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4.0
AVANTASIAHere Be Dragons
A sprawling, theatrical odyssey, *Here Be Dragons* offers moments of genuine grandeur but ultimately feels like a retread of well-worn fantasy tropes.
8.0
MARCO GARAU'S MAGIC OPERAThe Final Flight
A soaring, bombastic journey through Italian power metal, 'The Final Flight' delivers a thrilling experience with moments of genuine brilliance.
6.0
ARMORED SAINTEmotion Factory Reset
Emotion Factory Reset offers sturdy heavy-metal craft and strong vocal character, but too few songs create lasting urgency.
Beast in Black Announce EU Tour
Beast In Black will hit Europe in autumn 2026 with Sonata Arctica and Frozen Crown.
Masterplan Complete New Album ‘Metalmorphosis’
Roland Grapow has finished mixing and mastering Masterplan’s first original album since 2013.
Lost Horizon Are the Greatest Power Metal Band of All Time
A completely restrained and reasonable argument for why Lost Horizon stand alone at the absolute summit of power metal.
7.0
ALESTORMThe Thunderfist Chronicles
Alestorm balance blunt-force pirate-metal hooks with darker detours and an enormous closing epic on their most ambitious recent album.
8.0
BROTHERS OF METALFimbulvinter
A vivid, emotionally committed power-metal journey that turns Norse mythology into something warmer than simple battle-pageantry.
7.0
DRAGONFORCEWarp Speed Warriors
DragonForce turn their familiar velocity into a bright arcade-metal sprint, with strong hooks and a few unnecessary bonus laps.
2.0
AVANTASIAThe Metal Opera
Avantasia’s debut metal opera buries a few decent power metal hooks beneath stiff narration, generic writing and exhausting theatrical excess.
MAJESTIC POWERFORTRESSKing Fortress: “We Did Not Record an Album - We Negotiated with Eternity”
There are power metal bands, and then there is Majestic Powerfortress: a seven-piece congregation of velvet-clad visionaries who claim to have been formed during a thunderstorm above an enchanted observatory somewhere beyond the measurable boundaries of northern Finland.
6.0
SABATONThe War to End All Wars
The War to End All Wars delivers sturdy hooks and battlefield momentum, but Sabaton’s familiar machinery shows through the smoke.
8.0
BLIND GUARDIANImaginations From The Other Side
Blind Guardian sharpen their grand design into a dense, dramatic album where layered voices and restless guitars serve the songs.
4.0
POWERWOLFCall of the Wild
Call of the Wild has atmosphere and hooks, but Powerwolf’s rigid formula leaves too many songs sounding like alternate costumes on one idea.
6.0
HELLOWEENHelloween
Helloween’s reunion album is energetic and professional, but its strongest moments come when nostalgia yields to tension.
VISION DIVINEVision Divine’s Olaf Thörsen: “Melody Has To Carry The Weight"
We sit down and explore melody, precision and progressive songwriting in Vision Divine.
4.0
RHAPSODYPower of the Dragonflame
Rhapsody’s symphonic power metal spectacle is energetic and technically polished, but relentless excess turns grandeur into fatigue.
6.0
UNLEASH THE ARCHERSAbyss
Abyss has a vivid cosmic atmosphere and several soaring peaks, but its long arc loses tension between major set pieces.
9.0
WIND ROSEWintersaga
Wintersaga turns a tightly defined fantasy-metal identity into huge hooks, brisk pacing and near-constant replay value.
5.0
HAMMERFALLDominion
HammerFall deliver sturdy choruses and bright steel, but Dominion spends too long marching through familiar territory.