Have you guys heard this kind of metal?
I love it because most of the times it's hard fantasy oriented and the bands use symphonic orchestras to play awesome songs about heroes, dragons and epic quests.
Against what most people would think, epic metal like Rhapsody's is well written music with great arrangements. Very melodic and most of them use opera quality voices.
My favorite bands are:
Rhapsody http://www.myspace.com/rhapsodyoffireband (http://www.myspace.com/rhapsodyoffireband)
Kamelot http://www.kamelot.com/index2.htm (http://www.kamelot.com/index2.htm)
Elvenking (a little darker) http://www.elvenking.net/index.php (http://www.elvenking.net/index.php)
Nightwish http://www.nightwish.com/en/news/ (http://www.nightwish.com/en/news/)
So I just wanted to share. If you want to experience an epic soundtrack without a movie, these bands should be of your interest.
Enjoy!