We Have The Power – The Top 25 Power And Power-Related Albums Of 2025

I AM HERE.

YOU ARE HERE.

WE ARE HERE.

AND WE HAVE THE POWER.

AGAIN!

{collective transformation into an impressive jumbo robot / Machinder that shoots missiles from its tits}

Hiya heya ahoy-hoy! Welcome to another List Season here at Last Rites. Congratulations on nimbly gliding across the finish line with the grace of a swan. Or, in some cases, the grace of a loon on bath salts. Either way, you’re here, and that’s what matters. And by jove, we are the lucky ones, as we now get to bask in the unmitigated glory of power metal and all of its magnificent relations: Euro power, USPM, prog/power, power/prog, symphonic, neoclassical, epic power, heavy/power, hard rockin’ power, power power, etc., etc., ad infinitum. It’s all here, and getting a stranglehold on a top 25 was once again no easy task because, believe it or not, I actually have a life outside of listening to 500 hours of melodic pomp and circumstance. For example, just last night I sat out on the curb for about 15 minutes after taking out the trash, wondering if I could fit inside the garbage receptacle without the sanitation engineers noticing. So, yeah, my time is clearly valuable.

All joking aside, it still brings me a good deal of pleasure underscoring the merrier side of our nifty heavy metal universe like this each year because, to be perfectly honest, I often require a extra EXTRA shot of melodic encouragement in each and all of my arms by the time November rolls into my face. Perhaps you feel similarly, and hopefully you appreciate how we kick off List Season each year with We Have the Power. If not, please take the opportunity to go fly a kite in a diaper fire. WHO SAID THAT. Certainly not me! Have you seen the latest season of The Great British Bake Off yet?

THIS YEAR’S TRENDS!

Firstly, there really wasn’t a true Golden Fleece in 2025. No album so grand, seductive, creative and magical as to float goldenly above all else like a beacon of bigness in a Towers of Gold sort of way. Does that mean it was a bad year for power metal? No, not really. It just means more time was spent trying to suss out which album was a little bit gooder than the next one, which was actually the case for most all of metal in 2025. Kind of an odd year that way, I guess.

Power metal and pals also continued the trend of brevity, which is very welcome, even if there were some serious stragglers, some of which you will encounter below. Basically, I will offer a beholden tip of the hat to any band that understands succinctness and trimming the fat goes a very long way amidst a modern age that affords a great many of us umpteen bands and a seemingly infinite amount of albums to sift through each year. What can I say, the human attention span continues to shrink as we…let’s see if I can hit the garbage can with this balled up piece of paper. I’ll give myself three tries.

I guess that’s it! If you’re the type of person who appreciates the finer details, here’s the scoop: 228 bands from 31 countries (plus 6 international bands) provided 230 total releases for contention, and the biggest players once again were Germany (27 bands), Italy (23), Japan (20), Sweden (20) and the U, S and A (31).

So, without further ado, here is that list chopped down to a very stately top 25. (Plus the top 3 EPs!)

INTO GLORY!

THE TOP 3 EPS OF 2025

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3. Pythia – V Pt. 1: Unhallowed

[Cover artwork: Remi @ Headsplit Design] Pythia’s latest EP hits this year’s list as a formal ‘symphonic power’ entry, but I would say the symphonic element is modest enough here to simply designate V Pt. 1: Unhallowed as a rippin’ power release with symphonic touches (largely by virtue of having a vocalist who is moderately operatic). Yes, there are keys afoot—or, rather, a keytar, based on the video sample shared below—but they’re largely atmospheric in lieu of providing some sort of chintzy simulation of strings / brass, which is something I appreciate. The EP’s greatest strength, by a mile, is its willingness to whip with heaviness, occasionally managing to bump right up to the border of melodic death metal due to the strength of the riffing and drumming.

Style: Symphonic Power
Country: United Kingdom
Sample: “A Curse in the Blood”
Label: Independent
Release date: May 23
Bandcamp: Pythia

2. Catalyst Symphony – The Light Inside

[Cover artwork: Some random prom photographer?] Bands, I regret to inform you that we all still judge books by their cover. We judge everything by whatever image happens to represent said thing’s ‘cover’. I know it’s not fair, and it seems especially rude in this case because the cover for The Light Inside is simply a photo of singer Wiktoria Wizner (that is serious SHOWBIZ name) caught in a particularly pensive moment, but how are we supposed to see this and decide, “Holy shit, I’ve never heard of Catalyst Symphony, but THIS is something I need to bookmark right away!” That being said, if you count yourself a fan of triumphant symphonic power with plenty of outstanding leads that’s operatic without ever beating you over the head with a French horn, you will be quite pleased with every single one of these 15 minutes.

Style: Symphonic power
Country: United Kingdom
Sample: “Nova”
Label: Independent
Release date: May 2
Bandcamp: Catalyst Symphony

1. Anubis – The Puppeteers

[Cover artwork: Uncredited] If you’ve been a fan of LA’s thrashin’ power pummelers Anubis over the past 5-plus years or so, this will be your last chance to pound their patented brand of bruising power into your ears with new songs before they turn the page to “darker, heavier waters” moving forward. Will they leave the power element entirely in the dust for their next full-length? I suppose time will tell. As far as closing chapters on a high note goes, though, I’m not sure a band could do so more emphatically and victoriously than Anubis has done with The Puppeteers. All three songs here rip, blister and wallop—so much so that I find myself admittedly nervous about seeing this side of their face in the rearview. Still, I’ll be there for what’s next, and until then, this beauty on repeat.

Style: Incendiary Power
Country: USA
Sample: “The Hood Collector”
Label: Independent
Release date: May 16
Bandcamp: Anubis

THE TOP 25 FULL-LENGTHS OF 2025

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25. Exvamon – Odyssey of Fate

[Cover artwork: Pär Olofsson]

“He shoots the pool like a launching pad
If it ain’t insane then you can’t get rad
Skating is all that’s on his mind
He’s skating radical all the time!”

