Firstly within temptation... Some would call them whiney due to their classically trained female lead vocalist. They are sort of symphonic rock/metal where the main body of the music is made up of a symphony of more classical instruments EG the strings and piano, however they then have the metal-esque drums that bring the beat right in and then the dark metal bass and rock-ish guitar riffs. Coupled with the classically trained, almost operatic female lead soprano and the almost haunting notes she produces makes from some really energetic and brilliant music. There are now a christian band and their latest album IMHO detaches too far from the symphonic roots but its good metal/rock. Their albums "Mother Earth" and "the silent force" are really pagan in the lyrics, particularly "Mother earth" and "Ice queen" and the track which really sticks out as amazingly pagan in lyrics is "Never ending story" which tells the tale of the earth and life as a never ending story "The earth is our mother, she gives and she takes. She puts us asleep and her light will awake" really pagan IMHO. And really damn good! (perfect harmony is another brilliant song) youtube them!
LAcuna coil are fairly good, not pagan per-say but gothic/symphonic.
Currently playing Nightwish at work
It sounds good, got some tracks from inkubus sukubus lined up too and with names like "Heart of lilith" and "Beltaine" i expect them to be rather pagan... Good times!Any others in a similar genre i should know about? Evanescence are a bit mainstream for me and dont have enough of the symphony and strings.
I'm really loving them. It's so refreshing to finally get some pagan music to rock out to. I listen to emerald rose and chalice and blade, but rocks my favorite kind of music. I like evanescence too, but yes, they are very mainstream. Infact; Even before I was in to rock, I like'd evanescence ( because everyone does, lol)