Hi metalkids, I'm looking to find some metal that has a cinematic scope to its music. Not looking for entirely thrash, but rather something that has a "larger" feel to it. Are there any bands that mix some orchestral sound or movement with their music?

Anything that sounds like Tool and Faith No More had an illegitimate baby?

Thanks for the helps metalheads, if you're looking for great obscure psychedelica I can help with that info in exchange

I am also looking for metal that has a fantasy-adventure type themes. Dragons, monsters, knights in shining armor, all those cliches in music-- is there such a band?

Dragonforce?

orchestral...larger feel... cinematic?

rhapsody of fire (ex-rhapsody)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEMeBTmiX4g

I guess by "larger & cinematic" I mean a music that has repeated musical scores played out in different arrangements to create more than just "verse chorus verse chorus" rock songs. I'm more interested in the movement and progression of drama through the song's music.

whoa, rhapsody is a little weak. super-entertaining, but that song reminds me of listening to meatloaf's bat out of hell in my friends moms car as a kid.

dragonforce has some promise. also a bit of a gag, tho.

ideally, the music would be a bit better than these two, but thanks for the starters joe and lalo

a little?!

there isn't a lot of sound clips around for this band, but maybe zero hour?
towers of avarice is their best album, but there is almost no good sound clips i could find for it
except for this live video of them with a new vocalist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvZIbbZNGA8

not really metal but still one of my favorites, how about a band with a chick backup singer who plays a mean electric fiddle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnKGXNCo ... re=related

I think you would like these band's. For the record Tool is my favorite band.

Agalloch
Alcest
Zero Hour
Burst
Communic
Cult of Luna
Isis
Eluveitie (this may also fit the bottom request)
Enslaved (Try their last 4 album's or so)
Gojira
Neurosis
Opeth


Amon Amarth
Ensiferum
Korpiklaani
Wintersun

The Sword - Age of Winters

pelican
boris
wolves in the throne room

dimmu borgir

edit...not metal but i just found this band the other day through a friend and i love them...battles...go youtube it and watch the live stuff...BOOM!

I think Isis is the best band that fits your description.

Try Panopticon, Oceanic, or Celestial...

if you want "larger" and epic and also themes about dragons and all that, try like ANY power metal band

If you find that stuff too weak, maybe some more symphonic black type stuff

Bal-Sagoth
Emporer
Earlier Satyricon
earlier Cradle of Filth
maybe even early Abigor

Also, I would second Opeth. That sounds right up your alley.

I could also recommend some more epic, but non-synthy black metal. lyrically this tends to be pretty depressing and hateful.

Alcest is awesome, but really not that metal. It's classified as such, because the dude is in a few black metal bands, but it's totally just like shoegaze. Still totally awesome though.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I've only gotten to hear a couple of them so far. I definitely am digging Isis, but have only listened to three songs on youtube. i'll get back to y'all on the rest. thanks again

Deathspell omega
Elend
Kathaaria

Try Turisas for adventure metal!

iced earth and kamelot are all i can think of at the moment....

Skepticism
Longing from dawn
Not metal but MZ 412 and Aghast are amazing.

Haha, if you're looking for epic Bal-Sagoth is about as far as you have to go. The Power Cosmic was a tight album, and Callisto Rising is still an all-time favorite for the sweet sweet synthesizer and the part where the dude is all "Stray not into my darksome embrace lest I grind my jaws on your soul."

Power metal can be pretty epic but also pretty goofy. I love it, but I'm a huge nerd so take that with a grain of salt. Gamma Ray has some very cool, epic songs. Running Wild was doing the pirate rock thing before most of the kids on the internet who are all about it now were out of diapers (Treasure Island is a pretty cool song and is epic). Manowar, maligned as they are, have some epic songs. The older ones off Sign of the Hammer, Kings of Metal or Triumph of the Steel are good. Any of their new "epic" stuff is just a 20 minute song played entirely by some orchestra with the Greco Roman Boys Choir humming along in the background. Avoid.

On the black metal side, Bathory's Hammerheart or Emperor's Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk might fit the bill. Definitely not verse-chorus-verse stuff.

And even though it doesn't fit your criteria so well, listen to 3 Inches of Blood anyway just because its the best thing ever.

Brooks had a good list going (some of my faves)

Also, check out Behemoth or Obscura

The new Obscura is sonic awesomeness! (particularly if you like technical-progressive-death metal)

Love Opeth and Isis too. Lots of great recommendations here.

both the best answer to the question and the funniest.

I feel like harder metal tends to steer away from dragons and swords...the better metal anyway.

neurosis, isis, melvins, karp...karp...karp...

Leviathan!

MAN-O-WAR!
Blood of Kings!

it's tongue and cheek but if you want dragons and ogres listen to 3 inches of blood.

true, but that always seems odd to me, because what is more metal than dragons and swords?!