Glad you liked itAnd Laurent, that Growl Karaoke video was fantastic
Very nice! But what genre would this be? I certainly wouldnāt call it heavy metal.
When power metal bands go ballad, they can become most un-metal sounding. I donāt think anyone seriously disputes that Nightwish is metal however. See: nz.youtube.com/watch?v=gg5_mlQOsUQ (Itās a āmisheardā version just for fun).
I suppose thatās my point, in a way-- it looked as though they might create a whole new genre, but instead evoloved into a metal band, or at least moved that direction.
There have been some attempts at operafying rock and metal. And I donāt mean the albums commonly associated with ārock operaā like the The Who and Pink Floyd (which is really more like oratorio than opera). To be opera I think it would have to be an attempt to tell the story where staging, drama, acting and set changes would weigh as much as or more than the music. I can think of some close examples. Brian De Palmaās Phantom of the Paradise is basically Faust in a rock setting, but that was a film so doesnāt really count. There was a disasterous attempt by Styx with Mr. Robato, which was fully staged and scripted at one point before the booing audiences forced them to strip it down back to your basic rock concert.
Nightwish doesnāt have a ābest ofā album that I know of at this point in time. (I admit, I am surprised they didnāt release one after they ditched Tarja to sort of āwrap upā that era of their career
). āWishmasterā would be a close second.Letās not forget Savatage or Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Iād love to see a staged version of āDead Winter Deadā or āBeethovenās Last Nightā.There have been some attempts at operafying rock and metal. And I donāt mean the albums commonly associated with ārock operaā like the The Who and Pink Floyd (which is really more like oratorio than opera). To be opera I think it would have to be an attempt to tell the story where staging, drama, acting and set changes would weigh as much as or more than the music. I can think of some close examples. Brian De Palmaās Phantom of the Paradise is basically Faust in a rock setting, but that was a film so doesnāt really count. There was a disasterous attempt by Styx with Mr. Robato, which was fully staged and scripted at one point before the booing audiences forced them to strip it down back to your basic rock concert.
In metal specifically, there was QueensrĆæcheās Operation Mindcrime which I saw in concert and included a few operatic elementsāstill not opera, but suggesting that direction. Avantasia has The Metal Opera, but that is still oratorio and not opera. Kamelotās two-album variation on Faust (Epic and The Black Halo), seems like it could be staged. My guess is they are not interested in such (thankfully, in my estimation). Which brings me back to Rhapsody of Fire. Opera is associated with bombast. And if there is going to be an actual staged metal opera in the fullest sense of the term, its going to come from one of the more bombastic power metal groups, and Rhapsody of Fire is on the top of the heap for that.
P.S. Oh yeah, before someone mentions so-called āseriousā composers, I think a true metal opera would have to come from actual metal bands. Andrew Lloyd Webber slumming with headbangers for one musical doesnāt count.
Shadow Galleryās āTyrannyā is another possibility. Iād say you could try doing Saviour Machineās āLegendā trilogy (if it ever gets finished), but Iām not sure how you could stage it.
From the 33 1/3 Rules of Rock Nā Roll:
).Embrace the cheese!Heh. Hammerfall. The Manowar of the power metal scene. Cheesy lyrics in spades! (And yes, I own albums by both Hammerfall and Manowar
I always warn people that rock, and metal in particular, is essentially a loud version of Vaudeville. So I make frequent examinations of conscience to make sure I donāt take it too seriously. 
LOL. I donāt think Iāve heard heavy metal summed up so succinctly and accurately before. Iāll have to remember that one!Embrace the cheese!
Ah yes. I have not yet picked up any of their albums. When they first came out with their Metallica cover album, I sort of figured they were just a novelty act that would quickly fade away. Only recently have I learned that they are now a regular band releasing albums of original material. Iām sure I would enjoy it.
Have you heard of Edenbridge? You can listen to samples on their MySpace page or their Official website. Their singer (Sabine Edelsbacher) is a soprano, though Iām not sure if she is a classically trained opera singer as Tarja is. Their stuff is decent. Itās more atmospheric (and generally slower) than Nightwish.