Visalia, CA’s Exvamon has little to do with Suicidal Tendencies, but I do think about skating pools and grinding rails whenever I throw on Odyssey of Fate, as there is a palpable youthful energy exploding from every corner of the record that, while clearly a very bright and fast form of shred / power, also manages to conjure images of pop punk and nardcore as the record flies through its 34-minute runtime. Wait, what? Do I have a screw loose? Why the warrior battling a dragon on the cover, then? Probably because it would look really cool airbrushed on the side of a classic VW bus, Lancelot. You’ll definitely want to get on board here if bands such as Immortal Guardian, Dragonforce and very early Blind Guardian regularly occupy your attention.

Style: USPM
Location: USA
Sample: “Voyage Unknown”
Label: Independent
Release date: July 11
Band website: Exvamon

24. Burning Witches – Inquisition

[Cover artwork: Gyula Havancsák]

Twenty years of activity and now six full-lengths in, it seems sort of surprising that Switzerland’s Burning Witches has never managed to crack the top 25 for We Have the Power before now. The band has always been solid, delivering a very upfront, no nonsense form of heavy power reminiscent of classic Hellion with a stronger Painkiller influence. But Inquisition finds BW reaching an extra gear of energy and aggression that helps push things to the next level. The album’s crisp production certainly helps in that regard, and it’s likely that the infusion of fresh blood in the form of shredder / ex-Iron Maidens guitarist Courtney Cox (No, ffs, not that Courtney Cox) has a lot to do with it as well.

Style: Heavy / Power
Location: Switzerland
Sample: “Inquisition”
Label: Napalm Records
Release date: August 22
Bandcamp: Burning Witches

23. Anthology – Frozen Sun

[Cover artwork: Nikos Gaitanopoulos]

Hey, I dig symphonic power metal as much as the next schlub with a flower pinned to their lapel whenever we see the words #timpani #leadbattles and #dragons tagged on an album, but it’s hardly a secret that this particular offshoot has been glutted with mediocrity to the point of explosion over the course of the last several years / decade. Where Slovakia’s Anthology sets themselves apart is by virtue of remembering that heavy metal is actually supposed to be… Well, heavy. Consequently, while a record like Frozen Sun delivers all the orchestral elements one could ever hope to hear pealing from a keyboard, it also manages to tack a sizable amount of heft to the formula that falls just short of, say, classic In Flames. Yes, that means you can expect growling here—an element that often rankles a number of folks in the power community, myself included—but Anthology fuses the two styles in a way that smooths over the awkwardness that often results in the merger. Add to that the fact that singer Lilian Anerousi’s excellent voice is equal parts tough as it is delicate, depending on which mood is required, and you’ve got a very heavy symphonic victory with Frozen Sun.

Style: Symphonic / HEAVY Power
Location: Slovakia
Sample: “Be My Savior”
Label: Independent
Release date: September 26
Bandcamp: Anthology

22. Reflection – The Battles I Have Won

[Cover artwork: Alexander Vasilopoulos]

I don’t think I could summarize all the goodness behind this record better than my bud Lonewaite did in his review of The Battles I Have Won earlier this year:

“In addition to the references above to Scorpions and Rainbow, the songs on The Battles I Have Won celebrate Warlord and Omen and Stratovarius and Rhapsody Of Fire, effectively spanning the history of epic metal, whether you call it traditional, heavy, or power. It’s truly remarkable, then, that it flows so effortlessly in and out of niches across the album and sounds all the while only like Reflection in 2025.”

Honestly, the one thing that keeps this record from landing even higher is the fact that Reflection fall into the somewhat repetitive chorus trap that’s admittedly a bit of a bugbear for yours truly. BNW / “We’re Bloodbrothers” x 100 syndrome notwithstanding, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more epic, galloping champ in 2025.

Style: Epic Power
Location: Greece
Sample: “The Battles I Have Won”
Label: Pitch Black Records
Release date: June 20
Bandcamp: Reflection

21. Reinforcer – Ice and Death

[Cover artwork: Hendrik Noack]

Germany’s Reinforcer isn’t really interested in reinventing the wheel, they just want to hit you with a classic form of power that conjures the early 2000s’ variant that was largely clad in denim & leather and gifted the world bands such as StormWarrior and Paragon. As a consequence, expect loads of melody, gang-shouted background vocals, and an almost stubborn straightforwardness that’s… actually rather refreshing. Sure, they’re far from the only band marching to the beat of this sort of drum, but what separates Reinforcer from the rest of the lot, at least for me, is the fact that their vocalist underscores a gritty approach that invokes Nevermore-era Warrel Dane in lieu of yet another open-shirted crooner with a rose in their mouth.

Denim! And Leather! Brought us all together!

Style: Pure Power
Location: Germany
Sample: “Ice and Death”
Label: Scarlet Records
Release date: August 22
Bandcamp: Reinforcer

20. Bloodbound – Field of Swords

[Cover artwork: Péter Sallai]

I guess you have little choice but to trust me when I say it takes more than one might expect for a time-tested classic Euro power band like Bloodbound to hit a list such as this. Why? Because we all knew exactly what Field of Swords would sound like before ever hitting play, and there’s admittedly something sort of exasperating about a band that’s been in the game for 20 years that consistently approaches each release with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude. Is it really that difficult to take the offseason to learn a curveball?

As expected, Field of Swords delivers literally everything we’ve come to expect from Bloodbound: Bright, largely speedy, cheerful, uber melodic Euro power with gang choruses that drill refrains into our heads with nary a care for doing any one of those things to the point of some sort of unreasonable detonation. But… things feel a little heavier? A touch more aggressive? Extra animated? Maybe the band put some acai berries in their oatmeal before studio days. Whatever the case may be, Field of Swords does Bloodbound better than I expected it to do Bloodbound, it does so in a tidy 45 minutes, and it features Brittney Slayes of Unleash the Archers on the closing track.

