Amorphis- Drowned Maid:  Taken from the band’s concept album, Tales from the Thousand Lakes (based on the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala), the track tells the tale of Aïno, who drowns herself rather than marry the central character of the epic, Väinämöinen. Atmospheric, moody and very LOTR-ish, this is an apt introduction to Amorphis and melodic metal in general (as long as you can ignore the horrid vocals!)

Opeth-Hope Leaves: Taken from the band’s all-acoustic album, Damnation, the track owes more to 1970s progressive rock than heavy metal, with its poignant tale of lost love, delivered in the mesmerizing voice of  Mikael Åkerfeldt. The live version from the Lamentations DVD is even better, benefiting from an ambient concert setting.

Anathema-Lost Control: Possibly the most depressing music in the entire world; if this song doesn’t drive you to suicidal thoughts, nothing will! There is a certain plaintive beauty about the whole enterprise, however, especially in that small moment of silence just before the violin solo lifts up one’s soul before the track’s closure.

Paradise Lost-One Second- What happens when bands that are considered ‘cult’ take a 180° turn? Either they alienate their old fan base or they reach out to a whole new audience waiting to discover them. That’s what happened with British doom metal band Paradise Lost when they released their techno-tinged album, One Second to mixed reviews. The experiment, to my mind, was a successful one.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra- This is Who You Are: Taken from the band’s intriguing reconstruction of Beethoven’s last night and temptation by Mephistopheles, the Meatloaf-like operatic track is very catchy, albeit best enjoyed in the context of  the album itself.

Green Carnation- Light of Day, Day of Darkness- What does one say about a 60-minute song that takes in opera, folk, Hindustani classical, Gregorian chants and rollicking heavy metal and still manages to stay unmistakably unique? Each new listening of this behemoth of a track reveals new things; a melody reintroduced in an entirely different context after 40 minutes, a unexpected twist in the middle of a track… a true masterpiece.

Agalloch- …And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth: Listening to this band, you understand what the word ‘melancholy’ means. It’s not sadness, but a much vaster, more desolate feeling….like being completely alone in the world. You feel like you’re in a forest somewhere, with only your thoughts for company…kinda like The Blair Witch Project, without the cheesiness!

Type O Negative- Christian Woman: Often derided by critics as a sell-out band, this goth rock band has their tongue firmly in their cheek. From their only worthwhile album, this track showcases Peter Steele’s lush, impossibly deep voice and a catchy, almost pop chorus.

Theatre of Tragedy-Poppaea: Metal with operatic female vocals is a concept that has now been done to death, with Evanescence taking it across the Atlantic and destroying the concept, but at the time Aegis was released, it was still fresh and interesting. Mixing beguiling mezzo-soprano vocals with organ backing and just the right amount of heaviness, this album reveals new depths at each new listening.

Amorphis- Drowned Maid:  Taken from the band’s concept album, Tales from the Thousand Lakes (based on the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala), the track tells the tale of Aïno, who drowns herself rather than marry the central character of the epic, Väinämöinen. Atmospheric, moody and very LOTR-ish, this is an apt introduction to Amorphis and melodic metal in general (as long as you can ignore the horrid vocals!)

Opeth-Hope Leaves: Taken from the band’s all-acoustic album, Damnation, the track owes more to 1970s progressive rock than heavy metal, with its poignant tale of lost love, delivered in the mesmerizing voice of  Mikael Åkerfeldt. The live version from the Lamentations DVD is even better, benefiting from an ambient concert setting.

Anathema-Lost Control: Possibly the most depressing music in the entire world; if this song doesn’t drive you to suicidal thoughts, nothing will! There is a certain plaintive beauty about the whole enterprise, however, especially in that small moment of silence just before the violin solo lifts up one’s soul before the track’s closure.

Paradise Lost-One Second- What happens when bands that are considered ‘cult’ take a 180° turn? Either they alienate their old fan base or they reach out to a whole new audience waiting to discover them. That’s what happened with British doom metal band Paradise Lost when they released their techno-tinged album, One Second to mixed reviews. The experiment, to my mind, was a successful one.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra- This is Who You Are: Taken from the band’s intriguing reconstruction of Beethoven’s last night and temptation by Mephistopheles, the Meatloaf-like operatic track is very catchy, albeit best enjoyed in the context of  the album itself.

Green Carnation- Light of Day, Day of Darkness- What does one say about a 60-minute song that takes in opera, folk, Hindustani classical, Gregorian chants and rollicking heavy metal and still manages to stay unmistakably unique? Each new listening of this behemoth of a track reveals new things; a melody reintroduced in an entirely different context after 40 minutes, a unexpected twist in the middle of a track… a true masterpiece.

Agalloch- …And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth: Listening to this band, you understand what the word ‘melancholy’ means. It’s not sadness, but a much vaster, more desolate feeling….like being completely alone in the world. You feel like you’re in a forest somewhere, with only your thoughts for company…kinda like The Blair Witch Project, without the cheesiness!

Type O Negative- Christian Woman: Often derided by critics as a sell-out band, this goth rock band has their tongue firmly in their cheek. From their only worthwhile album, this track showcases Peter Steele’s lush, impossibly deep voice and a catchy, almost pop chorus.

Theatre of Tragedy-Poppaea: Metal with operatic female vocals is a concept that has now been done to death, with Evanescence taking it across the Atlantic and destroying the concept, but at the time Aegis was released, it was still fresh and interesting. Mixing beguiling mezzo-soprano vocals with organ backing and just the right amount of heaviness, this album reveals new depths at each new listening.