It can help to ease into death metal, I think. Have you tried death metal rooster?

Seriously, though. They are neither death metal nor heavy metal, but Elvinking is the group that led me to get into metal (aside from Tool, which is something else entirely and I’m not one of those crazy people). They’re combo folk/power metal, I guess. Some really great transitions between the two. Their songs can be pretty varied, but I think The Regality Dance and Skywards are ones which come to mind as really using both styles. They’re from the same album, but I think that says more about me than them. Others are good.

I know you weren’t asking for any of this, but I enjoyed being reminded of them.