Style: Euro Power
Location: Sweden
Sample: “As Empires Fall”
Label: Napalm Records
Release date: November 21
Bandcamp: Bloodbound

19. Stygian Path – The Lorekeeper

[Cover artwork: Jon Toussas]

The Lorekeeper is the album I labored over the most regarding whether or not it should be allowed entry to WHTP. Is it a full cheat? No, I think not. But it’s admittedly more ‘epic metal’ than it is true power—like the initial spark that reminds us just how important classic Manowar was / is to epic gallopers such as Solstice (UK) and Vendel, plus a healthy pinch of Steve Harris’ penchant for penning slow-rolling epics. So, a bit of a gradual grower that, in a curious sort of way, feels longer than its actual runtime. I realize that probably comes across as a snub, but it’s mostly an acknowledgement that The Lorekeeper feels… intentionally unhurried. Not quite doom, but doomy in an epic and USPM sort of fashion that builds atmosphere until a sudden galloping riff breaks the calm and eventually gets split even further by lightning leads. If that sounds like a party you’d like to crash, tighten them bootstraps.

Style: Epic Power
Location: Greece
Sample: “Prometheus”
Label: Independent
Release date: March 3
Bandcamp: Stygian Path

18. Five Rings – Five Rings

[Cover artwork: Uncredited]

Five Rings is the first of two albums inside WHTP 2025 to feature shredder Hiroyas “Iron” / “Master Dragon” Chino at the forefront. This is the more straightforward of the two, laying down 35 minutes of full stroke power that—outside of track 6, “Requiem,” and the album’s plaintive instrumental outro—never really bothers to pump the brakes or allow for outrageous extraneous ornamentation. So, if you’re looking for super riffy, nuts & bolts Japanese power with loads of shredding solos and an aim for INSANE POSITIVITY that evades frantic theatrics, Five Rings will hold any and all beers until further notice.

Style: Pure Power
Location: Japan
Sample: Medley
Label: Rubicon Music
Release date: February 19
Band website: Five Rings

17. Panthalassan – From the Shallows of the Mantle

[Cover artwork: Adam Burke]

Is the following snippet from the Panthalassan review from earlier this year enough to get you on board the hype train?

“The lead guitar work here… Holy Lord, there are a near endless supply of notably inspiring leads up and down these 60-plus minutes. And even when Wright isn’t soloing, his riffing and propensity for melodic embellishments are steeped in enough golden melody to cause your speakers to glow for hours after spinning the record. Opener “Lowstand Leviathans,” for example, jumps from the gate rather aggressively, but right around the midpoint (~4:11) it shifts into an epic measure that recalls While Heaven Wept’s absurdly majestic Vast Oceans Lachrymose.”

If not, feel free to collect your extremely valuable gift tote in the lobby and ignore the fact that it only contains a half-eaten Whatchamacallit and a crushed Modelo tall can.

Style: Progressive Power
Location: Canada
Sample: “Driftwood Reverie”
Label: Independent
Release date: March 28
Bandcamp: Panthalassan

16. Prehistoria – Cryptic Halo

[Cover artwork: Adam Burke]

Waaaaaayyyy back in 2021 I had this to say about Prehistoria’s debut EP:

“Let me tell you something, whenever Prehistoria musters enough material for a debut full-length, it’s gonna be a big deal. Thankfully, we have this absolute ass-kicker of an EP to while away the days, weeks, months, but hopefully not years before that eventually happens. The band plays a wonderfully aggressive form of slightly progressive power that falls in the neighborhood of, say, Persuader, and they’re fronted by a killer vocalist who’s equally adept at hitting pure power highs as he is at layering those same heights into something that’s really not that far off from King Diamond.”

Well, it HAS been years since the release of the Cursed Lands EP, but Cryptic Halo confirms that Prehistoria hasn’t exactly spent the ensuing years twiddling their thumbs away from their respective wares. Does the new material find the band traveling new grounds and reaching even higher heights? Nope! I would say this full-length debut pretty much does what the EP did at or very near the same level, but with a touch less of that goodly King Diamond influence. That being said, I doubt anyone with a penchant for a notably aggressive form of USPM will find ways to complain about a band that nails this sort of formula so nimbly and efficiently.

Style: Speedy USPM
Location: USA
Sample: “Rise”
Label: Stormspell Records
Release date: February 15
Bandcamp: Prehistoria

15. Iron Attack! – Melt Down the World

[Cover artwork: Uncredited]

The second Hiroyas “Iron” / “Master Dragon” Chino-fronted album for this year’s power hubbub does a notably admirable job of challenging the old adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. This is hardly new grounds for Iron Attack!, however, as they’ve been doing just that for every one of their 78 full-lengths across the last two decades or so.

SEVENTY EIGHT FULL-LENGTHS. SEVEN. TEE. EIGHT. FULL. LENGTH. ALBUMS.

Does Hiroyas even have enough time in his day to take a whiz in one of those incredibly futuristic Japanese toilets? I’d love to offer up some sort of comparison to older IA! material, but I need to die within the next thirty years or so and might not have enough time to assimilate the full discography, so maybe an expert can chime in below. Here’s what I do know: Melt Down the World flipping shreds, and it shreds in enough different ways woven through trad, classic power, symphonic power, hard rock and pop that I can’t help but come back for more tastes. A song like “Starlit Merry-Go-Round” (you read that right) sounds like the intro to whatever show is depicted on that album cover, and it’s immediately followed by the very intentionally all-capped “BURN IN HELL” that thrashes with the force of 1000 Holts (the Gary variety.) In other words, if you don’t like what you’re hearing at any point on the record, just give it a few minutes.

Style: Pure Power
Location: Japan
Sample: Medley
Label: Independent
Release date: August 17
Band website: Iron Attack!

