Haggard | Blind Guardian

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Before you read any further, let me apologize for adding almost a full hour of video to this post. Don't feel that you have to watch everything. Carry on...
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Well, my origional plan was to put up a post about Haggard, a German symphonic death metal group. They often incorporate death metal into classical pieces played on a full orchestra. (Pending on the album, there has been between 16 and 21 official members, plus guest musicians/singers.) But, because many of you have let mention that death metal isn't your thing, I'll split this post among two bands. Haggard, and my favorite band, Blind Guardian.

First up, is the track Chaper Three: Awakening the Centuries, off their second album Awakening the Centuries. (Which is a concept album about Nostradamus.) Warning for those with ADD: The run time here is 10 min.

Next, Chapter II - Upon Fallen Autumn Leaves, off their latest album, Tales of Ithiria.

Lastly, also from Tales of Ithiria, is Chapter IV - The Sleeping Child.

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Blind Guardian is a German power metal band that is most famous for their album, Nightfall in Middle Earth. (A two disc concept album about J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion.) Even outside of that album, almost all of their songs are based on literature or history. I will say that this is a band that changes a bit from album to album. So there's no perfect intro-to-the-band song(s) If you do like these songs, however, I would also recommend looking up Demons & Wizards, which is the singer/lyricist of Blind Guardian with the guitarist/song writer of Iced Earth. They've only put out two albums. The second of which is a loose concept album based on Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

First up, Mirror, Mirror from the album, Nightfall in Middle Earth.

Next, is Imaginations From the Other Side, which is the title track off their fifth album. It's asking the question of what happens to your imagination when you grow up? I'm posting the version off their live DVD, Imaginations Through the Looking Glass, because I can't find the remastered studio track on Youtube, and  the vocals in the original are kinda quite.

Next, is a song that is a standard at all their concerts, and the reason the band is sometimes referred to as "bards". The Bard's Song (In The Forest) off the album, Somewhere Far Beyond.

I'm going to have to stop myself there before I post their entire discography. There really is SO much more about this band I haven't even touched. Alas, though, this post is long enough as-is. I hope the softer power metal made up for the death metal before it.

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Alright...One more. This one comes in at a massive 14 minutes long! It is in every sense of the word, epic. The track is ...And Then There Was Silence from their seventh album, A Night At the Opera. The synopsis provided by Wikipedia is, "The song is based on The Iliad by Homer and on the Aeneid by Virgil. The events described in the song are the visions of the final days of Troy, as foreseen by Cassandra, daughter of the king of the destroyed city." (SEE? It really IS about an epic!)