Top 10 Founders of Power Metal

The Top Ten

Rainbow

Rainbow is a British rock band led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, active from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1993 to 1997. The band was originally formed with Ronnie James Dio as the lead singer and lyricist. Rainbow was ranked No. 90 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and has sold over 28 million... read more

Rainbow created power metal. Gates Of Babylon was the first power metal song ever.
Eyes Of The World was the first symphonic power metal song. It doesn't feature a symphonic orchestra but has a symphonic vibe from start to finish.
A Light In The Black and Kill The King were among the first speed metal songs. Currently, speed metal is a subgenre of power metal because speed metal is a smaller subgenre than power metal. However, chronologically, speed metal emerged before power metal. Power metal is a mix of speed metal and traditional metal (slower than speed metal and faster than traditional metal).
Regarding speed metal, Ritchie Blackmore just continued what he started with Deep Purple (songs like Highway Star, etc.).
Helloween

Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg, Northern Germany. The band is a pioneering force in the power metal genre, and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I and Part II, are considered masterpieces of the genre. The group has continued to release... read more

There are many early influences on power metal, but Helloween clearly pioneered the fast-paced, catchy, and uplifting sound that defines the genre today. "Walls of Jericho" (1985) was the first power metal album and should be considered alongside the "Keepers" albums, even though it did not receive as much publicity.
To me, Manowar never achieved this type of sound until the "Fighting the World" album, which came out in 1987, featuring the song "Black Wind, Fire and Steel." Everything before that fell into the "heavy metal" category.
However, it should be noted that the first actual power metal song was "Warrior" by the band Riot, from the album "Rock City" (1977).
Manowar

Manowar is an American heavy metal band that originated in New York City and was formed in 1980. The group is known for its lyrics inspired by fantasy, mythology, and epic themes. Manowar has influenced numerous metal subgenres including power metal, symphonic metal, Viking metal, war metal, folk metal... read more

Manowar should be #2 after Rainbow.
1. Manowar released four power metal albums before Walls of Jericho. They were influenced by Dio, as Joey DeMaio (bassist) and Dio were close friends.
2. Formed in 1980, the band is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly swords and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology).
3. They wrote many metal anthems glorifying metal music, which is another feature of power metal (most power metal bands sing about metal music). Manowar must be credited for starting this power metal tradition.
4. They practically invented Battle Metal (a subgenre of power metal) because Manowar's music has a martial air to it. Their name says it loud - Man O' War. Turisas made it more popular.
Savatage

Savatage is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The group was initially called Avatar before changing its name to Savatage. It went on to gain recognition for its symphonic and progressive metal style.

I'll start with this: they are a very proficient band with several masterpieces but are terribly underrated.
As far as I know, they were the first to introduce progressive elements into power metal in the mid to late '80s. Savatage fans often debate whether they are a prog metal or power metal band. They are both, but most of their work falls under Prog Power Metal, which combines the two subgenres. I think Prog Power Metal is great.
Formed in 1978, they started as a power and speed metal band but later added prog and symphonic elements. While their later songs are better known, their early work is relevant here. Enjoy the insane vocals and solos in these tracks:
1983 - Scream Murder, Sirens (power/speed metal). 1984 - Visions, The Whip, The Dungeons Are Calling (power/speed metal). 1985 - Washed Out (speed metal). 1989 - Gutter Ballet (prog power metal).
Their most popular song is Hall Of The Mountain King (1987). It's great, but they had better songs in the '90s and 2000s. At a later stage, Blind Guardian also incorporated some prog elements, and I enjoy those songs as well.
Blind Guardian

Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in West Germany. They are widely credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power and speed metal subgenres. Heavily influenced by Queen, they use the technique of overdubbing and incorporate extensive orchestral... read more
Running Wild

Running Wild is a German heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Hamburg. They were part of the German metal scene that emerged in the early to mid-1980s. The band is also known for pioneering the pirate metal subgenre with its 1987 album Under Jolly Roger.

Running Wild's instrumentals influenced power metal with their first two albums. However, the release of "Under Jolly Roger" in 1987 solidified their transition into a power metal band.
Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Johan Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader born June 30, 1963, in Stockholm, Sweden. He's renowned for his neoclassical metal playing style. Malmsteen gained prominence in the 1980s with virtuoso albums such as Rising Force (1984).

