Part IV Page 2
Thrash metal finally hit paydirt when Metallica's masterpiece, Master of Puppets, reached the gold mark (500,000 albums sold) in 1986. This catapulted Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth into stardom as well, and began the rise of thrash metal in commercial circles. The answer to pop metal had arrived in the form of an uncompromisingly brutal form of music. However, just like with pop metal, many excellent bands never quite obtained the sales they deserved. Flotsam & Jetsam, Wrathchild America, the solid and straightforward Sacred Reich, early Anvil, and the innovatively progressive and original Coroner and Mekong Delta, despite their powerful albums and originality, never reached enough exposure. Voivod, meanwhile, failed to obtain a well-deserved recognition after changing styles towards a more progressive thrash metal direction. Later on, the splendid Angel Rat featured a more accessible, mainstream sound that contrasted sharply against the brilliant Dimension Hatross and Nothingface; yet it failed to break the band through to the media.
Another trend that suddenly gained impressive influence during the late Eighties would be power metal. A style that took the speed and heaviness of speed metal and combined it with epic song overtones characteristic of classic metal, power metal would be primordially divided into two types, the first of them being the standard, or "American," style of power metal, played by bands like Metal Church, Savatage, Jag Panzer, and Manowar; and which despite its epic proportions inherited mainly from thrash metal and retained much of its harshness. Meanwhile, melodic, or "European" power metal was a style that concentrated mainly on the combination of speed and classic elements, with the occasional inclusion of progressive tendencies; an approach exploited by bands like Running Wild and the unique Rage. Power metal would not, however, reach worldwide exposure until Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys albums reached combined sales of over one million records. Fronted by the astounding voice of Michael Kiske, Helloween became the epitome of power metal, producing some of the genre's most memorable harmonies and melodies at speeds only imagined by Iron Maiden. This in turn caused a sudden sensation around power metal, allowing for the eventual creation of new bands like Blind Guardian and Iced Earth, and impelling older bands, such as the proto-power metal Riot, to adapt to the style.
