Blind Guardian has to be the most amazing band I have ever heard in my life.
They are appearing in the soundtrack to Sacred 2.
I cannot get over how epic these guys are.
Take a look:
Blind Guardian is a German heavy metal band which is often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in power metal and speed metal subgenres. It was formed in the mid-1980s in Krefeld, West Germany.
Blind Guardian lyrics, written by vocalist Hansi Kürsch, are inspired by the fiction of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Stephen King, and Michael Moorcock, as well as traditional legends and epics. Over the years, a running theme has developed associating the band members with traveling bards.
Blind Guardian's first two albums, Battalions of Fear and Follow the Blind, were more in the style of speed metal than their following works. Beginning with their third album Tales from the Twilight World, Blind Guardian gradually began to write more complicated compositions focusing less on speed. As of their sixth album, Nightfall in Middle Earth, Hansi stopped playing bass to focus on singing. At this point the band began to incorporate large amounts of orchestral arrangements, and utilized the technique of overdubing, heavily influenced by the English rock band Queen.
Blind Guardian's music features the staccato guitars and double bass drumming characteristic of power metal, as well as the use of overdubs to create a dense, "epic" sound. This technique, especially notable in the guitar and vocal tracks, creates the impression of a vast army of musicians playing in unison and singing in harmony. This proved significant on all albums after the first two but most particularly on A Night at the Opera which was highly regarded among fans.
Hmmmm... I dunno, I prefer death metal and hardcore... I mean, I like LOTR type fantasy, but I don't see how anyone has any business basing metal music on it.