Mean Deviation: 4 Decades Of Prog Metal |
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Colt
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 6668000 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2010 at 2:36am |
Ths seasons must have for all Prog Metal fans!! Fighting a tide of tradition and conservatism, progressive metal has proven to be one of the most viable, malleable forms in all of modern music; here its preeminent scholar tells the tale. ISBN 978-09796163-3-4 �Mean Deviation zeroes in on heavy metal�s more cerebral, challenging, and even geeky side.��Ghetto Blaster �Thank you, Jeff Wagner, for this massive information highway for all things progressive metal.��Paul Masvidal, Cynic/Death �We now have a definitive book on the relationship between metal and progressive music.��Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree Revered former Metal Maniacs editor Jeff Wagner analyzes the heady side of metal in this exhaustive history of a relentlessly ambitious musical subculture. Beginning with 1970s progressive rock acts Rush and King Crimson, Mean Deviation unfurls a colorful tapestry of sounds and styles, from the �Big Three� of 1980s prog metal�Queensr�che, Fates Warning, and Dream Theater�to extreme pioneers Voivod, Watchtower, and Celtic Frost. The flirtation between heavy metal and progressive rock grows with bold creative leaps, spawning countless valiant launches toward infinity. Today, the spark of inspiration thrives in obscure outposts such as Scandinavia, Florida, and Japan, bursting into full flame with the successes of prog metal overlords Opeth, Meshuggah, Tool, Between the Buried and Me, and their progressive peers. According to Wagner: �Mean Deviation highlights many impossibly scattered bands and movements that widened the scope of the heavy metal genre. To some, progressive metal starts with Dream Theater and ends with an interminable stream of bands that sound like Dream Theater. By my interpretation, the term �progressive metal� allows for consideration of cosmic post-black metal band In the Woods, avant-garde metal surrealists Thought Industry, and those obscure purveyors of corrupted Swedish death metal, Carbonized-along with more obvious entries such as Fates Warning, Opeth, and, of course, Dream Theater. �One thing prog metal certainly is, is metal. Hard and bold and brash, but refined, adulterated, and mutated; it is heavy metal taken somewhere illuminating and sometimes bizarre.� |
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Certif1ed
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: 29 Mar 2010 Location: London Status: Offline Points: 473 |
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/edit:
Big 4 of Progressive Metal should obviously include Metallica. This is such a glaring omission, I guess that this was a simple typo.
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Stooge
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator/Retired Admin Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Location: Whitby, ON, CAN Status: Offline Points: 5637 |
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That seems like a pretty cool book.
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rushfan4
MMA Special Collaborator Errors and Omissions Team Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 7485 |
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That does look like it might be an interesting read. I'd be curious to see bands that are included/excluded that are included in Prog Metal on PA or here on MMA.
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Stooge
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator/Retired Admin Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Location: Whitby, ON, CAN Status: Offline Points: 5637 |
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I may have missed it in the above links, but is the book out already? If not, when will it be out?
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Colt
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 6668000 |
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Its November Dan.
Pre-orders are being taken now and full details that I copied to the initial post can be found here:
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Colt
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 6668000 |
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There are two things in life, Mark, that you can be certain of!
If there is a need to mention Metallica or Sweet in a topic we can rely on you to say it!
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Stooge
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator/Retired Admin Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Location: Whitby, ON, CAN Status: Offline Points: 5637 |
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I'm bumping this thread because a free excerpt from the book (I believe an entire chapter) is available for download on the website. I will read it probably later this afternoon.
http://www.bazillionpoints.com/progress/ |
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Colt
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 6668000 |
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The book is on my Xmas list, hopefully Santa will come up with the goods!
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Stooge
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator/Retired Admin Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Location: Whitby, ON, CAN Status: Offline Points: 5637 |
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Based on that chapter, it seems like an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the rest of it someday.
By the way, there is refernce in the chapter to a track Ron Jarzombek wrote as an audition piece for Fates Warning entitled "Fishies on Leashes". It's up on myspace for those who haven't heard it: http://www.myspace.com/ronjarzombek/music/songs/fishies-on-leashes-57761445 Edited by Stooge - 14 Dec 2010 at 12:57pm |
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Stooge
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator/Retired Admin Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Location: Whitby, ON, CAN Status: Offline Points: 5637 |
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Sorry to bump old news, but I finally picked up my copy of this book, and look forward to reading it. I hope that I'll discover a few bands I'm not familiar with as well as learn more about those I do like.
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Colt
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 6668000 |
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My copy arrived today too
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Stooge
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator/Retired Admin Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Location: Whitby, ON, CAN Status: Offline Points: 5637 |
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Nice. I'd guess it only recently was released in stores because I've been looking for it at the bookstore (Chapters) at the mall whenever I go there. |
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Colt
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 6668000 |
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Trusty old Amazon for me
Your order #203-1463283-5093108 (received February 27, 2011) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Qty Item Price Delivery Subtotal ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amazon.co.uk items (Sold by Amazon EU S.a.r.L.): 1 Mean Deviation �12.59 1 �12.59 |
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Stooge
MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator/Retired Admin Joined: 25 Mar 2010 Location: Whitby, ON, CAN Status: Offline Points: 5637 |
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This was a great read. They even critique what is or isn't progressive metal. A whole chapter is dedicated to debating whether you can be progressive without breaking new ground. Plus, they book brings up hundreds of bands (though often just in name-dropping) that are far from household names. I'm going through many of the bands to give some a first listen, and others a second chance, and others I'd forgotten about entirely. I'll be sure to re-read many sections to catch some of the groups not listed in the index. Cool, cool stuff!!
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