Saxon (Like Metallica? Saxon are on of the bands that directly influenced them and their music)
Primordial (A blend of Irish Folk, Black Metal and some Progressive and Doom influence)
Wintersun (its very difficult to describe these, especially after their last album which I honestly rate very highly)
Blind Guardian (Incredible band which has a lot of melodic and symphonic elements to their music, oh and their early stuff is drool worthy riff-laden speed metal <3 cannot go wrong with that)
Ayreon (A sort of collaboration project featuring some of the top musicians in rock and metal with the figurehead of the project writing a sort of story, a concept that intertwines each album. Oh and its prog, which is gooooood)
Dread Sovereign (A side project featuring two members of Primordial, its an occult themed Doom Metal band with some heavy riffs and melodies)
Gamma Ray ((A favourite band of mine, a break away from German legends Helloween, melody and speed beautifully intertwined and some tributes to classics of the genre here and there as easter eggs in their songs, you know bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest? yeah))
Gloryhammer ((Ever heard of Alestorm? Well this is a side project with one of their guys, its some of the cheesiest and most ridiculous but still amazing, stuff ever, their album is a concept album that is about an army of Unicorns turned evil and undead by an evil wizard laying siege to the Scottish city of Dundee and a hero arising from the ashes and ruins to slay him, no really, that's the story <3 amazing ))
Mael Mordha ((Another Irish Folk Metal band but a bit different to Primordial, highly recommended))
Bathory ((This band is a strange one from one of the first Black Metal bands to the founders of a more melodic and simplistic genre, Viking Metal, amazing writing and lyrics that will make even the Vikingest of Vikings weep and grow another beard in the process))