So yeah, progressive music. I figured if anyone was going to get things back in business on MS and make the place not seem like a ghost yard anymore it would the guy with no life...

So anyway, progressive music...long drawn out compositions, conceptual continuity, odd time signatures, virtuosity...I dunno really...anyone wanna come on here and generally talk about progressive music, here you go...welcome back...

Progressive, just the word makes me drool. When it comes to progressive rock and metal, I think everybody got their own way to define it. When something is progressive, I think of jamming, when a band is just playing a song, but just playing what they like, so it seems like their just jamming, and putting sick guitar riffs and strange drum beats in the song all of sudden. So it just seems like they played the first thing that came across their mind. Its pretty hard to describe, but im in love with progressive genre, both rock and metal, its fantastic.

I think that the best thing in progressive metal (or rock) is the structure that doesn´t fall to the regular structure and also the long time of the musics

Anything innovative and new can be called progressive. As long as the band's style doesn't sound too common.
I tend to call bands which most people here probably won't call progressive 'progressive'. Like The Mars Volta for example. Their music is so totally different than other bands. Their style is unique and it's very technical too.
The term 'Progressive' for music is hard to describe, it just isn't applied for just rock and metal.

The most complex kind of metal!! =) I love all bands of progressive metal.
Ye "Twilight" is right I just apply it for metal and rock and Mars Volta for me is alternative//progressive rock, their last album is more common but anyway is cool, the first one was fucking mad. If you like progressive metal you cannot miss Wingdom!! A progressive metal band from Finland!! With the ex-bassist of Rhapsody!

Great Thread , so hearing Progressive I think WOW ... I really like any type of progressive music , just to think that the music is uhmmm ''Progressive '' ia amazing , is music that is well study well design well play , well written it just amazing ... like someone said once ... there's nothing like a non -pointless band or music ...ohh thw wonderful guitar riffs ... it just excellent..great type of music ..I wish I could describe it more but as they say is a little hard since it got so many elements ..

the combination of several instruments, use of synths, we can hear the bass clearly. the complexivity of the song construction and the one concept behind the cd. besides that i think the solos are also a mark of progressive music, we often hear 3 solos in just one song, that also explains why generally the songs are longer. I think that basically progressive is about combining several elements to expand one song and give it more than one direction.

Yeah this is good @BloodTears many instruments combine and solo's are a big big part of progressive music or metal ..and I like what you say is combining different things to give it more than one direction .. I know they have a lot of influences to do this not only one kind of music but many including Jazz ... Great opinion ....

yes, for instance the classical influence is notable in progressive compositions, in general of course because every band is a diferent band.

I love the way progressive combines so many elements of music.The lyrics are usually outstanding,the musicians are usually at the virtuocity level.Progressive music to me can give you anything you need the jam part in the musical box by Genesis and then you have songs like Crystal lake by Klaus Schulze which you can relax to but yet you want more.For me Progressive music is the most creative and adventurous kind of music there is.Saying that on a metal site might not be the best idea but as far as im concerned its the truth.

Written by Twilight on 17.05.2006 at 21:57

Anything innovative and new can be called progressive.

You can't actually call progressive to anything innovative and new because progressive music (not just progressive metal) has specific elements. here's some:

- concept albums, with progressive lyrics through the entire album or even through different albums, giving it a sense of epic storyline
- long and irregular compositions, sometimes without chorus or even without a main melody
- several transitions between clean and distorted guitars between songs or through a single song
- extensive use of keyboards as well as classical instruments
- irregular drums tempos, many transitions between slow and fast tempos
- unusual scales and rythms
- solos in almost every instrument

most of these elements were already implemented on progressive jazz some decades ago so its not anything new. progressive rock, and more recently progressive metal, only introduced electronic components to it

i agree with everything else that everyone already said

www.progarchives.com

Good thread. I've always defined progressive metal/music for it's complex and elaborate arrangements, intricate sounds, technical songwriting, advanced musicianship, long compositions, use of synths, odd time signatures and so on. It drew many of it's influences from jazz fusion and classical. It's the most creative, innovative and intricate style of music I've heard.

