Music Sound

Epic metal is a subgenre of heavy metal.

Traditional Epic metal

It was born in the U.S. in the early 1980s as a slower and more solemn branch of heavy metal. Early albums remained quite close to the main genre, both in the music and in lyrical themes like bikes, women, and a healthy amount of self-apology, adding with time themes from epic poetry, mythology and fantasy literature. Bands from this era include Cirith Ungol, Omen Manilla Road and Medieval Steel.

Later, it received influences from doom metal bands like Candlemass and from Bathory's Viking-themed albums, lost some of the light hearted themes for history and religion. Bands from this era tend to be from the mediterranean area, and include DoomSword from Italy, Forsaken from Malta and BattleRoar from Greece.

Power metal

The term has been used also for a genre between power metal, speed metal and melodic metal with a balance between slow and solemn hymns and the occasional outburst into powerful mid-tempos. A typical property of epic metal is a certain grandiose element and a penchant for trumpets, violins or even a full orchestra accompaniment. Themes in this genre are often taken from epic poetry and fantasy.

Epic metal bands in this meaning include Hammerfall, Rhapsody, Battlelore, Nighthawk and Viperine. Recently, the Tolkien influenced Power Metal band Blind Guardian has been going in a more Epic direction than their earlier Power Metal albums.

Battle metal

Battle metal is a sub-genre of black metal related to this second meaning of Epic Metal, drawing on themes of medieval or fantasy battle and fighting, and in the opinion of some would be suitable for the soundtrack for a Role Playing Game. Battle metal bands like Summoning were thought to be possible contributors to the soundtrack of the Lord of the Rings movies, but this was mainly because of the Tolkien-related content of their music and they did not appear on the soundtrack. Most bands who play battle metal also contribute to other sub-genres of black metal: for instance, Bathory are prominent in the Viking metal sub-genre, and Waylander are pioneers of three sub-genres of black metal: this one, folk metal and Celtic Metal. Other metal bands have produced songs that fit the battle metal genre; the power metal band Thy Majestie is an example. Turisas is considered to be the band who gave the genre its name by mixing all the previously mentioned styles and much more into one on their album Battle Metal (2004)