This milestone album, which brought us hits like "The Howling," "Frozen," and "Hand of Sorrow," is undoubtedly a highlight of symphonic metal. With Sharon den Adel's vocals as its cornerstone and the gothic symphonic metal style it helped pioneer, this is the album to turn to whenever you need to feel thoroughly thrilled.

When Xandria announced a new vocalist and shared new music, my first thought was, "Come on, just give up already." I mean, some bands are great, but simply aren't meant to last forever. Then I heard Ambre Vourvahis on "Reborn" and thought, "Oh, hold on." Later, they released The Wonders Still Awaiting to show everyone that, well... the wonders are still awaiting. Ambre Vourvahis' versatility, along with the powerful ballads and catchy anthems, made this one of my favourite albums in symphonic metal.

Aspiral is probably Epica's best album, technically speaking. It only sits this low on my list because of the emotional connection I have with the albums that come later. With every release, Epica proves that they have the master recipe for creating the perfect symphonic metal album, and that they're still working on improving it.

The current Clémentine Delauney–Michele Guaitoli era of Visions of Atlantis is one of the most underappreciated things happening in symphonic metal. Aside from being a near-perfect vocal duo, they both have that special kind of voice that carries an atmosphere of discovery and adventure, fitting the themes Visions of Atlantis sing about perfectly. Pirates took this to a whole new level. Don't believe me? Go listen to "Master the Hurricane".

This used to be my favourite album featuring Tarja's vocals (you'll find out later why it isn't anymore). Oceanborn set the standards for symphonic metal. It showed us that symphonic metal is not an orchestra playing alongside metal, but an interplay between the two, a dance between two sounds, all carried by the soaring vocals of Tarja Turunen.

Adrienne Cowan can sing serene melodies capable of making dead trees grow green again, then follow them up with harsh vocals powerful enough to cause an earthquake. This album shows just how brilliant she is at both. With songs like "Almosttown" and "Love's Souvenir", alongside its wonderfully versatile approach, this album places Seven Spires comfortably in the middle of the great symphonic metal bands for me.

When you listen to this album today, it feels almost like a blueprint for great things to come later. Those great things came with other bands, sure, but this album remains one of my favourites because of the mastery in its songwriting, the rawness of its presentation, and its willingness to experiment with new elements. Then you have the sheer complexity of songs like "Zenith", and it is honestly impossible not to appreciate just how far ahead of its time this album was.

Nightwish had already established themselves as the kings and queens of symphonic metal long before this album. This album came along to say, "We haven't even started yet." Nightwish put every colour on their musical palette to use and weren't afraid to put colours never used before in metal on their dark canvas. And Anette Olzon? What a queen. Anette's voice is an atmosphere all on its own.

I've been talking about this album to literally everyone I meet. I even played a song for my grandmother, hoping to recruit her into the ranks of Tarja fans despite her advanced age. She asked me to turn down that ungodly thing. It's fine. She makes excellent lemon cake. Back to Tarja's Frisson Noir, this album went from being my favourite Tarja solo record to becoming my favourite thing she has ever done. Sorry, Nightwish fans, but facts are facts. There is something about this music that reaches straight into my heart, and "At Sea" is one of my favourite songs of all time, if not the favourite. Simply put, a masterpiece.

Epica's 2009 fourth studio album is a landmark in symphonic metal and, for me, the album that defined the genre. With the 13-minute epic "Kingdom of Heaven," the iconic "Unleashed," and the captivating "Martyr of the Free Word," Design Your Universe brings together death metal aggression, epic orchestration, and grand choirs in a way that still makes it my all-time favorite symphonic metal album. This is the album I go to when I'm happy, sad, annoyed, rejoiced, free, or busy. Basically, this is my period album.