Yngwie's instrumentals are neo-classical metal, but his non-instrumental songs are either power metal or speed metal. My favorite song is Rising Force - it's a masterpiece.
Other power metal songs from early Yngwie (1984-1986) include As Above, So Below, Liar, Disciples of Hell, Anguish and Fear, Fury, and Magic Mirror.
Yngwie Malmsteen made a significant impact on many future power metal guitarists with his accurate and fast neo-classical style, most notably Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius and Olaf Lenk of At Vance. Additionally, Yngwie's bandmate Jens Johansson modernized the keyboard sound of Deep Purple's Jon Lord, which was further incorporated into the power metal genre.
Dio

Dio was an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 by vocalist Ronnie James Dio after he left Black Sabbath. The band was also co-founded by drummer Vinny Appice, who had played with Dio in Black Sabbath. Dio released several acclaimed albums, including Holy Diver and The Last in Line, and remained... read more
Stratovarius

Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, six video albums, and three live albums. Stratovarius is recognized as one of the pioneers of the European power metal scene and is known for their melodic and symphonic sound... read more
Helstar

The Newcomers

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Symphony X

Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen, and bassist Michael LePond.
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Warlock

The Contenders

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Their most critically acclaimed period is widely considered to be from 1983 to 1989, during which they released landmark albums such as Piece of Mind, Powerslave, Somewhere... read more

The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (mostly Maiden and Priest) certainly influenced the New European power metal of the '80s:
First, power metal became faster - it's just that Maiden and Priest made traditional metal faster and closer to speed metal, a trend started by Deep Purple.
Second, most of the new European power metal singers embraced high-pitched vocals, inspired by Halford and Dickinson (Kiske, Kotipelto, Scheepers, etc.).
Dio and Eric Adams of Manowar, as representatives of early power metal, were not tenor wailers. High-pitched singing became a typical feature of power metal but isn't obligatory. Hansi Kürsch isn't a high-pitched singer, but Blind Guardian is considered by many to be the best power metal band ever. So, Blind Guardian's vocals are closer to those of the first power metal bands - Rainbow, Manowar, and Dio.
Leige Lord

Leige Lord is a very underrated speed metal band that released only three albums. Their instrumentals influenced power metal.
Rage

Rage displayed impressive speed in their early albums, which was highly influential. They transitioned into a power metal band in 1989.
Riot
Gamma Ray

Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal band Helloween. The band has released multiple albums and is known for its influence on the European metal scene. Hansen's work with Gamma Ray helped define... read more

Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal band Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist, and chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent in the German heavy metal scene.
Queen

Queen is an English rock band formed in London in 1970. The original lineup was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar). Before Queen, May and Taylor had played together in a band named Smile. Freddie Mercury, a fan... read more

It's a shame that Queen II is so often overlooked as a clear beginning of Power Metal. Many people reject Queen, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest as being Power Metal only because they are older and don't have the exact same sound as '90s and 2000s Power Metal bands. This is completely illogical. They all carried the same characteristics of the genre and just did it much earlier. Of course, it's going to sound different. It was a different time with different recording technology and formats. That doesn't make it not Power Metal.
It's like saying "Black Sabbath" isn't Doom Metal because it was much earlier than later Doom Metal bands. That doesn't disprove the claim because even bands of the same genre at the same time can sound different. So why wouldn't a band from 20-30 years prior be considered in the same genre?
Saxon

Saxon is an English heavy metal band formed in 1976 in South Yorkshire. As leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had eight UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s. Four of those reached the Top 10, including two that made the Top 5.
Manilla Road

Manilla Road was an American heavy metal band from Wichita, Kansas, founded by lead guitarist Mark The Shark Shelton. The band formed in 1977 and became known for its cult status within the underground metal scene before disbanding in 2018 following Shelton's death. It is particularly noted for the albums... read more

Manilla Road is an excellent yet heavily underrated band. They produced some truly classic epic heavy power metal albums. Just great.

Phenomenal band. I just discovered them recently.
Grave Digger

Grave Digger is a German heavy metal band formed in 1980 by Chris Boltendahl. Known for albums like Heavy Metal Breakdown and Tunes of War, they remain active and influential in the power metal scene. The relentless headbangers have unleashed over twenty studio albums to date, proving that true metal... read more
HammerFall

HammerFall is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by former Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak. They are credited with helping revive traditional heavy metal in the late 1990s and have released 13 studio albums since their debut.

HammerFall is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.
Warlord

Warlord is an American heavy metal band formed in 1980 and based in Los Angeles, California. Since its formation, the band has been led by guitarist William J. Tsamis and drummer Mark Zonder. And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun... was issued in October 1984 and accompanied by a VHS home video release of the same name (now available on DVD). It was the first power/speed metal album.
Accept

Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, and bassist Peter Baltes. The band rose to prominence in the 1980s with albums like Balls to the Wall and Metal Heart. Accept is considered one of the pioneers of... read more

Accept was influential in the creation of power metal but remains a traditional heavy metal band.
Scorpions

Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by guitarist Rudolf Schenker. Vocalist Klaus Meine and guitarist Michael Schenker joined several years later. Michael Schenker was succeeded by Uli Jon Roth, while Matthias Jabs became the band's lead guitarist in 1978. The band first gained... read more
Judas Priest

Judas Priest are a British heavy metal band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969. They are frequently ranked among the greatest metal bands of all time and are commonly called "The Metal Gods," after their song on the 1980 album British Steel. Their influence on the development of heavy metal is profound... read more
Crimson Glory

Crimson Glory is an American progressive and power metal band that originated in Sarasota, Florida. The group formed in 1979 under the name Pierced Arrow, briefly adopted the name Beowulf, and finally became Crimson Glory in 1983. They are known for their influential albums Crimson Glory (1986) and... read more