New Wave of Progressive Metal

[Just Eric]

Today's Featured CD, Haken - Visions, started me thinking about the new Prog Metal bands on the scene and the direction they are taking the genre. Here is a list of bands grouped into loose categories based on their core sound:

Sludge Metal - Technically the melding of Hardcore Punk and Metal, this genre is well known for it's Prog Rock influences.

Baroness
Mastodon
Behold, the Monolith
High on Fire
Kylesa
Isis

Tech Death Metal - The most populated of the Prog Metal genres, all started by Death, followed shortly by Opeth.

Obscura
Veil of Maya
The Red Chord
Opeth
Death
Gojira
The Faceless
Between the Buried and Me
Intronaut


Math Metal - Similar to Math Rock, but edgier of course. Includes Mathcore, Grind and Djent, all of which employ the qualities characteristic of "Math"

Meshuggah
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Car Bomb
Daughters
Converge (More Hardcore than Math, BUT the very best Hardcore band in the world!)
Protest the Hero
Psyopus

Experimental Metal/Avant-Garde Metal - No descriptors other than all else aside this would be Metal (my favorite of the genres)

uneXpect
Celtic Frost (Early)
Blut Aus Nord
Diablo Swing Orchestra
Ephel Duath
Stolen Babies
Yakuza
Winds
Ulver
Made out of Babies

Progressive Metal - The genre that used to be "owned" by Dream Theater - This is the one that is progressing rapidly!

Leprous
Haken
Devin Townsend
Dog Fashion Disco (now defunct )
Polkadot Cadaver (Dog Fashion Disco members)
Enslaved
Fantomas
Maudlin of the Well
Thought Industry
Russian Circles
Shining

A ton others!

Sigh
Solefald
Grayceon
Giant Squid
Worm Ouroborous

The list goes on and on and on ....

[Progtopia]

The prog metal genre is so exciting right now. So many band names that could be added to that list, but there are plenty of good ones there. Favorites of mine include Anubis Gate, Hemina, To-Mera, Aeon Zen, Circus Maximus, Omega Experiment...

[MJBrady]

Don't forget about bands like:
Andromeda
Hemina
Caligula's Horse
Sun Caged
Lord of Mushrooms(France)
Spheric Universe Experience
Orenda
KSIZ
Koyaanis-qatsy
Seven Steps to the Green Door
Soul Secret
Moonlight Comedy
Persona grata
Pantommind
X-Panda
Terminal
Dreyelands
Disperse
Animations
Status Minor
Illusion Suite
Morph - Sintrinity
Fughu
Forgotten Suns
TesseracT
Haken
Cynthesis
Thought Chamber
Secret Society Of Starfish
Suspyre
Thank You Scientist
The Chronicles of Israfel
Venturia
Unexpect
Sikth
To-Mera
District 97
Akribi
Blotted Science
Joseph Magazine
Periphery
Linear Sphere
Hexatonica
miRthkon
Chromatic Point
PanzerBallett

[mnprogger]

East of the Wall?
For the Imperium?
Persefone?
Vektor?

[Rufus]

Prog metal =Dream Theater & Threshold & Aryeon

[Scrotum Scissor]

Prog metal =Dream Theater & Threshold & Aryeon

And for some meaty hip-hop, there's no beatin' M.C. HAMMER!

[Duncan Glenday]

Prog metal =Dream Theater & Threshold & Aryeon

I don't see Ayreon as 'metal' at all.

[Duncan Glenday]

Stuff...

Excellent thread.

But let's not make it yet another list-of-lists.

Experimental Metal/Avant-Garde Metal - No descriptors other than all else aside this would be Metal (my favorite of the genres)

Agreed - this is where metal is "progressing" way beyond modern "progressive" music.

I would be interested to hear opinions about which acts are progressing (and / or pushing the envelope) most successfully, and creating new and relevant sounds.

And let's not make the mistake of assuming that "the more avant garde the better" ... IMHO, it has to be listenable. Unfortunately, a lot of today's avant garde music is avant - but not musical. It seems to me that too many avant acts introduce tons of disharmony or chaos or weirdness for the sake of "being different".

[Just Eric]

Kyle said:
Persefone?

I love Persefone. Good mix of traditional Prog Metal (ala DT) with the aggression and edginess of newer Extreme Metal.

After posting and reading the additions here I've realized that this genre is loaded with talent AND variety - something for everyone.

Rufus said:


Prog metal =Dream Theater & Threshold & Aryeon

BzzZzZZzzzT!!! Threshold, NOT Prog nor Metal, DT and Ayreon NOT Metal.

[Duncan Glenday]

"Where's the horns emoticon!!"

Dammit, I'll make one - gimme a few days!!

LOL

[Progtopia]

I would be interested to hear opinions about which acts are progressing (and / or pushing the envelope) most successfully, and creating new and relevant sounds.

And let's not make the mistake of assuming that "the more avant garde the better" ... IMHO, it has to be listenable. Unfortunately, a lot of today's avant garde music is avant - but not musical. It seems to me that too many avant acts introduce tons of disharmony or chaos or weirdness for the sake of "being different".

