A long time ago I used to listen to both Renaissance and the Moody Blues, because I really enjoyed the complexity of the music. They are both rock bands that oftentimes played with orchestras. And of course Annie Haslam was (is?) an awesome singer.

Are there any bands that you can recommend that would be in a similar genre to these two bands? Thanks
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Damn that's a tough question. Let me think on it awhile.
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Sex Pistols. EMI comes to mind, listened to it last week.
:-)
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Two of my favorite bands that come to mind that play complex music are Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree. DT did a one off show with an orchestra for their 20th anniversary show. Look for their album "Score", it features the orchestra on half of it. Their newer stuff is more prog-metal, where their older stuff is less heavy, but all is very complex. PT has been likened to a modern day Pink Floyd. Steve Wilson, the founder, is a musical genius and has other projects that are in the same vein (Riverside, Blackfield). Check em out.
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Although a bit harder than you listed, Metallica S&M was one of my favorite albums. And I'm not even the thrash metal type.
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Thanks guys, keep them coming...

For those of you who are old enough to care, Annie Haslam is still among us, still sings, and lives in the general Philly area in PA.
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If you want a symphonic metal sound, check out Symphony X. More on the harder side, but their arrangements are pretty cool and their songs aren't your typical metal compositions. They write a lot about mythology. Makes for some cool listening.
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You may dig up on Rush or Muse.
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:-)
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What a thread! DT, Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Muse, Rush. Even Symphony X!

How's about some Savatage/Trans Siberian Orchestra while we're at it!

I am not joking, in the last couple of days all I have listened to is DT, Riverside, and TSO.

:-)
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Alltho not exactly what your looking for their are some serious choices off Guns N Roses Use Your Illusions I and II albums. Notably, November Rain, Don't Cry, Coma, Estranged, Knockin On Heavens Door and the like.
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TSO - there's a band that I haven't even thought of in a long time.

What about "Yes", back in the Rick Wakeman days? Did they play with an orchestra or symphony?

This is great. I'm going to have fun with Rhapsody checking these suggestions out.
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Procol Harum did an album with the London Symphony Orchestra
that had some pretty good renditions on it.

You might also like the first King Crimson album (self-titled),
which did not have an orchestra, but relied heavily on a mellotron;
basically recorded orchestral tones at set notes/chords.

Another decent orchestra/band song is ELP, "Pirates", off Works Vol.2.

And yes, I fully agree that Annie Haslam had a great voice.
But they did a 'reunion' tour in 2001 which showed some major
cracks in that otherwise stellar throat. CD entitled In the Land
of the Midnight Sun. Stay away.
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Let's see, how about:

Electric Light Orchestra
Genesis
Pink Floyd
Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Queen
Yes
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Kiss did a show with the Melbourne symphony once.

Warren, pm me your emailaddy and I'll send you a one off show that Vernon Reid did with a Dutch (the metropole) orchestra a few years back. And I think I have one from Mike Keneally & the Metropole Orchestra too, but I have to look for that.
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Great album IMO. :-)
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:-)
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Yeah, but rumor has it that the timpani player was actually another guy wearing the original player's outfit. :-)
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Brian Setzer.
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Look into some of the early Deep Purple, they released some stuff with an orchestra and also look into a group called The Electric Prunes, they also had some releases with an orchestra.
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