The Magazine

The long reads. Genre histories told chapter by chapter, band biographies, the essential albums, the label stories and the portraits, written by the KaosMetal editors.

Narrowed to Power Metal. The whole magazine →

Herman Li and Sam Totman of DragonForce playing guitars live at the Forum, London, November 2019

Guitar Hero and Power Metal: The Song That Crossed the Atlantic

Julien Vasseur · Sep 28, 2026

Sabaton, the five members standing in a city alley, 2025

What Genre Is Sabaton?

Julien Vasseur · Sep 25, 2026

A festival crowd seen from behind, fists and horns raised, the lit stage and pyrotechnics beyond them

The Power Metal Underground and Its Fans

Julien Vasseur · May 28, 2026

Gamma Ray guitarists Kai Hansen and Henjo Richter playing side by side under red and amber stage light

The Visual Language of Power Metal: Covers, Logos and Symbols

Julien Vasseur · May 21, 2026

Grave Digger singer Chris Boltendahl with his fist raised and the microphone at his mouth, the guitarist beside him under red stage light

What Power Metal Sings About: Dragons, Battles, Faith and the Stars

Julien Vasseur · May 14, 2026

Rhapsody of Fire guitarist Roby De Micheli playing live, lunging forward with a green guitar, the band's backdrop banner behind him and the drummer and keyboard player in the background

How Power Metal Is Recorded: The Studios, the Producers and the Sound

Julien Vasseur with Curtis Vance · May 7, 2026

The five members of Angra standing together in leather jackets for a studio group portrait, the singer crouched at the front with one hand held out

How Power Metal Is Built: Harmony, Speed, Instruments and the Voice

Julien Vasseur · Apr 30, 2026

Enforcer at KK's Steel Mill, 2023. Photo: Paul Hutchings

How Many Metal Subgenres Are There?

Declan Rourke · Apr 30, 2026

The five members of Symphony X standing shoulder to shoulder in a black and white studio portrait, all in dark clothing

The Power Metal Subgenres and Its Family Tree

Julien Vasseur · Apr 23, 2026

Helloween performing live at the Eventim Apollo in London, 20 October 2025, with the band on stage in front of their pumpkin-mascot video backdrop.

Heavy Metal vs Power Metal

Declan Rourke · Apr 19, 2026

The five members of Unleash the Archers standing in a row on a gravel path under a wooden trestle bridge in a forest

The Essential Power Metal Albums

Julien Vasseur · Apr 16, 2026

The four members of Blind Guardian standing in a row in front of a rusted metal wall for an official press portrait

The Power Metal Bands and Groups You Need to Know

Julien Vasseur · Apr 9, 2026

Rata Blanca's singer and guitarist playing at the front of the stage under red and white lights, a wall of amplifiers behind them

Power Metal Around the World: The Regional Scenes

Julien Vasseur · Apr 2, 2026

Yngwie Malmsteen mid solo with his scalloped Stratocaster, one finger raised to the crowd, his name lit on the screen behind him

Hall of the Mountain King: When Savatage Borrowed from Grieg

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Apr 1, 2026

Michael Schenker on stage with his black and white Flying V, one hand raised to the crowd, a wall of amplifiers behind him

Accept, Scorpions and the German Roots of Power Metal

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Mar 31, 2026

The five members of Crimson Glory against a corrugated metal wall, wearing the silver mouth masks the band has used since its first records

Transcendence and the High Point of US Power Metal

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Mar 29, 2026

The five members of Judas Priest standing on the empty floor of a stadium in front of the stage, tour banners carrying the Painkiller sleeve art behind them

Painkiller and the Power Metal Question

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Mar 28, 2026

The five members of Primal Fear sitting together on a black sofa in a red lit studio room Chapter 4

From the Grunge Years to the Charts: Power Metal Since 1990

Julien Vasseur · Mar 26, 2026

The five members of Jag Panzer in black leather, lit against a dark backdrop for a black and white studio portrait

Ample Destruction and the Sound of Early US Power Metal

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Mar 25, 2026

Dave Murray playing guitar and Steve Harris playing bass side by side at the front of a festival stage

Is Iron Maiden Power Metal?

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Mar 24, 2026

The five members of Kamelot standing together in a candlelit gothic interior for an official band portrait

US Power Metal vs European Power Metal

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Mar 23, 2026

Ronnie James Dio in a black and white photograph, sitting on the front wing of a limousine at night with a lit tree behind him

Is Dio Power Metal?

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Mar 22, 2026

Phil Anselmo singing barefoot at the microphone while the guitarist leans into a solo in the foreground, the band name burning on the screen behind them

Pantera's Power Metal and What the Phrase Meant in 1988

Julien Vasseur with Declan Rourke · Mar 21, 2026

A festival crowd with arms and horns raised in the foreground, the lit stage beyond them and fireworks bursting overhead

Why Power Metal Belongs to Europe

Julien Vasseur · Mar 20, 2026