If you are looking for insane guitar, try the pop-metal band Dragon Force. For something with cheesy lyrics and an uprising force, I would look at Homeworld ( The Ladder) by Yes.
Hey, I just went to a DragonForce live show! They kicked ass. I love how fast they are. Though I still stick with my earlier opinion that Nightwish is one of the most glorious, driving and uplifting bands of all time. After you hear the huge choir / orchestra in front of the power metal double-kick drums and grinding guitars, you will never be the same! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! (and Tarja Turunen's voice is so beautiful and haunting!)
I think just about anything by Apocalyptica will definitely be worthwhile. They mostly do instrumental covers of Metallica songs on cellos. I know, it sounds weird, but I think it's awesome. It puts a whole different spin on them, makes them sound classical and timeless. I've had "Sad but True" for a while and really like it. I downloaded "Welcome Home" tonight, and I really like it too. "Nothing Else Matters" is downloading now. I've decided that if I like it as well, I'm gonna turn up the money and buy the CD, because they really deserve the money.
Rhapsody (or rhapsody of fire-their new name) is surely about as triumphant and cheesy as you can get. Their sound is so epic, there is really no other band that sounds like them, their newest album even has Christoper Lee as the narrator. The choirs are apocaliptic, the sense of scale and detail is wonderful. Driven by lightning guitar work and incredible orchestral arrangements. http://www.rhapsodyoffire.com/index.php Symphony X is another one, though surely not as cheesy, a lot of their songs are triumphant, and really unique. Their guitarist, (Michael Romeo) is said to be one of the most capable guitarists in the world, and definitely one of very best. The Accolade 2 and In The Dragons Den are probably two of their most triumphant songs www.SymphonyX.com Angra , is really good too, similar to Dragonforce, but a little slower, with more rhythm and clearness, incredible stuff. Their best stuff is from their newest album (Temple of Hate)
