Although I have a tendency to actively seek out the heavy metal pioneers of any given country, it was actually the band name of Indonesia’s Power Metal that sparked my curiosity. There was no way I wasn’t going to listen to a band with the same name as one of my favorite music genres. And truth be told: the name is not far off. The music sounds like a mix of very early European-styled power metal and subtle hints of early Ray Alder-era Fates Warning, with the keyboards adding a distinct Rainbow-esque flavor, and the schmaltzy ballads having a bit of a visual kei character.

While Power Metal would often experiment with how far they could go into ballad territory or how far they could take the hard rock and metal elements of their style, their sound has been remarkably consistent throughout their discography. Singer Arul Efansyah, who appears on every album until his departure in 2021, is a force of nature, and there is plenty of great guitar work to go around, although I think the rhythm guitars lack a little punch on some albums. The overall sound of reasonably fast riffs, a great deal of melody and some extra sugar on the ballads is the formula for every Power Metal album.

The band effectively split in two in 2021, with Purwadji ‘Ipunk’ Susanto keeping the band name with the line-up pictured above, and Efansyah forming XReal with multiple former members of Power Metal, implying the split has been acrimonious. I would argue it benefited both parties, as they both released something notably better than the last two albums they did as Power Metal. And those are exactly the ones that can be found at the bottom of this list.

11. IX (2010)

Power Metal’s ninth album shows a band in a massive identity crisis. While I would love to give the album some praise for not being an endless string of overly sugary ballads, it is so clearly the result of multiple members trying to pull the band in different directions that it’s difficult to enjoy ‘IX’. ‘Sang Waktu’ is the worst choice to open the album with, as it shows a Power Metal that is desperately trying to adapt to the more aggressive sounds of the modern metal scene, and it just doesn’t suit them. Arul Efansyah’s voice in particular just demands something more melodic. Even the album’s best song ‘Sang Pemberani’ suffers from a similar issue. For completionists only.

Recommended tracks: ‘Sang Pemberani’, ‘Ode Orang Pinggiran’

10. Power Gold (2016)

‘Power Gold’ succeeds at blending the traditional Power Metal sound with heavier modern touches much better than ‘IX’. It feels less like a collection of songs individual members insisted on having included, and some of the songs are really good. Opening track ‘Bebaskan’ sounds unlike any opener the band has ever done, but it’s an incredible way to set the mood. And yet, ‘Power Gold’ is held back by a flaw that is hard to ignore, and that is that this is Arul Efansyah’s worst recorded vocal performance to date. He sounds much better on XReal’s debut album ‘Arogansi’, and that was released five years later, so it isn’t an age thing. ‘Power Gold’ would likely have been one or two spots higher with better vocals.

Recommended tracks: ‘Bebaskan’, ‘Kaum Tersesat’, ‘Tirani’

9. Pesta Dansa (1996)

Although ‘Pesta Dansa’ wasn’t the first Power Metal album to have far too many ballads, I was ready to write it off completely halfway through the fourth song. Three out of the first four songs are power ballads, though admittedly, the title track that opens the album is one of the band’s better ones. ‘Pesta Dansa’ has a very polished production job, and I think it generally suits the material on the album quite well, including the harder rocking songs. I just wish it wouldn’t take so long to get to them, as the middle section of ‘Pesta Dansa’ is really where most of the album’s highlights are located. After that, the album fizzles out a bit again. Not a bad album by any means, but this band is capable of much better.

Recommended tracks: ‘Sadari’, ‘Hukum Rimba’, ‘Triping’

8. Power Mission (1992)

After their debut album ‘Power One’, Power Metal’s sophomore album ‘Power Mission’ was much more eighties-style hard rock both in songwriting and production. That would not be that much of a problem in itself, but Lucky Setyo Witjaksono’s rhythm guitar sound has no power whatsoever. So even when he is playing intense, powerful riffs, they don’t make quite the impact they should. At worst, the guitar gets buried completely under Raymond Ariasz’ keyboards, of which ‘Rakyat Metal’ is the most egregious example. It also takes ‘Power Mission’ slightly too long to get going, partly because two of the first four songs are power ballads. There is some very good material here, but the production team really neutered the potential of ‘Power Mission’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Tantangan Diri’, ‘Laskar Bangsa’, ‘Dampak Technologi’

7. Serigala (1995)

There are many things about ‘Serigala’ that should make me dislike it more than I actually do. There isn’t as much power metal – the genre – and nearly every other track is a ballad. ‘Serigala’ has an earthy nineties hard rock sound, which benefits both ends of the spectrum. The ballads are guitar ballads without exception, most of them having an acoustic guitar foundation, and the drier production job keeps Raymond Ariasz’ keyboards from becoming too overbearing. ‘Serigala’ would not be my recommended Power Metal album to start with, and many of these songs would not work on any other album, but they sound great here. As an aside: “serigala” means wolf, but isn’t that a fox on the cover?

