Virgin Steele

I figured that the best way to start off this blog would be to begin with my favorite band on the planet, the almighty Virgin Steele. In my opinion, this is the best power metal band to be found anywhere. This is mainly due to the fact that they correct everything wrong with the flood of generic power metal out there - the riffs and solos are well-defined and original, the keyboard melodies are majestic without descending into wankery or overpowering the guitars, and there isn't some androgynous, falsetto-humping asshole behind the mic. VS began as a project of the infamous Jack Starr, but after their first two albums, they became a project of the vocalist/keyboardist David DeFies upon Starr's departure. Since then, they've put out an incredibly solid string of epic power metal albums. Invictus is their heaviest and the album I reccomend everyone to start with - if you like it, move through the rest of the discography as you will.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part One (1994)
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part Two (1995)
Invictus (1998)
The House of Atreus Act I (1999)
The House of Atreus Act II (2000)
Visions of Eden (2006)