“Dragons and fairy tales are only cool if Ronnie James Dio is signing it,” is something you’d probably hear some boomer metalhead say in a bar while bashing everything post-1989. Granted, let’s be honest: rock and nerd-fantasy culture have been crossing over for a while, so that statement would be ignorant. You’re just too closed-minded to accept it. Power metal still gets a bad rap, and its safe-natured approach and anthemic, four-course meal of cheese and tropes can be silly at times no matter how fun it is. But you know what makes the genre cooler and much more fascinating? Throwing some prog into the mix.

Prog has its detractors, too, with it not being the “cool” genre, but hear me out: I’m not a cool guy, and the music we’re gonna be talking about absolutely is cool. How does the merging of two uncool genres make for some awesome music? I dunno, man, I really don’t have an answer for that one other than to rattle off some bands and talk about them. Bear with me, this stuff is so great that PowerProg USA happens in George every year and supports the two genres and then some.  So my statement has to bear some credibility, right?

Triosphere

One of my favorite examples is this Norwegian act that blew me away. Big, loud, anthemic, and great songwriters on top of it all, Triosphere takes the tight production and just enough progressive-isms to make a blend of power metal and prog that has a friendly entry-level for new listeners. With three albums under their belt (The last of which was in 2014) and a steady career of touring, it’s time for these guys to come back with some new music. Vocalist/bassist Ida Haukland is the cherry on top for this band with a unique, aggressive voice that has all the range you’d expect from a female rock singer, but doesn’t succumb to symphonic metal conventions, helping make Triosphere just a bit more unique than they already were.

Circus Maximus

Also from Norway, Circus Maximus is Oslo’s non-black metal pride in really exemplifying what Dream Theater-esque prog with a Blind Guardian power metal bastard child is like. To the surprise of none, they’re an exceptional band that actually come scary close to sounding like the record live. Their third album, Nine, emphasized the power metal influences and hooks over their proggy rhythms and solos, and their most recent outing Havoc saw them branch out even further to other styles of metal for influence. Thankfully, Circus Maximus don’t lean too heavily into their influences: guitarist Mats Haugen has the melodic eclection of John Petrucci, but even still he’s got a style all his own that helps define the sound on his own terms of virtuosity. If you aren’t with these guys now, then what are you doing with yourself? Trying to be a djent superstar?

Evergrey

Sweden’s Evergrey is the melancholic black sheep of progressive power metal, and that shouldn’t be a deterrent. If anything, Evergrey have the largest discography of any band here today and they actually get better with every release, too. The Storm Within was an incredible success for the band, but it was on last years’ The Atlantic where the band started coming close to what I believe are the apex of their sound. Vocalist and guitarist Tom Englund opts to take a darker approach to the band’s lyrics, but through that sorrow can you find strength, especially with how well balanced the music is between tasteful guitar leads and riffs with the occasional nasty rhythm change. Plus, Floor Jansen does a duet with Englund on “In Orbit,” which might be one of my favorite songs – period. You really can’t go wrong with Evergrey at any point in their career, and they tour and release music consistently enough to the point you won’t get bored with them; there’s always something going on and it’s worth paying attention to.

Theocracy

Now here’s where things get off the beaten path a bit. Where Evergrey’s lyrics were dark, Theocracy are that Christian band consisting of the opposite end of the spectrum. Before the idea of religion ruins your interest, Theocracy become wiser and smarter with every release as vocalist/keyboardist/band mastermind Matt Smith (Not Doctor Who) becomes more metaphorical and – dare I say- accessible with each release. Theocracy aren’t a worship band by any means, and their general enthusiasm for their faith comes out in their music to make power metal-isms that are as uplifting as you’d expect the genre to be. Plus, these guys are friggin’ awesome musicians. Like, seriously… Ghost Ship has some awesome thrash riffs thrown in there with some wild lead parts that go the extra mile. Long story short, I’d invite these guys to Easter dinner with the family. No shame.

Ethernity

Belgium’s Ethernity perhaps resembles modern prog metal than power metal compared to any other band mentioned prior, but that is really their strength in how with the times they are. Think modern Dream Theater, the female rival to Russel Allen of Symphony X, and Epica lyrics for good measure, and you’ve got this sextet. Their latest album, The Human Race Extinction, is a BIG chunk of music, being 70 minutes long and 14 tracks, but it’s really, REALLY good. Maybe it could’ve been trimmed a bit so it’s more digestible? Who cares, there’s a surplus of great songs here and this band shows they know what they’re about. Vocalist Julie Colin left after the album’s release and the band’s been silent for the past year, but I’m really hoping they have more fuel in the tank because there’s so much potential left to be unearthed.

Darkwater

Oh boy, these guys really let their prog fascination fly. With a melodic take on power metal and big-ass songs to boot, Darkwater are the real deal, so much that it took them 9 years to release Human, their third album. You get those signature prog keyboard solos, some really nifty guitar work, a catchy chorus, dynamic song structures, and maybe even three or four solos of some sort per song. Darkwater writes dense and thick music and definitely go all the way when it comes to delivering on their own expectations of what they should be. You want a goddamn package of music? Here you go. 76 minutes of melodic progressive power metal that sets out to do it all and then does a little more. You have to hear it to believe it.