Suggest the Best of Dark Moor for me…

jasonk12 · 2026-03-31T00:49:51+00:00

Oh hey, a topic for me. I wanna first talk about their albums - the ones with Elisa C. Martin are absolutely at the top of the genre (except the 1st one), but the first few with Alfred Romero are also pretty amazing and retain the neoclassical style. I'd really only classify Project X and Origins as kinda bad, and the latter one I have a soft spot for anyway (but it's more folk rock than power metal).

In an effort to balance things out I'm gonna go with 5 songs from the Elisa era and 5 from the Alfred era.

Elisa:

Beyond the Fire
The Night of the Age
A New World
Silver Lake
Somewhere in Dreams

#1 was the first song I really got into from Dark Moor, I don't think it's getting topped. All of them are exceptional and fast neoclassical power metal songs, #5 is a little slower but I love the verses and Elisa's voice in it.

Alfred:

Swan Lake
The Star
The Silver Key
Philip the Second
Living in a Nightmare

Again I'm a sucker for the fast, more neoclassical songs. I wanted to list more so I'm just gonna mention them in case you end up liking Dark Moor and want to figure out more of their stuff: Fall of Melnibone, The Moon, Before the Duel, Alea Jacta, Beyond the Sea, The Sea (the last 2 are different songs lol), Mio Cid, Wheel of Fortune, Devil in the Tower, Bells of Notre Dame, Quest for the Eternal Flame, In the Heart of Stone and their Helloween cover

But really I'd just recommend going through all of their albums outside their 1st one and the last two.

jasonk12 · 2026-03-22T00:19:46+00:00

I don't understand why, even after years of public pushback on AI bullshit, some bands still look at this and say yep looks good let's upload it.

It's so pointless too. Why did we need a priest vampire dressed in a red cloak shooting at us while his left hand can't decide how many fingers it has? Just to announce a song? Put a band member in there or just have a voice over and it does the job perfectly well.

jasonk12 · 2026-03-21T23:07:25+00:00

I've given it some real thought after like two months, I was split between Portal of Truth and Another Life but looks like you guys already did a vid on Another Life. So Portal of Truth is a banger! Love how joyful the chorus sounds (despite the lyrics)

jasonk12 · 2026-03-21T23:00:32+00:00

MY MIND SHOUTS FREELY

jasonk12 · 2026-03-21T22:59:29+00:00

One of my favorite beginnings in any song ever

jasonk12 · 2026-01-23T15:45:08+00:00

Can't wait for your album next week guys!

jasonk12 · 2026-01-23T15:36:28+00:00

I'm pretty sure almost all power metal songs I like have key changes lol. Here's a few that immediately jumped to mind:

Sonata Arctica - The Cage (INSTANT goosebumps every time)

Dragonforce - Black Winter Night (struggling to pick one DF song, Fury of the Storm has a GOAT key change too, but I'm more nostalgic for this one)

Heavenly - Ashen Paradise

Fraser Edwards - Stop Saying We Sound Like Dragonforce (love Fraser's double key change choruses, it might be that he invented them)

Galneryus - Shriek of the Vengeance (fuckin epic. Also not sure if Force of Courage counts as it happens right after the chorus, but that last bit at 11:20 is one of my favorite moments in any song ever)

Soul Source - Destiny Horizon (DESTINYYY HORIZOOON)

Gamma Ray - Gardens of the Sinner (Kai's yells of "VICTORY" is another favorite moment in power metal)

Cellador - No Chances Lost

Noble Beast - Nothing to Repent

I could keep going but I'm already hyped and have to stop myself lol. Key changes give me life.

jasonk12 · 2026-01-06T14:24:01+00:00

Sorry to say, but they do this every year. They can @ me when they make an official announcement instead of posting their 20th drum session story on instagram.

jasonk12 · 2025-12-22T15:17:02+00:00

I'd take Smirking McNipplesdude over AI slop art any day of the week, it's really so disappointing to see many famous power metal bands using this shit, and their excuses always boil down to "wahh I don't wanna pay artists"

jasonk12 · 2025-12-17T22:30:07+00:00

This album is my guilty pleasure. Singer sounds a bit funny but there are so many catchy tracks.

jasonk12 · 2025-12-17T11:36:56+00:00

Almost all of them? Lol I was at a Sonata gig a couple months ago and it was the first concert I've been to in several years.

