The sub-genre of the band isn't all that important but I prefer power metal, death metal, doom metal, thrash metal and black metal. If you're wondering what Manilla Road era i'm talking about i'm talking about tracks like Dreams Of Eschaton, Necropolis, ect. ect. anything off Crystal Logic and Mystification and all the other albums with fantasy lyrics and the illiad and all the good shit. Thanks in advance.

I'm ashamed to admit that I have only very superficially listened to anything from Manilla Road as of yet (something I'm planning to change soon), but by having a look through the lyrics you mentioned and the more general fantasy directions, I believe I could have some insightful input.

You've probably heard Battleroar already, seeing their friendship with Manilla Road (Mark Shelton had some guest appearances on their albums, and they've also done Manilla Road covers, among other things). If not, you totally should. The fantasy lyrics requirement is fulfilled, and it's one of the better epic metal bands out there.

Moving on, New Dark Age by Solstice is an absolutely monumental album, a monolithical statement of Epic Doom triumph. Fantasy lyrics assured, and they're not your standard dragon-killin', maiden-bangin' fare, rather more subtle, dark and sophisticated fantasy (just check my signature for an example off Cimmerian Codex, the second track). And the music, I cannot stress this enough, is simply fantastic.

As far as black metal goes, my first recommendation has to be Bal-Sagoth, deities of Epic Symphonic Black Metal. Their lyrics are a feast of dark high fantasy, melding strong influences from Lovecraft and Howard, primarily. And when I say epic, I mean EPIC. Lord Byron, the vocalist, lyricist and mastermind of the band, even has an Honours Degree in English, and his final year thesis concerned pulp fantasy, science fiction and horror, specifically the works of H.P. Lovecraft (that's what Wikipedia says). The band's lyrics all revolve around a complex fantasy (and in some parts S.F.) multiverse that Byron has created, it's probably the only effort of this magnitude in the metal world.

Speaking of elaborate lyrical concepts, Ayreon is really out there. Though not pure fantasy, more like some trippy psychological sci-fi, you should give it a try nonetheless, if you have any appreciation for well thought-out stories in your metal...and it's really quite a trip. We're talking about progressive metal, though, so I'm not sure if you dig it.

Oh, and since you appear to be a thrash metal enthusiast, I think you'll love Fiurach. Symphonic thrash/black metal with an intriguing fantasy storyline about some demons and such. I'm no thrash fan, but I liked some of it.

So yeah, think about it and let me know if something catches your attention, there's more where that came from.

Try Cauldron Born, most of their lyrics are well-written and directly related to Weird Tales stuff, such as Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and of course Robert E Howard. Also, the music is very good.