OT:
My favorite genres are power metal, progressive metal, symphonic metal, melodeath, viking/folk metal, and some thrash.
My favorite bands:
Iced Earth - older stuff is power/thrash, newer stuff is more prog.
Nightwish - They started as prog metal, but are now more symphonic.
Amon Amarth - melodeath with a strong mix of viking.
Kamelot - prog rock/metal that is really just awesome prog!
Soilwork - melodeath.
Dark Tranquillity - melodeath.
In Flames - melodeath, but their newer stuff is more nu-metal (as in, not really metal). The older stuff is amazing, but the newer stuff kind've sucks.
Metallica - Their 80s stuff is rather technical thrash, and it's amazing.
Iron Maiden - Technically NWOBHM, but they basically pioneered the power metal genre.
Ozzy - It's ozzy! Everyone shuould know Ozzy!
Ensiferum - viking metal,
Dark Moor - power metal.
Children of Bodom - melodeath. their older stuff is more technical and awesome-er.
Blind Guardian - Power/prog metal.
Demons & Wixards - An amazing power metal collaboration between Jon Schaffer, the guitarist and principle songwriter for Iced Earth, and Hanzi Kursch, the singer and principle songwriter for Blind Guardian.
Pantera - thrash/groove metal. They really only have two really good albums.
Dragonforce - power/speed metal. Every song is a mix of so many awesome riffs!
Rhapsody (now known as Rhapsody of Fire) - Symphonic metal.
To elaborate on my above post, my favorite singers are:
Matt Barlow - Current lead singer of Iced Earth. Also did an album for Paramaze.
Bono - U2. The oddball here!
Tim Owens - Sang with Iced Earth for two albums, with Judas Priest for a few, and has his own band, Beyond Fear.
Bruce Dickinson - Iron Maiden! Also did a few solo albums.
Tarja Turinen - Former singer of Nightwish.
Roy Khan - Singer of Kamelot.
Hanzi Kursch - Singer of Blind Guardian, who did two side albums under the name Demons & Wizards
