I found out about the Symphonic Metal genre around 15 years ago. Lost track of it for a while until a co-worker put me onto Nightwish and Delain. I have found little else about it, but I blame myself for not looking hard enough. Lately I had stumbled onto:
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I love the operatic tone to the some bands and their lead vocalists in this genre. Simone doesn't quite have that same background, but you are right that she has a great voice. Epica is a band I am going to invest more time in.
Did I say 15 years ago? :drake1
Seriously though, the first band I heard like this was a Christian one from Poland called Illuminandi. They captivated me with their unique and interesting sound. I had heard nothing like it at that time.
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It was 10 years later before I heard of anything else. Thanks for the heads up. I spent a couple years away from exploring music, for some reason. Getting back to doing that now.