Epic metal, or epic heavy metal, is a stylistic variation/offshoot of traditional metal that incorporates elements of heavy metal and doom metal. Generally speaking, epic heavy metal is guitar driven, incorporating lengthy, meandering song structures and lyrics centered around fantasy, mythology, and history, and tends to be most heavily linked to traditional metal and doom metal. Some bands mixed epic metal with black metal and folk metal, giving birth to Viking metal. It is pertinent to note that with the more recent advent of various symphonic metal genres, the term 'epic metal' has begun to be mistakenly associated with keyboard-driven power metal, Viking/folk metal, gothic metal, and other forms of orchestral metal that provide an "epic" or uplifting atmosphere.
Despite not being always a true subgenre in the actual meaning of the word, according to which band the term is related to, "epic metal" describes a fairly cohesive group of musically related bands to the point of being worth being using.
Notable bands include Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Brocas Helm, DoomSword, Candlemass, Manowar, and Virgin Steele. .
