As much I love LOTR the power ballad feel is fuck all compared to Powerless. It makes me jizz my pants everytime I listen to it and not a lot of songs can make me do that.
It's weird for me to view "Waiting for the End" as some sort of ballad, but it is my favorite song of the bunch. However, if we're talking something I feel is a bit more on the side of true ballad, "POWERLESS" would take it.
Iridescent and SOTD to me are stadium rock songs and WFTE isn't really a ballad, but more of a mash up of different styles. I'm voting for LOATR over Powerless though. I like LOATR much better in terms of melody and lyrics.
Voted for "Leave Out All the Rest" But, in all seriousness, where's the most beautiful ballad of LP of all time, which I almost cried because it's so gorgeous - "Victimized"
This one was almost a dead tie for me between Iridescent and Powerless BUT I would have to choose Powerless; the piano part is so haughting
best ballads aren't even in the poll My December Pushing Me Away (piano version) The Little Things Give You Away