14. Helloween – Giants and Monsters

[Cover artwork: Eliran Kantor]

Did anyone other than the members of Helloween think Helloween would gallop into 2025 with an album nearly as magnificent as 2021’s triumphant Helloween? Maybe their spouses? The guy who comes to every halloween party dressed as a pumpkin to close-talk about his OG copy of Walls of Jericho? We knew it was nigh impossible. Oh, we knew…

Look, Giants & Monsters is a good Helloween record with plenty of extremely enjoyable moments that could ostensibly make you occasionally wonder if it’ll ever come close to flirting with the elite… six? (Walls, Keeper 1 & 2, Dark Ride, Gambling and the S/T), especially in view of songs such as “Universe,” “Hand of God” and yet another epic closer. But the record also sports “A Little Is A Little Too Much” (still catchy!) and “Under the Moonlight” (patent cat retching sound) that drag the listener back to reality. One hill I will absolutely die on (magnificently), though: “This is Tokyo” is not nearly as bad as some of you seem to think.

Filed under: Solid Helloween is still Hellofuckenween.

Style: Helloweeny
Location: Germany
Sample: “This is Tokyo”
Label: Soyuz Music
Release date: August 27
Band website: Helloween

13. Labÿrinth – In the Vanishing Echoes of Goodbye

[Cover artwork: Uncredited]

In the Vanishing Echoes of Goodbye is a progressive power record tailor-made for those who might wonder what a Frontiers Records version of Symphony X might sound like. That is to say, they’ve got that ‘shirt unbuttoned to my naval’ AOR aesthetic that drifts in and out of the spotlight down pat, particularly during the album’s many lighter moments. Plus, the production is of course polished seventeen ways to Sunday, which is really kinda necessary for a style such as this. It’s all almost too much, though, if you’re the sort who’s habitually sensitive to such things. But just when you think things might be a little too soft, Labÿrinth offsets the syrupy side of life with loads of genuinely aggressive riffin’ and hittin’ that makes it seem feasible that a live Labÿrinth show might have an actual pit? Is that allowed? A pit crammed to capacity with proggers sporting crisp New Balance sneakers.

Anyway, if you’re an unwavering Labÿrinter, or a devotee of progressive, heavy-hitting AOR in general, In the Vanishing Echoes of Goodbye will surely score sweet points in 2025.

Style: Unbuttoned Shirt Progressive Power
Location: Italy
Sample: “Welcome Twilight”
Label: Frontiers Records
Release date: January 24
Band website: Labÿrinth

12. Avantasia – Here Be Dragons

[Cover artwork: Rodney Matthews]

Where were you when Tobias Sammet ran / rode / drove / flew to virtually every Avantasia stans’ house to slap them in the face with what amounts to a very enjoyable hard rockin’ power record in 2025? Were you… Were you at the opera, hoping to absorb still more operatic moments in preparation for yet another impossibly theatrical Avantasia metal opera? Well, too bad, George Gershloss: Tobias and Tobias alone is at the helm of this steam-powered blimp, and he decided to strip down the material for Here Be Dragons to the bone, which essentially equates to only eight guest vocalists instead of [literally all power vocalists currently alive]. Does the record hit the target dead center at every turn? Well, I’m personally not all that wild about the leftover Meat Loaf of “Bring On the Night” and the closing “Everybody’s Here to the End,” but I do think Here Be Dragons does things right way more than it does the reverse, and the band definitely sounds re-energized.

Style: Whatever the Hell Tobias Sammet Wants to Call It
Location: Germany
Sample: “The Witch”
Label: Napalm Records
Release date: February 26
Band website: Avantasia

11. Queen Of Dreams – Subnivium

[Cover artwork: Gaia Cafiso]

Step into the game with a song called “Shield Anvil” and a band name that’s feasibly an homage to High House Life Ascendent T’riss—both klaxon calls to anyone equally into Steven Erikson’s excellent Malazan series—and you will have my undivided attention. Granted, I wouldn’t necessarily expect a progressive power band to take up that particular mantle (why is that?), but when the goods are this good, and the band flies in right out of left field, I’m by gum gonna shout about it from some sort of pulpit. COME FORTH AND BE BLESSED, BRETHREN AND SISTREN OF THE SEVEN CITIES AND BEYOND! See? I’m shouting!

Queen of Dreams does a LOT right with Subnivium, but what I appreciate the most is how they manage the progressive power metal tag with an equal emphasis on both key ingredients. Consequently, while not at all without its fair share of ostentation (love the keyboard leads in particular, and the bass is, um, actually very present), Subnivium never feels overly showy, and we’re never too far away from a riff or passage that reminds us of the ultimate goal, which is to gallop triumphantly.

Style: The Warren of Progressive Power
Location: USA
Sample: “Shield Anvil”
Label: Independent
Release date: January 31
Bandcamp: Queen Of Dreams

10. Steel Arctus – Dreamruler

[Cover artwork: Manos Lagouvardos]

Generally speaking, when people reference the classic run of Manowar, they’re often pointing most emphatically at the hallowed opening quartet of Battle, Glory, Hail and Sign. I totally get that, but my first foray under the Manowar banner came at the behest of Fighting the World and Kings of Metal, two albums I still place at or very close to the same level as what landed prior. This, in a tidy nutshell, is the realm in which Greece’s Steel Arctus operates, with an added injection of the more modern variety of heavy power that one-time Manowar great Ross Friedman continues to operate under with his Ross the Boss designation. Basically, expect no frills, belting heavy power, vaulted further by a vocalist (Tasos Lazaris of Fortress Under Siege and Livin’ Evil) who wails like Eric Adams after the hammer from Sign of the Hammer falls on his foot. Also worthy of mentioning, some folks have raised an eyebrow at the inclusion of some rather odd keyboards as a pitfall here, which I sorrrrt of agree with (especially in “Glory of the Hero”), but they’re also kind of… fun? Is this fun? Is that fun? Is fun allowed?