Recommended tracks: ‘Serigala’, ‘Roda Kehidupan’, ‘Duniaku’

6. Topeng² Murka (2002)

‘Topeng² Murka’ signaled the return of Purwadji ‘Ipunk’ Susanto, who left shortly before the recordings of ‘Power Mission’. And it almost can’t be a coincidence that this is the most riff-driven Power Metal album in a long time. It’s not a flawless album, as some of the looser rockers fall a bit flat and the production is a tad too thin for the heavier songs to really reach their full potential. However, if Power Metal’s discography was judged purely on flow, ‘Topeng² Murka’ might actually make the top three. The track sequencing works very well, and most of the album is enjoyable at the very least. Sure, highlight ‘Negeri Api’ sounds a bit too similar to Power Metal’s masterpiece ‘Angkara’, but that should not spoil the fun.

Recommended tracks: ‘Negeri Api’, ‘Terbangkan Angan’, ‘Topeng-Topeng Murka’

5. Peace, Love & War (1999)

‘Peace, Love & War’ was the band’s first full-on power metal album – again, the genre – in roughly half a decade, which is a welcome change. Sure, I wish the sappy piano ballads weren’t clustered together so early on the album, but there is much more intense guitar and drum work on ‘Peace, Love & War’ than on any Power Metal album – the band – since ‘Power Demons’. There are even two English-language songs. The saccharine ‘I’ll Be There for You’ isn’t for me, but ‘Shades of Night’ is a nice uptempo track full of cool harmonies and pulsating riffs. It’s suspiciously similar to the even better opener ‘Penguasa’, but that is a nitpick. Also, the title track may be my favorite out of the closing instrumentals Power Metal has on many of their albums.

Recommended tracks: ‘Penguasa’, ‘Peace, Love & War’, ‘Planet Mars’

4. XI (2022)

Many fans have written Power Metal off after the departure of Arul Efansyah, but ‘XI’ is so much better than the last two albums they released with him that it probably needed to happen. It is underproduced to point of it sounding like a glorified demo, to the detriment of new singer Bais Gondrong in particular. Recent live videos have proven that he is an excellent singer, but the wall of guitars on ‘XI’ is too high for him to scale at times. Still, the album contains some of the best Power Metal songs in a long time, and the band seems to be on the same page much more than on is two predecessors. As a result, the modern metal influences just work better here, as evidenced by the amazing closer ‘Tong Kosong’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Tong Kosong’, ‘Teriaklah’, ‘Semangatku’

3. KebesaranMu (2004)

Sometimes classics are buried somewhere relatively late in a band’s career. Such is the case with ‘KebesaranMu’. It is without a doubt Power Metal’s best stab at modern power metal mixed with progressive touches in the songwriting department. The most intense moments on ‘KebesaranMu’ are somewhat reminiscent of Galneryus, but the album is prime Power Metal first and foremost. The track sequencing makes optimal use of the album’s dynamic opportunities, and the musicianship is tighter than ever. Don’t let the fact that ‘KebesaranMu’ was released a good decade after Power Metal’s classic work keep you from hearing this masterpiece of strong riffs and fantastic melodies. In terms of writing, arrangements, and performance, this is one of the strongest albums Power Metal ever released.

Recommended tracks: ‘Lagu Kebebasan’, ‘Irama Persatuan’, ‘Sadarku’

2. Power Demons (1993)

After Power Metal appeared to be unsure what to be on ‘Power Mission’, ‘Power Demons’ sounds much more confident and riff-driven, and the guitar sound has notably more bite to it. Opening track ‘Timur Tragedi’ became a fan favorite, and rightfully so, because it is a masterpiece of uptempo power metal. But that is only one of many highlights on ‘Power Demons’. This is clearly Raymond Ariasz’ finest hour as a songwriter. Even the ballads are good, even though I prefer ‘Kisah Biru’ over the much more popular ‘Bidadari’, which appears slightly too early on the album for my taste. Generally, though, ‘Power Demons’ features Power Metal firing on all cylinders, and three quarters of the album deserves to be mentioned among the best songs the band ever released.

Recommended tracks: ‘Timur Tragedi’, ‘Bunga Sesat’, ‘Raja Dusta’

1. Power One (1991)

Talk about a flying start… While Power Metal would continue to make on plenty of great music, none of their albums would be as consistently amazing as their debut album ‘Power One’. The album has slightly more progressive neoclassical overtones than any other Power Metal album, but that definitely works in its favor. ‘Angkara’ is one of the best metal songs of the nineties worldwide, and it’s hardly the only fantastic song here. I’ve been ragging on Power Metal’s ballads a lot, but the relatively dark ‘Pengakuan’ is the best one they ever released. The proggier moments, such as ‘Persia’ and ‘Cita Yang Tersita’, are incredible as well. Also, the production is surprisingly powerful for a debut album from a country not known for their heavy metal bands. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.

Recommended tracks: ‘Angkara’, ‘Satu Jiwa’, ‘Persia’