THEOCRACY FTW!!!
I have had both their debut album and Mirror of Souls for awhile, but a few months ago I gave MoS a good listen and it just blew me away, cover to cover. I love both Power Metal and Prog, and Theocracy had the perfect blend of both--just enough Iron Maiden, Sonata Arctica, and Dream Theater to really appeal to my tastes (I've even spotted Rush and Kansas influences!), but also enough originality to set it apart. Not to mention Matt Smith is a musical and lyrical genius and sounds like he's taken personal lessons from both James LaBrie and Bruce Dickinson. Most of the music I like is from the 70's and 80's, so it's a great experience for me to latch on to a band that has a bright future ahead of them early in their career. That's specifically why Theocracy is so awesome to me.
Good to see another fan.