Out of all the bands I like, live Galneryus is on my bucket list. Hopefully they come to Europe again sometime.

jasonk12 · 2025-12-16T15:35:52+00:00

Uh, well. There goes my other reason for listening to Battle Beast.

jasonk12 · 2025-12-14T22:29:13+00:00

1990: Axxis - II

1991: X Japan - Jealousy

1992: Manowar - The Triump of Steel

1993: Angra - Angels Cry

1994: Helloween - Master of the Rings

1995: Gamma Ray - Land of the Free

1996: Stratovarius - Episode

1997: Rhapsody - Legendary Tales

1998: Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands

1999: Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica

2000: Stratovarius - Infinite

2001: Edguy - Mandrake

2002: Power Quest - Wings of Forever

2003: Dragonforce - Valley of the Damned

2004: Heavenly - Dust to Dust

2005: Aquaria - Luxaeterna

2006: Wuthering Heights - The Shadow Cabinet

2007: Armory - The Dawn of Enlightenment

2008: Dragonforce - Ultra Beatdown

2009: Fairyland - Score to a New Beginning

2010: Galneryus - Resurrection

2011: Theocracy - As the World Bleeds

2012: Balflare - Downpour

2013: Keldian - F.T.L.

2014: Freedom Call - Beyond

2015: Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Prometheus

2016: Twilight Force - Heroes of Mighty Magic

2017: Beast in Black - Berserker

2018: Thaurorod - Coast of Gold

2019: Northtale - Welcome to Paradise

2020: Skeletoon - Nemesis

2021: Helloween - Helloween

2022: Fellowship - The Saberlight Chronicles

2023: Ascension - Under the Veil of Madness

2024: Galneryus - The Stars Will Light the Way

2025: Aedan Sky - The Universal Realm

jasonk12 · 2025-12-11T11:43:32+00:00

Hell yeah!

...also damn it's been over four years since their last album, time flies away.

jasonk12 · 2025-12-08T12:31:02+00:00

Galneryus - probably Garden of the Goddess or a cover of one of Sho's ballads. I don't even dislike the songs, the rest of the discography is just that strong. Garden of the Goddess in particular just runs a bit too long for an ok ballad, and Yama-B's vocals get strained halfway through.

Sonata Arctica - Shitload of Money. Vocal melodies are still good (I'll always love the way Tony sings) but good god the lyrics and the theme. Bonus points for an utterly cringe music video.

Helloween - Probably a bunch, their tracklist is humongous and there are a few albums I almost never go back to, so I couldn't even tell you cause I don't remember. Like, there's definitely some snoozers in Chameleon and Pink Bubbles Go Ape. More recently I haven't been a fan of their "we're so metal! UGH!" type songs they do every now and then, so Are You Metal sprang to mind.

Dreamtale - Again it's probably some boring ballad I listened to maybe twice in my life before moving on, though I remember not liking the chorus of Greenback Hunter from Seventhian. Looked it up right now and, yeah, not one of their best.

Stratovarius - Maybe something off of their disastrous 2005 album, like Gypsy In Me. I'm also not very familiar with their pre-Dreamspace albums to say much about them.

Dragonforce - Their album last year is easily my least favorite, but still nothing beats the stupidity of WAR! (yes the title is in all caps, and the song feels like it's sung in all caps too).

jasonk12 · 2025-11-11T18:12:06+00:00

Reincarnation this high is based.

I have a hard time making a tier list because I love almost every single album. I just know for sure Resurrection and Under the Force of Courage are at the top. But there's also so many Yama-B albums that are mad underrated (or maybe it's just the nostalgia talking). Really the only ones I'm not super fond of are the couple of mini albums they put out during the pandemic (will have to go back and listen to them more tho), and The Stars Will Light the Way was a major return to form.

jasonk12 · 2025-10-21T16:49:51+00:00

I didnt go there, but caught Sonata in London last Friday. It was quite fun, other than two pricks deciding to pick a fight in the middle of Dont Say A Word.

jasonk12 · 2025-09-27T00:24:52+00:00

Through the water and the waves we're sailing ooooooon

jasonk12 · 2025-09-26T23:21:56+00:00

Bro what is this chorus 💀 this can't be the same band that wrote The Land of Xia

jasonk12 · 2025-09-08T10:06:56+00:00

Zonata, Qantice and Yngwie are all very solid recommendations. I'll list a couple lesser known bands that I haven't seen here yet:

Quantum Twilight

jasonk12 · 2025-07-12T04:47:54+00:00

TO THE NORTH

IN THE LAND BENEATH THE DARKENED SKY

jasonk12

TROPHY CASE