What is a power ballad?
When a hard-rock band slows things down to sing about love and loss, that is a power ballad. The song may be slow and sentimental, but it just sounds different from a pop or folk singer doing same thing. To my ear, it can have a lot more emotional impact. Here are some of the greatest examples. Even if you didn’t normally listen to these bands, you’ll probably recognize the songs.
Nazareth: Love Hurts
Nazareth were a Scottish hard rock band and one of the precursors to heavy metal. They are often compared to Aerosmith and AC/DC. My main exposure to them was seeing them open for Deep Purple in 1975. Their biggest hit was their cover of “Love Hurts”, an old ballad about lost love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_1LP3Z6pW4
Led Zeppelin: Tea for One
Led Zeppelin emerged from the late 1960’s British Blues movement along with the Yardbirds, Cream, Jeff Beck, Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewart. As in all great bands, the instruments were far more than just accompaniment to the singer- they were stars in their own right. Zeppelin broke all the rules of formula rock, mixing classical, blues, middle-eastern and jazz influences. “Tea for One” has all that, but is stripped back and restrained. I think it’s one of the best things they ever did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I_uLwq3iwI
Judas Priest: Before the Dawn
Founded in 1969, Priest are the longest-running continuously touring rock band in history. They tried on a lot of styles before helping invent heavy metal. Their vocalist Rob Halford had a beautiful, clean tone that distinguished them from most metal bands. Here is one of the best things by them, a moody ballad topped by a slow-burn Glenn Tipton guitar solo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qjoffl_Lgo
Metallica: Nothing else Matters
From the proto-metal groups like Cream, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, heavy metal was invented and initially led by British bands. Metallica were the breakout American metal band, and eventually became one of the biggest bands of all time. While they went harder and thrashier than the British bands, Metallica always remained interested in composition and melody. Here is one of their best: