steel: US Power Metal, the Heavier Branch
5. From the Grunge Years to the Charts: Power Metal Since 1990

1 chapter

Heavy Metal History

Before it had fifty names it had one standard, run up over 1970 by four musicians from Aston. From a motorcycle song and a critic's sneer through Judas Priest's leather, the young British wave, the MTV arenas, the flannel of 1991, the faithful years in German fields and the last bow at Villa Park, every faction carried...

By Declan Rourke · latest chapter Jan 5, 2026

1. Before It Had Fifty Names: The Story of Heavy Metal, from Birmingham to Everywhere