Style: Epic Power (With A Strange Keyboard Peeking In At Times)
Location: Greece
Sample: “Cry for Revenge”
Label: No Remorse Records
Release date: November 28
Band website: Steel Arctus

9. Ambush – Evil In All Directions

[Cover artwork: Péter Sallai]

Full disclosure: Ambush does not consider themselves a power metal band, just as I’m fairly certain is the case for the most staunch and stunning power metal gatekeepers out there. Is this just good ol’ heavy metal, then? Speed metal? Power metal adjacent by way of Painkiller? Hey, as long as no one takes a leak in the pool, everyone’s welcome to dive in.

Regardless of incredibly specific boundaries, an album like Evil In All Dimensions flashes just enough old-school pm in the style of the greats—yer Helloweenies, yer Gamma Raymonds, etc.—to qualify for a list such as this. And if you’ve been in the Ambush camp for years, I’d go so far as to say it’s the best thing this collective has done since the initial volley that produced 2014’s very excellent Firestorm. Agreed, it covers precisely zero new ground, but it’s catchy as all hell, bright as the sun, and just fun, fun, fun ’til some baddy took the T-Bird away.

Style: Secretly Power
Location: Sweden
Sample: “Evil In All Dimensions”
Label: Napalm Records
Release date: September 5
Band website: Ambush

8. Insania – The Great Apocalypse

[Cover artwork: Niklas Dahlin]

With a band like Insania and an album like The Great Apocalypse, you are required to gird your loins for two inevitabilities: 1) A grand level of joyousness that seems contrary to the record’s title (though they do admit it’s a GREAT apocalypse), and 2) Being savagely pelted with that joy for over an hour.

Okay, the joy isn’t quite to Freedom Call levels here, but it is absolutely palpable, so we’ll just thank Insania for once again adding some sorely needed positivity to our planet’s atmosphere. The runtime, however, is something that should probably be addressed. (Again.) Point being: Shave a good 15 to 20 minutes off this baby and we might actually have The KICK-ASS Apocalypse. Hell, just trim some of the repetitive choruses down a little and we’re probably there? That being said, what a terrifically catchy, polished and sophisticated record this is, and you’d have to search far and wide to find a better album to obsess over if you’re the sort of hero who’s interested in hearing and / or learning just how power metal leads are supposed to be done (and done a lot.)

Style: Pure Power
Location: Sweden
Sample: “No One’s Hero”
Label: Frontiers Records
Release date: June 13
Band website: Insania

7. Helms Deep – Chasing the Dragon

 [Cover artwork: Bob Eggleton]

A number of people I know flipped their lids over the Helms Deep debut Treacherous Ways back in 2023, but that record didn’t really manage to stick to my ribs the same way as it did for them. That might have something to do with the fact that I’m a bit of a jaded peckerhead, but it could also be due to the sneaky truth that I was hoping the band would incorporate some level of progression to freshen up the stock USPM formula—something I think full-length number two accomplishes in a rather sly way that never loses sight of HD’s unique form of notably swift USPM. No, this is absolutely nothing like ‘prog metal’ in a Dream Theater or DGM sort of way, but Chasing the Dragon definitely expands on the techniques (and influences) laid down by the debut, thereby rendering a more diverse and intricate journey that sounds a bit bigger. Or, at the least, wider. Sure, the album is too long and could use a shave, but there’s really nothing here I’d call an outright stinker, which is an achievement when the main goal is speedy USPM and there’s an hour’s worth to gobble down. Do I even need to mention that Helms Deep features guitarist John Gallagher of Raven?

Style: USPM
Location: USA
Sample: “Craze of the Vampire”
Label: Nameless Grave Records
Release date: June 20
Bandcamp: Helms Deep

6. Feanor – Hellhammer

[Cover artwork: Andreas Marschall]

Hellhammer is an album I figured had a very good chance of winning the power race in 2025, thanks to the fact that it happens to be crammed to the rafters with all the spirit and charm that made the classic runs from bands such as Running Wild, Blind Guardian, Grave Digger and Iron Savior so rewarding. YES, it is often that fun and great.

What ultimately knocks the record down several notches, however, is Feanor’s continued insistence on stuffing so much excess into the bag that the listener can’t help but be overwhelmed. Does… Does Feanor watch all 4 seasons of Felicity in one sitting? My brothers in Christ, we all have chores to do, ffs.

And speaking of Jesus, if someone could please explain why a song so blatantly dedicated to Running Wild is called “Heavy Metal Jesus,” I would definitely appreciate it. Or maybe that’s best left as one of life’s great mysteries? Under Jolly Jesus?

ANYwho, if you consider yourself a fan of the classic form of Euro power that bubbled up directly alongside speed metal, and you also love glassy leads and catchy choruses that damn-near clink with the sounds of colliding steins, you will find oh so much (and definitely a little too much) to love about Hellhammer.

P.S. Dump the ballads.

Style: Unedited Pure Power
Location: Argentina
Sample: “Sirens of Death”
Label: No Remorse Records
Release date: September 19
Band website: Feanor

5. Arcane Sanctuary – The Traveler’s Diary

[Cover Artwork: Federico Bossinga]

One of my favorite things about putting the work into We Have the Power every year is how all the excavating and dissecting always manages to unearth a handful of projects whose vision and its ultimate outcome seems to far exceed that which is normally reserved for unsigned bands with a notably sparse catalog. I’m guessing that sounds a little insulting, which obviously isn’t my intention—no individuals bold enough to release music to the public do so with a goal of hitting anything less than the winning shot at the last second, but some projects just manage to, I dunno, hammer the ball on their very first swing.

Does that mean there’s no room for improvement on a record like The Traveler’s Diary? No, of course not. But considering the complexity at the heart of the music here—a notably progressive form of symphonic power—one can’t help but wonder how much effort went into getting this thing to see the light of day. Very pro production, very compelling songwriting, wonderful flow, excellent leads, rational and unpretentious orchestration, not too sappy, and every player comes to the plate with their A-game. Consider my attention fully grabbed moving forward.

