I think you'd like Ancient Rites' "Dim Carcosa" and "Fatherland"
EDIT: Excellent review of Dim Carcosa
Whatever category of metal Dim Carcosa falls under (you can see from the overview I had trouble deciding), the important point is that this is metal, metal, METAL, and damned proud of it. Pride is the word of the day. Pride in metal, pride in the glorious past of this European continent, pride in oneself. It's very nostalgic, yearning for the glory of medieval times, but it ain't poncey, not by a long shot. If you're like me and have an enthusiastic interest in the Middle Ages, its people, its battle heroes, but find other nostalgia buffs like Blind Guardian or Rhapsody suffocatingly camp, then this is the answer.
This is the way broadsword 'n' armour medieval metal should be done. While Gunther Theys and his merry minstrels appreciate the intangible code of honour that the modern world has largely left behind, they also recognise that the Middle Ages were tough, uncompromising and often brutal. Hence the music is glorious and melodic, but also really bloody heavy, fast and pummelling. These five Belgian blokes are all indisputable masters of their trade, and set a rip-roaring pace with many a flourish. Vocals consist of a snarling black/thrash vocal and clean backing vocals that add the sentimental touch without weakening the tumultuous rhythms. The keyboards are highly organic, providing an alluring folk atmosphere, with the added bonus of the great orchestral and piano arrangements found on "The Return" and "Remembrance". The drumming is precise and dynamic, and there's some excellent guitar wanking thrown in - and I'm not being sarcastic here, guitar wanking can be good. It rarely is, but Ancient Rites is a band of rare qualities.
Other qualities that stand out on this album are maturity, intelligence, wisdom and imagination. The lavish 20-page booklet (encased in a tasteful embossed digipack that may have been out of place on a misanthropic black metal album but works perfectly for this type of production) is full of Gunther's various musings as he contemplates the present, the future, but mostly the past of his home town, country and the European land. His writings echo my own sentiments to a frightening degree - speaking of the importance of travel, learning and the inquisitve spirit, as well as the importance of knowing one's home, and taking pride in one's identity. His commentary on the author Baudelaire's works and subsequent rendition of "Les litanies de Satan" show a preparedness to embrace the dark side, but not in some childish "kill all dem Jews and Christians!" bullshit way.
In conclusion, Dim Carcosa is the kind of album that will warm the hearts of all smart metal veterans. If you're a learned individual who knows his/her metal music, you should have no trouble worshipping this excellent release. If on the other hand you're just some prat who seeks fulfilment through metal imagery or one who pussyfoots about the peripheral elements of the genre, then you should just shut the fuck up and walk away from this album. I remember reading a terrific review of this band's Fatherland album a couple of years ago that said something along the lines of "Ancient Rites will cause many of you to die from pure metal overload, and that would be just fine with me". I couldn't have said it better myself, and the comment is very much applicable to Dim Carcosa as well.
