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Albums You Should Check Out Instead Of New Dream Theater
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Thumbs up: +6
Dream Theater are good for what they are, and what they are is a stepping stone into prog. To be fair, they have some great albums (WDADU, I&W, and Awake), but once Kevin Moore left, it's been a steady decline, leaving nothing but scattered moments.
These bands are, in a way, the 'next step.' They represent the meat of prog, in albums that showcase the range of the genre.

Created by: BigNaughtyV | 05.02.2016


1. Anekdoten - Vemod
1993, 'old' school heavy prog, not dissimilar to fellow Swedes Änglagård.
2. Arcane - Known​/​Learned
2015, similar to the Dream Theater sound, with massively better execution.
3. Arena - Contagion
2003, prog rock, technically, easy to get into.
4. Beardfish - Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two
2008, kind of in the space between rock and metal, this band; my favorite of their work.
5. Communic - Waves Of Visual Decay
2006, a fairly 'classic' prog metal sound, similar to Nevermore, but with a greater focus on songwriting over riffwork.
6. Crimson Glory - Transcendence
1988, 80's prog, not dissimilar to Queensryche's 'Operation Mindcrime,' big 80's heavy metal feel.
7. Deadsoul Tribe - The Dead Word
2005, a dark, moody atmosphere with a warmth of tone created by strong bass presence and a distinctive tribal flavor to the drumming.
8. Disillusion - Back To Times Of Splendor
2004, a German band, so, naturally, a bit on the heavier side.
9. Dissona - Dissona
2012, technical, heavy, wonderful vocals, just a beautiful album.
10. Edge Of Sanity - Crimson
1996, the greatest album ever made, in my mind. Excellent use of motif and general composition, plus Mikael Akerfeldt on guest vocals.
11. Enslaved - Ruun
2006, mixes vintage prog with black metal, and, come on, the album opens with mellotron.
12. Fates Warning - Disconnected
2000, Kevin Moore's post Dream Theater band, for a more pensive brand of progressive metal.
13. The Flower Kings - Unfold The Future
2002, The Flower Kings are known for gargantuan releases, at the very least, listen to 'The Truth Will Set You Free.'
14. Green Carnation - Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness
2001, the epitome of an epic, the entire album is a single hour long track.
15. King Crimson - Discipline
1981, extremely influential record in regards to guitar technique, lots of poly-rhythms, time signature changes, and complex harmonies.
16. Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome
2009, numerous similarities to Opeth, but closer to prog than death, this album features their most intricate compositions.
17. Orphaned Land - Mabool
2004, one of the absolutely best composed albums of all time, there are so many layers to the instrumentation, takes some time to dissect and fully appreciate.
18. Pain Of Salvation - The Perfect Element, Part I
2000, personally, I prefer Remedy Lane, but this album is easier to get into. This band's work ages extremely well.
19. Pendragon - The Masquerade Overture
1996, prog rock, technically, but nevertheless a tremendously good record.
20. Persefone - Core
2006, dense, rewarding record with lots of groove, plus you'll get to say you know a band from Andorra.
21. Seventh Wonder - Mercy Falls
2008, big concept album, requires gestation.
22. Sieges Even - The Art Of Navigating By The Stars
2005, an oft overlooked gem of progressive music.
23. Subterranean Masquerade - Suspended Animation Dreams
2005, more avant-garde than prog.
24. Witherscape - The Inheritance
2013, another Dan Swano record, the riffs are of particular note here.
25. Zero Hour - Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond
2006, more of the 'classic' modern prog metal sound with lots of added bass.


Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by BigNaughtyV ]



Comments

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Comments: 9   Visited by: 65 users
05.02.2016 - 11:30
Hazelnut Nero
Nice list man . I had some of these albums included when io made my top 100 prog list . Disillusion - Back To Times Of Splendor...what a beast of a prog album . It is sad that they are familiar to a limited crowd. They deserve more.
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08.02.2016 - 03:48
BigNaughtyV
Written by Hazelnut Nero on 05.02.2016 at 11:30

Nice list man . I had some of these albums included when io made my top 100 prog list . Disillusion - Back To Times Of Splendor...what a beast of a prog album . It is sad that they are familiar to a limited crowd. They deserve more.

Thanks.
I tried to include a good chunk of lesser known bands here, lots of the 'hidden gems' I've found browsing around on this site (Disillusion, Dissona, Sieges Even..)
Many of them are quite accessible and age well. I'm surprised they aren't so widely known.
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08.02.2016 - 10:27
Hazelnut Nero
Suspyre is a good example of a band that is not widely known too.
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09.02.2016 - 22:15
BigNaughtyV
Ill check it out. Thanks.
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16.03.2016 - 07:57
K✞ulu
Seeker of Truth
Lol at this list. I thought it would have only 2016 records. Nice list though, but since you have Anekdoten there why not add Anglagard?
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16.03.2016 - 08:11
slim pickings
Account deleted
Written by K✞ulu on 16.03.2016 at 07:57

Lol at this list. I thought it would have only 2016 records. Nice list though, but since you have Anekdoten there why not add Anglagard?

I thought it would be a 2016 list, too.
A lot of great albums in the list, I agree

@Ktulu - because you like Anglagard
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16.03.2016 - 08:26
BigNaughtyV
Written by K✞ulu on 16.03.2016 at 07:57

Lol at this list. I thought it would have only 2016 records. Nice list though, but since you have Anekdoten there why not add Anglagard?

Hybris is easily one of the top prog records ever made and I certainly considered including it. However, the band isn't on the site and I wanted to limit the list to 25 (arbitrary, I know, but this doesn't need to be super exhaustive). I'll add a note in the Anekdoten entry though, comparing the two.
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07.04.2016 - 02:39
robpal
Proglord
Nice list, many of these albums are my (all-time) favorites too. Thumbs up for Sieges Even.
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30.01.2019 - 15:14
John doe
Love your opening statement (and the list title, LOL), it's also nice to see Kevin Moore era of DT getting some love (usually it's just I & M).

Anekdoten at no. 1? Awesome, love that album, my favorite from them.

a lot of great ones in there.
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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