I am wondering why "Human Fortress" is not mentioned, but maybe they are not well-known outside of germany (maybe not even there).
I discovered them via the compilation "Melody and Power" (I guess it was part 2), where also other great bands I didn't knew until then are present, like Cornerstone, Edenbridge and Firewind.
Besides Falconer its the band mostly rotating in my CD player, and this for more than 2 years in the meanwhile - this stuff doesn't get boring, regardless how often you hear it.
Very good 1st album "Lord of earth and heavens heir".
Absolutely brilliant 2nd album "Defenders of the crown".
They have very epic songs mostly dealing about the middle-age or rome, with catchy melodies and refrains that made me addicted. Their second album is one of the few that can compare with Falconer albums, at least for my taste.
Unfortunately their really great singer quit recently, so maybe the soon-coming 3rd album might sound a little bit different. But the replacement is the former singer of Galloglass, which was mentioned in this thread (and I unfortunately don't know yet).
Band-Info:
http://www.human-fortress.com/