Furthermore, the evolution of progressive music has been rather interesting from Yes and Rush developing further into the prog metal sound such as Dream Theater, but before that Queensryche and Fates Warning who were already playing heavier based progressive music. It's great to hear how the genre has evolved from the beginning of the 70's to modern time.

Written by snifs on 14.06.2006 at 07:26

Written by Twilight on 17.05.2006 at 21:57

Anything innovative and new can be called progressive.

You can't actually call progressive to anything innovative and new because progressive music (not just progressive metal) has specific elements. here's some:

- concept albums, with progressive lyrics through the entire album or even through different albums, giving it a sense of epic storyline
- long and irregular compositions, sometimes without chorus or even without a main melody
- several transitions between clean and distorted guitars between songs or through a single song
- extensive use of keyboards as well as classical instruments
- irregular drums tempos, many transitions between slow and fast tempos
- unusual scales and rythms
- solos in almost every instrument

most of these elements were already implemented on progressive jazz some decades ago so its not anything new. progressive rock, and more recently progressive metal, only introduced electronic components to it

i agree with everything else that everyone already said

To me, a lot of music I consider 'progressive'. But you're right, not everything innovative can be called 'progressive'. I don't think the elements you posted can be applied to 'progressive trance' or 'progressive house'. Yes, that exists as well, and those music styles really don't have solos, irregular drum tempos and unusual scales. The 'concept album' thing is generally also something that can't be applied to every progressive piece, but there are a lot of concept albums indeed, that's a fact.

Written by Twilight on 14.06.2006 at 11:09

To me, a lot of music I consider 'progressive'. But you're right, not everything innovative can be called 'progressive'. I don't think the elements you posted can be applied to 'progressive trance' or 'progressive house'. Yes, that exists as well, and those music styles really don't have solos, irregular drum tempos and unusual scales. The 'concept album' thing is generally also something that can't be applied to every progressive piece, but there are a lot of concept albums indeed, that's a fact.

Yes, progressive trance and progressive house (which are very close to each other) have no solos (obviously) but they do have irregular tempos, i think the number of bpm's is exactly the line between both. also they constantly use synths and other electronic instruments to create complex rythms (though i cant really understand that complexity as im not into trance or house but thats what people who use to listen it say).

About the "concept album thing", of course it cant be applied to every piece. That's why there are bands which are purely progressive and others which have progressive influences. take dream theater and system of a down as examples. dream theater make use of most progressive elements. system of a down have no concept albums, they do not sound technic, their songs are not long nor complex at all, althought they make several transitions in tempos and rythms. And you probably already heard some people calling them progressive metal. Not purely, but they do have influences.

I dunno where I picked this up, but it seemed really stupid: Progressive metal is a genre that unites elements of different other works, blending them, mixing them. Thus progressive artists rarely play compositions purely their own.

Anybody PRO/CON care to discuss?

I like progressive metal because I consider it an intelligent genre, complex music, different lyric themes, and some good musicians.

@ Bluecifer: what do you mean by "artists rarely play compositions purely their own"??

When I think progressive, I think Fantomas and Delirium Cordia. It's just an hour of drawn out lapses of different musical concepts/backgrounds that just have an uncanny ability to blend in with each other really, really well.

progressive music is intact and perfect genre in metal and in composing

Can anyone recommend me a good progressive metal album that has some aggression to it, and/or some great time signature work? I've been listening to Protest the Hero and Between the Buried and me a lot and I'm intrested in finding some other bands that can blow my mind like that. As a starter point, I already listen to Opeth, so please no Opeth recommendations.

