I've always been a huge fan of Metal, as anybody who's ever seen me drivin' around in the Metallitruck would know. I've been into all the metal sub-genres at one time or another but most enjoy the more coherent bands over the screech and hollar death metal. Some of my suggestions:
Rhapsody - Dawn of Victory from
Dawn of Victory
DragonForce has a similar sound to Rhapsody. Each Rhapsody album tells a continuing fantastic tale about the heroes and evils that battle in the land of Ansalon. They blend rapid guitars and powerful vocals with epic orchestration and choral performances.
Dimmu Borgir - Puritania from
Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
One of my favorite black metal bands. Dimmu Borgir has a thick, heavy sound that is often juxtaposed with seemingly out of place instruments like chimes and music boxes to give them an eerie twist. The vocals stretch from deep and gravelly, to electronically distroted to clear and beautiful, similar to Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory.
Demons & Wizards - Heaven Denies from
Demons & Wizards
This band is a joint side project from members of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, two bands which are both definatly worth checking out on their own. Fast drums and guitars. I just love this band and can't hype them enough.
Symphony X - Dressed To Kill from
The Damnation Game
Great band with plenty of albums to choose from. As the name implies, they blend a symphonic sound with traditional metal.
And on the funnier side of metal, here's a classic from Macabre called
Vampire of Dussledorf.