Describe Prog Metal

[karelrulez]

Progressive Metal is, simply put, the only good music in the world. It combines influence from EVERY type of music in EXISTENCE and incorporates them in EVERY song and EVERY album. It is characterized by fast guitar solos, UNBELIEVABLY difficult time signatures like 7/8, 5/8 and 3/8, lots of changes (not like those mainstream shit boring bands LOL) and INCREDIBLY intricate music. There is no music more complicated than prog metal. Anyone who does not agree is wrong and has probably a large deficit of musical intelligence. Ignore them.

You're joking right? There is loads of Jazz that's A LOT more complicated than Prog Metal.

 

[theodyssey]

There is good death metal and black metal and power metal, as well as other forms of music outside of the prog metal genre... though it does look like harp is being sarcastic... *shrugs*

 

[symphonyXjapan]

First of all, I don't believe you can give any definition of prog to someone who doesn't even really listen to metal music or really anyone who doesn't listen to prog in general. IMO prog is any music that incorporates keyboards........I think it best to mention that prog music has keyboards in a decent abundance. Also, the guitars are played with more skillfull techniques than the usual bland monotony of nu-metal. The musicians who compose the music are much more creative and write their music on a higher level than most music is written, they write as well as musicians of classical music do but don't necessarily write classical music. prog metal also has the elements of being heavy and still retaining a high overtone of harmonies.
BTW I think power metal (unless it is REALLY pure, basic pm) is categorized under prog. There are so many sub genres under prog such as epic, symphonic, neo-classical, power. Just having the technicality and using keyboards in creative manners makes a band prog. If you categorized a group not prog cause they don't sound like DT too much cause they sound more epic, or power then you are ignoring what the word "progressive" means.

 

[Harp Heaven]

There is good death metal and black metal and power metal, as well as other forms of music outside of the prog metal genre... though it does look like harp is being sarcastic... *shrugs*

Come on, if my tongue was more in cheek it would be sticking out my nose...

 

[theodyssey]

that's kinda what i figured... plus i just woke up... gimme a break man!!!

 

[Dado-x]

It's all about da skillZ yo.

 

[theodyssey]

i have the definition of prog metal.

Anything KBR deems as prog metal is prog metal. Anything KBR says is not prog metal is not prog metal.

 

[Kate Bush Rules!]

Finally someone sees my point.

 

[theodyssey]

 

[Kate Bush Rules!]

I typed plenty in that old thread I made. Remember the one where there were huge arguments about whether Symphony X were progressive or not? That's the one. Search it out and read it if you want my ideas of progressive metal.

 

[arglebargle]

Haha, V is "devil worship music".

THAT'S WHY THEY SHOULDN'T TEACH MYTHOLOGY IN SCHOOL, Y'KNOW, 'CAUSE IT MAKES KIDS SMOKE CRACK AND WORSHIP SATAN.

 

[theodyssey]

smoke crack and worship satan... alexi had that shirt in the booklet for the new CoB album.

 

[Prismatic Sphere]

Progressive music in general is about great songwriting more than anything else. More specifically a song in this field once it takes off, it never touches the ground; unless it has completed its quest to the satisfaction of the artist, not the listener(that would be a contradiction in terms as prog is probably the only field of music which provides an artist boundless terrain for his own ultimate and original expression for music.

Now introducing someone to progressive metal which is just metal under the above definition is a little trickier and yes, Symphony X are definitely progressive but I wouldn't simply pigeon-hole them in one place. I'd start with a basic template for what you think is a progressive type of structure like "The Edge Of Forever" and then I'd educate them a little on the history. Like Rush's "Cygnus X-1" is a great example. That song has some crazy time signatures and changes but it really freakin' works.

 

[ElPredicador]

you know, I really don't think that the use of deep, intelligent lyrics to be part of prog. I think that, even when a lot of bands use 'deep, itelligent lyrics', that doesn't make them prog, and not using them won't take them out of the prog genre. Mostly lyrics respond to an esthetical sense than to an intellectual one (IMO). lyrics are more of poems than smart messages, even when sometimes they are both.

 

[Grom Hellscream]

to Kate Bush Rules:
You said the band must be progressive from album to album, yes?
so you think : 6DoIT or even Falling into infinity is much better then Awake, or
Remedy Lane >> OHBCL, or Opeth Damnation >> Blackwater Park. That is bullshit!
Besides, Opeth is not progressive, Opeth is boring, same as DT, same as PoS. Same as sometimes SX, don't kill me for that all the others .
You know what is power metal? with stupid drums, stupid vocal parts and cheesy lyrics. It's music for 5-7 times to listen. I've listened to every SX album (not including the first one) to more than 30 times, (V even more than 60).
That's one of the most important features of progressive music - the hidden beauty.
IMHO, DT has no hidden beauty , only skills. And a BAD singer.
I don't know whether SX is progressive, but I know that I love SX. You claim with so damn stubbornness that SX is not prog, that people can think that you don't like them. Well, if you don't like them, what are you doing on this forum?

 

[ElPredicador]

to Kate Bush Rules:
You said the band must be progressive from album to album, yes?
so you think : 6DoIT or even Falling into infinity is much better then Awake, or
Remedy Lane >> OHBCL, or Opeth Damnation >> Blackwater Park. That is bullshit!
Besides, Opeth is not progressive, Opeth is boring, same as DT, same as PoS. Same as sometimes SX, don't kill me for that all the others .
You know what is power metal? with stupid drums, stupid vocal parts and cheesy lyrics. It's music for 5-7 times to listen. I've listened to every SX album (not including the first one) to more than 30 times, (V even more than 60).
That's one of the most important features of progressive music - the hidden beauty.
IMHO, DT has no hidden beauty , only skills. And a BAD singer.
I don't know whether SX is progressive, but I know that I love SX. You claim with so damn stubbornness that SX is not prog, that people can think that you don't like them. Well, if you don't like them, what are you doing on this forum?