Style: Symphonic Progressive Power
Location: Argentina
Sample: “He’s Waiting”
Label: Independent
Release date: August 1
Bandcamp: Arcane Sanctuary

4. Livin’ Evil – The Warriors of the King

[Cover artwork: Uncredited]

It’s been a bit of a strange journey for me and The Warriors of the King. I heard an early sample from the record many months ago and knew pretty much right off the bat that I needed to earmark it for future exploration, but then the first thing I noticed upon finally landing on the Livin’ Evil bandcamp page was a new band logo that looked weirdly related to ours. To be COMPLETELY CLEAR, I absolutely do not believe the resemblance was / is intentional, but it quickly brought to mind an escapade years ago where I had to chase down some doink in Germany who absolutely DID swipe our logo line-for-line for his crappy goth / metal label. In short—and still no fault of Livin’ Evil—I walked into The Warriors of the King on the wrong foot. A wobbly foot. An unsure foot. As is often said, though: Nothing solves a problem quite as swiftly as a victory. And friends, The Warriors of the King is clearly something I’d refer to as an unexpected, notably firm victory.

Anyway, there I sat, doing the lightest bit of research to find out who was responsible for the new Livin’ Evil logo, when I found myself suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that, 1) The music was doing a very handy job of kicking the livin’ crap out of my ears, and 2) I didn’t actually give the slightest shit about the logo’s origin.

I just love how relentless this record is in virtually every facet of its attack: the drumming, the riffing, the soloing, and the way Tasos Lazaris (same vocalist for Steel Arctus) absolutely WAILS as if he were ripped directly from the pages of USPM’s golden age. Basically, it’s ‘all killer, no filler’, and I’m equally pleased to report that the album maintains a wonderfully raw feel that makes it seem very likely that Livin’ Evil shreds just as hard from the stage as they do on record.

Bottom line: Livin’ Evil could opt for the Chuck E Cheese logo and it wouldn’t detract from the asskickery laid down by The Warriors of the King. 44 minutes of double-dyed heavy / power glory!

Style: Heavy / Power
Location: France
Sample: “All Roads Lead to Hell”
Label: Independent
Release date: May 13
Bandcamp: Livin’ Evil

3. Sacred – Fire to Ice

[Cover artwork: Anton Atanasov]

All three of the top seeded power albums this year spent some time in the number one spot throughout 2025, and Fire to Ice could be the most surprising contender of the lot. Not surprising because anything related to the album feels as if it drops out of left field in a “what the ever-living hell is going on here” sort of way, but actually the express opposite that results in a patently straightforward charmer.

There’s no intro here, no interludes, no spoken word to advance an absurd storyline, no sounds of battle / waves / wind, zero keyboards, no tin whistles / fiddles / lutes, and nary a trace of orchestration to be found. Just a notably direct ABABCB form of heavy power that pretty much nails all the marks for catchiness across all nine songs. To be perfectly honest, there were times I thought Fire to Ice might actually be a little too uncomplicated, but the hooks all over this rascal WILL NOT be denied, and anyone who might be further tempted at the prospect of an even more power-friendly Riot V (especially those vocals!) should absolutely sprint to the front of the line.

Style: Pure Power
Location: Sweden
Sample: “Caught In a Snowstorm”
Label: Stormspell Records
Release date: January 10
Bandcamp: Sacred

2. Aedan Sky – The Universal Realm

[Cover artwork: Felipe Machado Franco]

Full disclosure: I did not walk into The Universal Realm with the greatest confidence, because crowning the album cover up there are the words ‘Space Opera’, which, for me, are words that too often pave the way to something I’d literally rather leave in space. Like, way the hell out there in the Gamma Quadrant. TAKE THAT, BAJOR.

Thing is, there’s really not much I’d consider truly operatic about Aedan Sky or The Universal Realm, other than the fact that the album happens to lay down a narrative that could ostensibly be turned into an opera, and I suppose that opera could then be performed in outer space. Here on Earth, however, this record sounds a hell of a lot more like one of the finest tributes to the absolutely classic Kai Hansen-fronted era of Helloween these ears have heard since… Well, probably early-ish Gamma Ray. So, yeah, it’s speedy (speed metal speedy!), it’s more aggressively melodic than a Guitar Center under attack by 30 Michael Weikath clones, and most importantly, it sounds as if Aedan Sky used the phone booth from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure to pluck a 20-something version of Hansen right out of the ‘80s to handle the vocal duties. Or, at the least, to coach the vocal duties under his notably scholarly eye.

Now, to be clear, the singing on the record doesn’t always sound like Kai, because Aedan Sky is the end result of three singers—Sebastian Chabot (Galderia, KingCrown), Bob Saliba (Galderia, KingCrown) and Thomas Schmitt (Galderia)—and those singers don’t always want to sound exactly like Kai Hansen, but that is absolutely the essence and energy they are intending to deliver. And hooooo baby, does The Universal Realm ever deliver 36 minutes of exceedingly bright and SOARING glory that will leave you determined to… uh… RIDE! THE! SKY!

Style: Pure Power
Location: France
Sample: “Beyond the Vortex of Time”
Label: Rockshots Records
Release date: September 12
Band website: Aedan Sky

1. Majestica – Power Train

[Cover artwork: Jan Yrlund]

If a band’s album gets released in the first couple months of any given year and still manages to net the top spot once things finally hit the goal line, that band did something incredibly right and righteous. Of course, many of us pretty much expect that from chief Majestica architect Tommy ‘ReinXeed’ Johansson, no? If we agreed to overlook the cup of coffee the dude had with Sabaton and Memories of Old and focused only on what was done under his ReinXeed moniker and with Golden Resurrection, plus the stacks and stacks of bulletproof power covers of everything from Helloween to Heart to Abba to Duran Duran on his youtube channel, you’d perhaps have to worry about your mental health if you count yourself a fan of pure power and DON’T consider Johansson an absolute live wire of the genre. Tack the stellar 2019 Majestica debut Above the the Sky AND the band’s wonderful Christmas album (wait, did I just say “wonderful Christmas album?” What the hell have I been smoking) to the docket and you’ve got one hell of a stack of top shelf material worthy of undivided attention. What I’m trying to get at is this: Johansson definitely makes a case for gluing the term ‘virtuoso’ to his CV, but I do think one at least needs an appreciation of power metal to fully recognize his proficiency as a great musician. (Someone other than me please test this theory at, like, a PTA or City Council meeting or something.)

