Editing Power metal (section)

===American style===
{{Listen|filename=Riot_-_Thundersteel_(Clip).ogg|title=Riot - Thundersteel (sample)|description=Music sample of [[Riot V|Riot]]'s "Thundersteel" from their 1988 album ''[[Thundersteel]]'', an early example of USPM.}}
The American branch of power metal emerged in early 1980s in the United States, drawing influence primarily from traditional metal and the [[NWOBHM]]. Though very close to its roots, US power metal (often abbreviated USPM) is often faster and more energetic than traditional heavy metal, with a more riff-driven approach and a relative lack of keyboard usage compared to its later European counterpart. However, it is often more melodic than [[thrash metal]], with a greater emphasis on guitar leads. USPM is also notable for its widespread (but not universal) use of high-register operatic vocals, a trend which would continue with the rise of European power metal in the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref name=Sharpe/> This style is not exclusive to North America, as European bands such as [[Sacred Steel (band)|Sacred Steel]], [[Majesty (band)|Majesty]], and Australian band [[Pegazus]] later adopted a style inspired by USPM bands in the 1990s.

The early releases of progressive metal bands [[Queensrÿche]] and [[Fates Warning]], such as ''[[The Warning (Queensrÿche album)|The Warning]]'' (1984) and ''[[The Spectre Within]]'' (1985), heavily influenced a number of bands that were to develop a common sound towards the late 1980s. Among the better known representatives of the style, such as [[Manowar]], [[Vicious Rumors]], [[Virgin Steele]], [[Riot (band)|Riot]], or [[Jag Panzer]], a small number of bands enriched their sound with progressive and epic elements (the most obvious examples being [[Crimson Glory]], [[Savatage]], [[Sanctuary (band)|Sanctuary]] and the [[epic doom metal]] band [[Cirith Ungol (band)|Cirith Ungol]]); or even with [[thrash metal]] elements, e.g., [[Iced Earth]].<ref>[http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=19 Power-Progressive Metal (American style)] (progarchives.com)</ref> US power metal saw a sharp decline in popularity at the beginning of the 1990s, though the style has rebounded somewhat in the past decade, with bands such as [[Liege Lord]] or [[Heir Apparent (band)|Heir Apparent]] reforming for live performances<ref>[http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=177998 "Reunited Liege Lord to Headline Next Year's Keep It True XVI Festival"].</ref> and many, such as [[Helstar]] and [[Omen (band)|Omen]], still releasing new material.