2 + 3 = Chair
The main riffs remind me of Symphony X and Dimmu Borgir; one of the later riffs had an Arch Enemy feel to them, smooth and buttery.
I may have listed a number of bands in which you have similar sounds, but don't take that as a bad thing. It's truly impossible not to sound like somebody in someway, but a song is the sum of it's parts, which together, sound like no one else. (Sorry if that sounds confusing) Tell your friends they are on the right path.