I'd definitely put To-Mera on that list. They range from all-out in your face to almost jazzy breaks within seconds, and it all works. Add to that the contrast of Julie Kiss' ethereal vocals and it's quite impressive, IMO.

[Rufus]

I love Persefone. Good mix of traditional Prog Metal (ala DT) with the aggression and edginess of newer Extreme Metal.

After posting and reading the additions here I've realized that this genre is loaded with talent AND variety - something for everyone.

BzzZzZZzzzT!!! Threshold, NOT Prog nor Metal, DT and Ayreon NOT Metal.

You on a different planet !

[Rufus]

I don't see Ayreon as 'metal' at all.

WTF , suggest you listen Universal Migrator pt.2.

As for his other albums , whilst eclectic each had its fair dose of Prog metal !
He certainly isn't neo -Prog so where do you label him ?

[Just Eric]

You on a different planet !

A totally awesome planet where Metal is so vicious it can literally rip your face off and where Prog is so complex and "out there" it'll make your brain explode. Not recommended for the faint of heart or fans of Camel, Renaissance, early Genesis, or any band using Flute, Glockenspiel, or Pan Pipes.

[Rufus]

A totally awesome planet where Metal is so vicious it can literally rip your face off and where Prog is so complex and "out there" it'll make your brain explode. Not recommended for the faint of heart or fans of Camel, Renaissance, early Genesis, or any band using Flute, Glockenspiel, or Pan Pipes.

DT are well renowned for being one of the early pioneers of Prog metal.

[Roth-Handle Studios]

Is this known as Nwopm?

[Just Eric]

DT are well renowned for being one of the early pioneers of Prog metal.

I know and even acknowledge that, HOWEVER, that does not make them Metal in my book, nor in the minds of many others.

[Scrotum Scissor]

You on a different planet !

Yes! And I on way to even MORE different and tough planet with this top prog metal here:

[Rufus]

Yes! And I on way to even MORE different and tough planet with this top prog metal here:

Correct , am seeing them with Foreigner & FM next April UK tour . Joey `s barred from growling though ¡

[100423]

A totally awesome planet where Metal is so vicious it can literally rip your face off and where Prog is so complex and "out there" it'll make your brain explode. Not recommended for the faint of heart or fans of Camel, Renaissance, early Genesis, or any band using Flute, Glockenspiel, or Pan Pipes.

I don't know, hearing a group playing music that was a cross between Wormrot and Camel on flute, glockenspiel, and pan pipes would be pretty metal and progressive.

[Scrotum Scissor]

UK tour . Joey `s barred from growling though ¡

Definitely!

[Just Eric]

I don't know, hearing a group playing music that was a cross between Wormrot and Camel on flute, glockenspiel, and pan pipes would be pretty metal and progressive.

The Wormrot automatically cancels out the previous restriction on flute, glockenspiel and pan pipes, but does not allow them to do any Camel, Genesis or Renaissance covers.

[battema]

I love metal! It was way awesome when Tull won that metal grammy

[battema]

I would be interested to hear opinions about which acts are progressing (and / or pushing the envelope) most successfully, and creating new and relevant sounds.

And let's not make the mistake of assuming that "the more avant garde the better" ... IMHO, it has to be listenable. Unfortunately, a lot of today's avant garde music is avant - but not musical. It seems to me that too many avant acts introduce tons of disharmony or chaos or weirdness for the sake of "being different".

Alter of Plagues somewhat springs to mind, their last one (and sadly apparently THE last) was a great blend of black metal with electronic textures. Cult of Luna has some serious earworm action going on, IMHO.

I'm also enjoying the crossovers between metal and ambient/drone stuff. Like recently there was a very cool collab release between Andrew Liles and Sutekh Hexen 'Breed in Me the Darkness.' Covers everything from dark/moody piano interludes to full-tilt scorched Earth metal. There is a cool release from a band called Kwaidan called 'Make all the Hell of Dark Metal Bright' that brings in a heavy GYBE ambiance.

And just for saying..."Make all the Hell of Dark Metal Bright" is a seriously AWESOME album title

[Duncan Glenday]

WTF , suggest you listen Universal Migrator pt.2.

As for his other albums , whilst eclectic each had its fair dose of Prog metal !
He certainly isn't neo -Prog so where do you label him ?

I know every note of both "Universal Migrator" albums. I love them both and yes, that admission may be enough for me to lose my prog-fan card - but I don't care LOL

I don't have a convenient pigeonhole for the record(s), but per Eric's comments above, I agree that by definition metal needs to actually be HEAVY - and Ayreon's music is not.

Jeez - I've heard people on PE saying that King Crimson's Red is seriously heavy and should be classified as metal. I repeat - music needs to be HEAVY to be classified as metal.

That said - I also acknowledge that the definition of "heaviness" has changed over the years. Led Zeppelin used to be seriously heavy, and now they pipe it into supermarkets as ambient music.