[Zsinj16]

I've listened to some of Blind Guardian's songs based on The Silmarillion and LOTR, and I think that the lyrics and instruments are excellent, but I didn't like the screaming-voiced heavy metal singing in it. Not that I think that heavy metal is wrong or anything, it's just that it's not my type of music and it kind of annoys me. Could somone please possibly suggest some good fantasy-based music albums that aren't thrashy and heavy-metallish.

[Kierk Soren]

Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson, its from the 70's so you may not be hip to the dated sound, but it is fantasy rock. The title track is the real draw .I happen to like the whole album.YES is pretty fantasy-ish.

[Rob B]

We discussed this a LOONG LOONG LOONG time ago on this very board (and not in a galaxy far away! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif). I think most people brought up Metal music, but here's the topic if you want to check it out:Music & Fantasy (http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000215.html)

Hope you find what you are looking for!

[FitzChivalry]

Yeah, most of the fantasy based music is metal.
But you can check out Hawkwind that did some albums based on Roger Zelazny and Michael Moorcock works (Moorcock even played with them on stage).

[Cadfael]

I will reiterate from the earlier topic...

Music Inspired by The Lord of the Rings by Bo Hanson...

Still available from Amazon

Also... Iron Maiden have recorded a lot of tracks inspired by fantasy/sci-fi

[Metosblat]

Tool's new album is cool.
It has nothing to do with fantasy, I just thought i'd mention it.

[FitzChivalry]

I think Irom Maiden are inspired by Horror.

[Bardos]

Groups that sing fantasy-like songs:

Blind Guardian
Iron Fire
Kamelot
Nocturnal Rites
Hammerfall
Drakkar
Savatage (esp. In The Hall of the Mountain King)
Domine
Running Wild
Bal-Sagoth (THE fantasy epic band, IMHO)
Grave Digger
Iced Earth
Labyrinth
Manowar
Cathedral
Bathory
Hawkwind
Helloween


Long live Metal!! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

[Rob B]

Helloween and Manowar are pretty cool.

Iron Maiden songs
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner" obvious
"Stranger in a Strange Land" obvious
"To Tame a Land" from Piece of Mind is based on Dune
"Phantom of the Opera" obvious.
The Album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son has songs about prophecies and clairvoyants.

Anthrax Based a few songs on Stephen King books/stories
"Skeletons in the Closet"--Apt Pupil
"Among the Living"--The Stand/Randall Flagg
"Misery Loves Company" Misery
And "Medusa" based on well, Medusa

Led Zeppelin & Lord of the Rings
"Misty Mountain Hop"
"Over the Hills and Faraway"
"Ramble On" speaks of Gollum, the Evil one
"Battle of Evermore"=Pelinor

There are more LedZep/JRRT-LotR connections, but those are the prominent ones, to me.

[Zsinj16]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions, guys, I really appreciate them, but metal just isn't my kind of music, I'm afraid. I was basically looking for some fantasy music that is done by orcestral and insrumental bands, you know, kind of like the Star Wars soundtracks. I guess I should have mentioned that to begin with.