Proggy. Big Yes influence. Good song.

Definitely. It's not a one-note song by any means but I've had that chorus stuck in my head for like a decade.

Besides the honestly kinda meh opener (the first minute or so is gold though) I'd say the entire album is one of the catchiest albums in all of metal. Listen to it again just like I listened to Lil Yachty again and loved him after hating him. If you can't appreciate it then I'll think less of you. It's one of those albums where you don't need to give a **** about the genre it comes from to dicksuck it. I even love how the album pushes the guitar back so it doesn't overpower all of the other instruments like basically all other metal albums do since it creates a much more democratic sound pallet that suits the album.

It's been a long time since I've listened to Blind Guardian, but all the talk of them reminded me of how much I love this song:


Though as far as cheesy German power metal goes, I've always preferred Grave Digger:

And just to dicksuck A Night at the Opera even more: I think it's the album power metal was always threatening to make but could never even realize that it was trying to be (much like several of Blind Guardian's albums were). The flamboyant instrumentation, vocals, and song structures were everything that power metal was always trying to do but could never capture with just guitars and keyboards. It's just such a full and complete album that feels like a never ending climax that the entire genre feels smaller simply by not measuring up. I mean "Battlefield" is the ultimate power metal barnstormer that could never be made by any band but Blind Guardian and will never be made by any band but Blind Guardian.

It does pull all the stops in really being a power metal album that does exactly what power metal is all about.

To me, Helloween also often has made albums that are pretty unashamed about the inherent cheesiness and silliness of the genre. I mean, I'm not gonna pretend they're as far out as Blind Guardian in terms of flamboyance, but they've got so many songs that sound like outright choral hymns with fast drumming underneath.

Better Than Raw is my favorite power metal album. The cover artwork kindly lets you know whether or not you're about to experience a load of cheese.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hltOz3nTI3o

Now listen to all of the entries and vote on which one makes you want to kill yourself the most.

I think that's what he meant.

I second Ayreon as nerdiest metal band. I'm a fan, but it's literally a metal opera not sure how that can be topped.

...if we're speaking of band kid kind of nerdy. If we're talking who'd get the most swirlys at metalhead academy it's all the core bands buying guitars with daddy's money.

As much as I love all the previously mentioned songs and albums, nerdy power metal doesn't get any better for me than the last two Pagan's Mind albums. They blend the prog and power elements really well and have the amazing Nils K. Rue as frontman to boot. And that guitar work that starts around 3:25 is pure orgasm.

I've got that album and the orange one they made.

Not my favorite band, but they've got some high points.