Post Reply - Progressive Metal Discussion Thread

I love prog metal for the same reasons that I love prog rock: the complexitities, genre transgressions, and that it's typically different from other types of popular music - but then again, I've always thought that metal as such was more progressive than other genres of popular music. I mean the time changes and complexities have been there since the day of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple and many extreme metal (and non-extreme metal bands) bands use completely unorthodox song structures. That is one of the reasons why I don't buy into the rigidity-of-meta- argument that I encounter in some prog rock circles. Also, how can an ever developing genre with so many subgenres as metal even be considered rigid?

Anyway.My favorite prog metal acts are the obvious ones: Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz and Queensr�che. In addition, I like a number of progressive extreme metal bands like Cynic, Atheist, Obscura, Death, Invocator and Pestilences "Spheres" and progressive power metal bands like Symphony X and Anubis Gate. There are also bands which are not always considered progressive metal bands as such, but who, I think, a worthy of the progressive tag - namely Iron Maiden with their changes of tempo, epic tracks, guitar harmonies and so on, and Mercyful Fate with their completely different approach to song structures and Coheed and Cambria (who are probably not even considered metal by many) with their conceptual lyrical universe.

Progressive metal has been derided as being pretentious and all technique and no heart, but, to be honest, what I like a bout it is the more cerebral approach to music and all the thought that's behind the music. I do find odd time signature and unusual chord progressions and the like inspiring and I love the fact that many progressive metal songs have so many different parts that listening to one song equals the experience of listening to a whole album in other genres.