I'll rec a few to return the favour (=
Alchemist (got Australian/New Zealand Tribal influences as well.)
To-Mera (female vocals, just in case you are against that sort of thing, but they are heavy instrumental-wise)
Oceans Of Sadness (just listened to it for the first time the other day, love it)
Winds (a bit harder to get into, but when I first heard it, I knew it's cool music that takes time)

everything is imo anyway

Try In Mourning, their debut is one of last year's best metal albums.

Written by Elio on 26.08.2009 at 18:39

Try In Mourning, their debut is one of last year's best metal albums.

he started the In Mourning topic here
but yes, great album

Written by Ag Fox on 26.08.2009 at 18:41

Written by Elio on 26.08.2009 at 18:39

Try In Mourning, their debut is one of last year's best metal albums.

he started the In Mourning topic here
but yes, great album

Haha I didn't start it, I was 2nd tho! lol Thanks for the recs, I'll check them out.

@ Elio: Thanks, I have already heard the album tho, and it's not only one of my favorites for the year, but one of my favorites in general. I'm highly anticipating their new album.

Sorry, my memory is degrading D:

Lol ok, then you could try Enslaved, I've only heard their last album and didn't liked it that much, but they are highly considered.

Written by Elio on 26.08.2009 at 19:00

Lol ok, then you could try Enslaved, I've only heard their last album and didn't liked it that much, but they are highly considered.

I actually really like their last album as well lol. Thanks tho, I have some stuff from them on my list to check out. I liked their album Ruun as well.

Written by MeloDeathViking on 26.08.2009 at 17:36

Can anyone recommend me a good progressive metal album that has some aggression to it, and/or some great time signature work? I've been listening to Protest the Hero and Between the Buried and me a lot and I'm intrested in finding some other bands that can blow my mind like that. As a starter point, I already listen to Opeth, so please no Opeth recommendations.

Have you heard anything from a Dutch band called Textures, if not i can highly recommend them, alot of polyrythmic and odd timesignatures, plenty of agression, and they are catchy ass hell!

Written by RockeRoy on 26.08.2009 at 20:07

Written by MeloDeathViking on 26.08.2009 at 17:36

Can anyone recommend me a good progressive metal album that has some aggression to it, and/or some great time signature work? I've been listening to Protest the Hero and Between the Buried and me a lot and I'm intrested in finding some other bands that can blow my mind like that. As a starter point, I already listen to Opeth, so please no Opeth recommendations.

Have you heard anything from a Dutch band called Textures, if not i can highly recommend them, alot of polyrythmic and odd timesignatures, plenty of agression, and they are catchy ass hell!

I've heard that Drawing Circles is really good, so I might get that. I just read about a band called Contol Denied, so I think I might give them a try as well, saw a their cd for like $5. So if by the end of the day I haven't heard anything else I like, I think it's gonna be Textures, Control Denied, and maybe Redemption.

Written by MeloDeathViking on 26.08.2009 at 20:10

Written by RockeRoy on 26.08.2009 at 20:07

Written by MeloDeathViking on 26.08.2009 at 17:36

Can anyone recommend me a good progressive metal album that has some aggression to it, and/or some great time signature work? I've been listening to Protest the Hero and Between the Buried and me a lot and I'm intrested in finding some other bands that can blow my mind like that. As a starter point, I already listen to Opeth, so please no Opeth recommendations.

Have you heard anything from a Dutch band called Textures, if not i can highly recommend them, alot of polyrythmic and odd timesignatures, plenty of agression, and they are catchy ass hell!

I've heard that Drawing Circles is really good, so I might get that. I just read about a band called Contol Denied, so I think I might give them a try as well, saw a their cd for like $5. So if by the end of the day I haven't heard anything else I like, I think it's gonna be Textures, Control Denied, and maybe Redemption.

Control Denied made only an album, they were another project by Death's leader, Chuck Schuldiner. IMO their album is quite similar to The Sound Of Perseverance, so if you like it it's already a good start.