German band Die Apokalyptischen Reiter coined an original form of
epic and melodic (folk-ish?) death-metal on
Soft & Stronger (1997)
and especially Allegro Barbaro (1999).
Non-metal instruments (harpsichord, harp, piano) enhance the eclectic
and keyboards-heavy (and even catchier) All You Need Is Love (2000).
Have a Nice Trip (2003) began the process of cleaning up the vocals.
They completely cleaned up the vocals and made the music even more accessible
for Samurai (2004).