Oh, wow! Good thing we’re all gathered here under the standard of power metal! Within these expansive edges we explore all facets of the off-shoot, be it speed, symphonic, Euro, USPM, neoclassical, progressive, hard rockin’, folk, etc., all of which Tommy and Majestica seem willing to explore and slam dunk to some level with a record like Power Train. Sure, it’s absolutely 100% Euro power at its crux, and its trajectory rarely deviates from delivering the goods at or very close to 100mph, but you can tell this is the product of an individual who considers all forms of music fair game.

“The album is called Power Train, and it has a choo-choo on the cover.”

Yeah, I know the Polar Express vibes are strong, and you will absolutely be expected to endure some of the most designedly goofy (with an emphasis on “oof”) lyrics this side of an In Flames album. You’re a power metal fan, though, yes? No new ground there, maties. So, if you have to withstand lyrics like “With their hammer so high / One crimson knight / Will be coming for you / You scream of fright / ‘Cause they’re megatrue” in order to enjoy one of the best Glory to the Brave upgrades you’ve heard in nearly 30 years, so be it.

Furthermore, accepting any and all forms of cheddar into your heart will become second nature once these songs start sinking their teeth into your giblets. (Yes, these songs do have teeth!) And luckily, that course of action won’t take very long, as these songs are all immediately infectious and largely to the point without concern for outside embroidery. Inside all that fairly straightforward melodious frippery, however, absolutely everything is done to a level of immaculateness that is 100% fucking extraordinary. Every solo, every hit on the kit, every riff, and every note flying from Johansson’s craw is flawless without somehow managing to feel too polished or at all phony / overly produced. It is, without question, a direct hit dead center for the glory of Euro power metal, and it vaults Tommy ReinXeed and Majestica far enough ahead of the pack in 2025 that I have no choice but to assume that any of its time spent outside of the number one position was simply the result of me not wanting to believe an album with a choo-choo on the cover could be this good.

Style: UNADULTERATED POWAH
Location: Sweden
Sample: “Battle Cry”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release date: February 7
Band website: Majestica

———

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2025’s Full List of 230 Contenders (Bandcamp links provided where applicable):