@Grom Hellscream: maybe you were a bit extreme. even though i agree that power metal is for a couple of listens, you can't dismiss some kind of music as stupid just because you don't like it.

 

[Kate Bush Rules!]

to Kate Bush Rules:
You said the band must be progressive from album to album, yes?
so you think : 6DoIT or even Falling into infinity is much better then Awake, or
Remedy Lane >> OHBCL, or Opeth Damnation >> Blackwater Park. That is bullshit!
Besides, Opeth is not progressive, Opeth is boring, same as DT, same as PoS. Same as sometimes SX, don't kill me for that all the others .
You know what is power metal? with stupid drums, stupid vocal parts and cheesy lyrics. It's music for 5-7 times to listen. I've listened to every SX album (not including the first one) to more than 30 times, (V even more than 60).
That's one of the most important features of progressive music - the hidden beauty.
IMHO, DT has no hidden beauty , only skills. And a BAD singer.
I don't know whether SX is progressive, but I know that I love SX. You claim with so damn stubbornness that SX is not prog, that people can think that you don't like them. Well, if you don't like them, what are you doing on this forum?

STUPIDITY ALERT

I damn well like Symphony X. But unlike most people on this forum they're not my favourite band or even in my top 5, and unlike most I am able to go against the general opinion that they're a progressive band just because InsideOut Music says they are.

Opeth is quite progressive. They have made some of the most beautiful metal music ever, and they have many influences which they incorporate into their emotional musical journeys. Not to mention that each band member is very talented and inventive. Opeth has the beauty of which you speak.

Dream Theater are also a very original and emotional band. They're much more than just skilled musicians. If you think they show off more than Symphony X, just compare the solos. How many DT solos are at blinding speed compared to SyX ones? SyX show off far more than Dream Theater, it amazes me that people can't see that. James LaBrie a bad singer? Bad singers don't get to be in operas.

By "progression" i didn't mean albums getting better. I meant changing from album to album. Dream theater and Opeth have done plenty of this while Symphony X do not seem to change their style much from album to album.

Power metal isn't all stupid. Blind Guardian don't suck. Nightwish don't suck. Symphony X don't suck. In fact they're all very good bands. I have listened to all these bands far more than just 7 times and I still like them.

 

[ProgMetalFan]

Progressive music in general is about great songwriting more than anything else. More specifically a song in this field once it takes off, it never touches the ground; unless it has completed its quest to the satisfaction of the artist, not the listener(that would be a contradiction in terms as prog is probably the only field of music which provides an artist boundless terrain for his own ultimate and original expression for music.

Now introducing someone to progressive metal which is just metal under the above definition is a little trickier and yes, Symphony X are definitely progressive but I wouldn't simply pigeon-hole them in one place. I'd start with a basic template for what you think is a progressive type of structure like "The Edge Of Forever" and then I'd educate them a little on the history. Like Rush's "Cygnus X-1" is a great example. That song has some crazy time signatures and changes but it really freakin' works.

This is an excellent definition.

 

[Polyeidus]

STUPIDITY ALERT

Mr. Kate Bush Rules!...

Lay off man. Give these people a break. You come here, which is fine, but bring an opinion opposite to the masses, what do you expect? Anyways, where is it written, your definition progressive metal? What about what you call symphonic metal? Is that not progressive metal, when looking back to the founders of prog?

Posting Symphony X is only a power metal band is way wrong, but then you go a step further and include bands like Opeth and Tool as progressive, all I've got to say is that you got issues man. Yes they are progressive, but to see their progressiveness and not Sym X's, it just drives me looney.

Also, InsideOut refers to Symphony X just the same as we do. They correctly place them among not one, but three seperate genres. Progressive, symphonic, AND power. Talk about stupidity alert. What farm did you grow up on? How can you see the progressiveness in Tool, but not see it in Symphony X? And where the heck do you get that album to album crap from? What I mean is, what basis? I know the ins and outs of prog history like the back of my hand, and what your saying just isn't adding up.

This is not 1976, or 1984. It's 2003 duder. Progressive no longer fits into a box. Zero Hour, Sun Caged, Chrome Shift, Ark, Ion Vein, Dali's Dilemma, Silent Edge, Dreamscape, Evergrey, Gracepoint, Pagans Mind, Pathos, Rough Silk, Paynes Gray, Scudiero, Secret Sphere, and Derek Sherinian all fall into the catagory of progressive metal, no matter that they may have elements of power metal, death metal, hard rock, what ever. Geez, man! Don't you see? Symphony X is ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF PROGRESSIVE METAL. If you cannot understand why it's said, if you cannot see how, then I just don't know what else to say.

They began as a progressive metal band taking the genre where it had never gone, and they still are doing just that.

 

[Mr. Shred-ididle]

Bad singers don't get to be in operas.

Yes they do, James Labrie is in a opera:Smug:

Seriously dude, your opinion sucks, there is soo many elements in that post that makes you a hypocrite when you say "STUPIDITY ALERT" its not funny...wait...,it is soooo not funny that its laugable. the very fact that you think LaBrie is a good singer prooves it.

What Poly said.