In case you’ve been living in a hobbit hole and haven’t heard, there’s a very popular television series set in the Lord of the Rings universe, which has been produced by the Big A Company that shall not be named. Claiming to be one of the most expensive television series ever produced, The Rings of Power is only available to those who have a membership to the Big A Company. But fear not, fellow Tolkien fans - Herrick has other options for those who crave a little Middle Earth with their elevenses tea. If you are like me, and are stubbornly holding out on giving the Big A Company more of our heard-earned dollars (and are quietly weeping from it) here’s where you can feed your Tolkien obsession.
Wait...the metal?? You read that right. Have you ever heard of Tolkien metal? Yes, there is an entire genre of metal devoted to singing about the wonders of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy universe. Some bands are strictly Tolkien, while others are Tolkien-adjacent, but they'll all make you feel like you're in Middle Earth.
Band: Fellowship“Until the Fires Die”
Song:
My new favorite obsession is Fellowship, the UK-based power metal band that dress like hobbits. Yes. They. Dress. Like. Hobbits. But if you ask them- they’re not a Tolkien metal band. O-kay…
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Band: Wind Rose
Song: “Diggy Diggy Hole” (originally written by Yogscast)
This Italian dwarven metal band sings about life underground and dresses up like, you guessed it, dwarves. Enough said.
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Band: DragonForce
Song: “Through the Fire and the Flames”
While DragonForce isn’t technically fantasy metal (depending on who you ask), this power metal band sure can shred with an epic fantasy style.
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Band: Battlelore
Song: "Elvenking"
With songs titles like "Horns of Gondor", "Attack of the Orcs", and "Gollum's Cry", the Finnish band Battlelore is true Tolkien metal. Plus, it's one of the few groups with a female lead singer. Huzzah!
Band: Summoning
Song: "The Mountain King's Return"
Summoning is an atmospheric metal band, so it sounds quite different from other Tolkien metal. Their album covers are moody and dark. Plus they have my favorite album title: Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame.
It turns out the world of metal has a lot of variation. Don’t even get me started on Babymetal… (Ok, but only because you asked: “Gimme Chocolate!!”)