1st0 – 2nd Chapter
Adamantis – Reforged
Aedan Sky – The Universal Realm
Aeroscreamer – Countess of the Night
Æternia – Into the Golden Halls
Airborn – Lizard Secrets: Part Three – Utopia
Alestorm – The Thunderfist Chronicles
Alexandrite – Burning EP
Alltheniko – Balls of Steel
Ambush – Evil In All Dimensions
Ancient Bards – Artifex
Angel Fury – Majic Eyes EP
Anthology – Frozen Sun
Anubis – The Puppeteers EP
Arcane Sanctuary – The Traveler’s Diary
Arcane Tales – Ancestral War
Arion – The Light That Burns the Sky
Art Nation – The Ascendance
Ashes of Ares – New Messiahs
Avantasia – Here Be Dragons
Azeroth – Trails of Destiny
Ballsqueezer – Now or Never
Battle Beast – Steelbound
Beriedir – Liminal Spaces
Black & Damned – Resurrection
Black Majesty – Oceans of Black
Black Soul Horde – Symphony of Chaos
Blackslash – Heroes, Saints & Fools
Bloodbound – Field of Swords
Boguslaw Balcerak’s Crylord – Lost Bloody Heroes
Brainstorm – Plague of Rats
Bravelord – The Power from the End of the World
Braveride – The Great Awakening
Bridear – Reborn 2013-2016 EP
Burning Sun – The Shadows of Darkfang Keep EP
Burning Sun – Retribution
Burning Witches – Inquisition
Catalyst Symphony – The Light Inside EP
Celestial Wizard – Regenesis
Claymorean – Eternal Curse
Cova Rasa – Another Time
Crimson Shadows – Whispers of War
Cristiano Filippini’s Flames of Heaven – Symphony of the Universe
Crow’s Flight – The Dark Horizon
Crowne – Wonderland
Crystal Gates – East of the Sun EP
Crystal Skull – Arcane Tales
Crystal Tears – Athanato
Dan Baune’s Lost Sanctuary – Harbinger of Chaos
Dang – Eightfold Path EP
Dark Horizon – 9 Ways to Salvation
Dark Tribe – Forgotten Reveries
Darker Half – Book of Fate
Darklon – Mind Reaper
Dead End Irony – Battles and Brotherhood
Deep Sun – Storyteller
Divine Desolation – The Pale Mask
Dragon Skull – Chaos Fire Vengeance
Dragonknight – Legions
Dragonsclaw – Moving Target
Dust – VII
Dynazty – Game of Faces
Ebonheart – Face Our Fear
EchoSoul – Time of the Dragon
Edgeland – Tunnels
Elettra Storm – Evertale
Elvenking – Reader of the Runes – Luna
Enbound – Set It Free
Enchanted Steel – Might and Magic
Eonia Rise – Eden Is Alive
Epica – Aspiral
Eternal Idol – Behind a Vision
Eternal Thirst – The Nesting of Chaos
Ever After – Fallen Archangel EP
Everlore – Hope and Turmoil
Exvamon – Stars of Fortune EP
Exvamon – Odyssey of Fate
Fabula Rasa – Tome II: The Beyond
Fairyland – The Story Remains
Fathomless Skywalker – Anthems for the Resilient
Feanor – Hellhammer
Five Rings – Five Rings
Frozen Land – Icemelter
GaiaBeta – Gate of GaiaBeta
Gargant – Dead Night Defiance
Ginevra – Beyond Tomorrow
Glasya – Fear
Glyph – Invictus EP
Grave Digger – Bone Collector
Hagane – Top of the Tower
Hall of Gods – A Tribute to the Gods of Music
Hammer King – Make Metal Royal Again
Hangfire – Burn
Hans & Valter – The Legend of the Oakensource
Hartlight – The Triumph of Metal
Heavylution – The Cycle
Helloween – Giants & Monsters
Helltern – Concerto of the Damned EP
Helms Deep – Chasing the Dragon
Helstar – The Devil’s Masquerade
Hevisaurus – Maailmankiertueela
High Council – Cruel and Unusual
Hollowstone – The Fractures that Hide in Legends
Hounds – Rise of the Immortals
Human Fortress – Stronghold
Hyperstrike – High Risk
Ice On Fire – Nine Shades of Evil
Insania – The Great Apocalypse
Iron Attack! – Melt Down the World
Iron Brigade – Ill Fated Voyage
Isiliel – Moonbow Rebellion
Jester Ghost – Tales of the Ancient Gold EP
Judicator – Concord
Katagory V – Awaken a New Age of Chaos
Labÿrinth – In the Vanishing Echoes of Goodbye
Lady Beast – The Inner Alchemist
Legado de una Tragedia – Lovecraft
Leverage – Gravity
Limuria – Lost World
Liv Moon – The Land of Spirits
Livin’ Evil – The Warriors of the King
Living Tales – Hades
Lycanthro – Remnants of Rapture
Maestrick – Espresso della vita: Lunare
Majestica – Power Train
Maki Oyama – I Am
Manigance – L’âme de fond
Mantric Momentum – Alienized
Martyr – Dark Believer
Master Spy – Maze Runner
Master Sword – Toying with Time
Memories of Old – Never Stop Believing
Mentalist – Earthbreaker
Mercury Tide – Walls of Confusion
Meteora – In This Silence EP
Miriah – Sometimes the Dragon Wins EP
Mob Rules – Rise of the Ruler
Moonlight Haze – Beyond
Nightsteel – Nightsteel
Nils Patrik Johansson – War and Peace
Ninth Circle – Anthem of the Immortal
Niviane – Queen of Phantoms
Númenor – Runes of Power
On My Command – Conquer
Orbital Strike – Fuel to Fire
Orpharion – The Broken Seal
Outworld – The Age of Dark
Panthalassan – From the Shallows of the Mantle
Parhelyon – From Dark to Light
PowerCross – Renaissance
Predator – Unsafe Place
Prehistoria – Cryptic Halo
Primal Fear – Domination
Pythia – V Pt. 1: Unhallowed EP
Queen of Dreams – Subnivium
Raging Fate – Mutiny
Randomfuturetone – Shuriken Killer
Ready To Be Hated – The Game of Us
Reflection – The Battles I Have Won
Reinforcer – Ice and Death
Relligary – Hearts and Minds
Revengin – Dark Dogma Embrace
Rigorious – Kingdom Unfold
Ringlorn – Tales of War and Magic
Risen Atlantis – Power to the Past
Risen Crow – Requiem for a Damned Love
Rising Steel – Legion of the Grave
Ruiza – Alive EP
Sabaton – Legends
Sacred – Fire to Ice
Sacred Scroll – Between Death and Dreams EP
Sacred Steel – Ritual Supremacy
Sadistic Beauty – Blessing
Sally – Burn It
Sapere Aude – Sants E Demonis EP
Scardust – Souls
Scarecröw – II EP
Schönberg – Resurrection Σ
Scorcher – The Regal Eye
Sculforge – Cosmic Crusade Chronicles… Stories from… Errr… Nevermind!
Serpentyne – Tales from the Dark
Shadow Host – Chaos Unleashed
Shadowkiller – Sworn to Avenge
Sheglapes – Mother
Shiver of Frontier – Power of Great Spirits
Signum Regis – The Eyes of Power
Sirens – In Goat We Trust
Sirius – Phoenix EP
Skull Revenge – State of Oblivion
Skullmaiden – Dreamwalker EP
Snow White Blood – A Spark of Truth EP
Soulspell – Spirits of Ghosts
Stargazery – Carnival Puppeteers
Steel Arctus – Dreamruler
Steel Revenge – Skullcrusher EP
Steeldriver – Fire Stone Rising Part 1
Stygian Path – The Lorekeeper
Tales of Destiny – Ashes of Destiny
Tales of Time – The Journey EP
Terra Atlantica – Oceans
Tezza F. – Echoes from the Winter Silence
The 7th Guild – Triumviro
The Ferrymen – Iron Will
The Storyteller – The Final Stand
The Third Grade – Quadrivium: Resonances EP
The Uncrowned – Run Through the Night
Thomas Carlsen’s Transmission – Clockwork Sky
Thundertale – Pranašystė
Tierramystica – Trinity
Titan Killer – Slow Self-Destruction
Trick Or Treat – Ghosted
True Strength – Ancient of Days
Tumenggung – Back On the Streets
Twins Crew – Chapter IV
Under Ruins – Age of the Void
Valhalore – Beyond the Stars
Vellselk – 絶唱 EP
Vicious Rumors – The Devil’s Asylum
Vigilhunter – Vigilhunter
Viral – The Merchant
Visionatica – Harrowing Insight
Vrain – 銀翼 ～白銀のファンタジア～ EP
WarKings – Armageddon
Warmen – Band of Brothers
Warrant – The Speed of Metal
WarWolf – The Final Battle
Weapons of God – Tribulation
Wild Storm – The Crimson Dawn
Wildfire – Rise
Worlds Beyond – Rhapsody of Life

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Posted by Captain

Last Rites Co-Owner; Senior Editor; That was my skull!

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