I like The Lord of the Rings. I am a huge fan. I am now reading it for the second time, because I have literally read everything George RR. Martin has produced by now (except the Wildcard Series) and I always need something to read when I wake up in the middle of the night.
I haven’t read Silmarillion yet, my memory is not so good and it is a pleasure to read LOTR again and be able to pay attention to all the details, that made no sense at the first read.
I know that The LOTR has influenced and inspired the creation of Art especially music. I will write about other bands and music someday.
There is one special Austrian band, that has dedicated almost there entire oeuvre to themes from The Lord of the Rings. The band is called Summoning.
Give it a try! I am just doing this right now. – I will tell you later, if it was worth it.