Epic metal vs progressive metal

[audiophileguy]

which do you prefer?

 

[MasterOLightning]

I guess I would say progressive metal because there is no such thing as epic metal.

 

[skeptik]

There's no such thing as progressive metal either if you want to get technical about it.

 

[MasterOLightning]

I was thinking of something along the lines of Dream Theater as progressive metal. Can you really put them in any other category? I doubt there is any epic metal band that can't be placed in a genre. Plus, it's easier to identify something as progressive rather than epic, which is totally subjective.

 

[skeptik]

Neo-classical/Power Metal? I don't know, I don't listen to them. All I know is that progressive is not an apt term to describe a type of music by the meaning of the term.

 

[MasterOLightning]

I generally agree. But if someone describes a band to you as progressive, doesn't that give some indication as to what the music will be like? When I hear someone say a band is epic or has epic qualities, I basically have no idea what they mean.

 

[skeptik]

I have an idea in either case, and both kind of have two meanings. Progressive can either be crap like Circus Maximus or things that are truly progressive, which basically means that you expect to hear something that you wouldn't expect to hear, which transcends genres. Epic can mean either long, drawn out songs or songs that actually have an "epic" feeling to them, which transcends genres.

 

[MasterOLightning]

It seems that things that truely are progressive usually end up with the avant-garde tag these days.

 

[Demilich]

Epic metal can also be taken as a particular vein of heavy/power/trad or whatever you prefer... all depends on who you'e talking to.

 

[genocide roach]

epic.

i like to feel like im running into battle
~gR~

 

[Killbot]

I'd have to say this is the worst match ever, not least because the two things don't exist.

 

[Zephyrus]

Rather than liking those genres on their own, I prefer stuff that adds the prefix "epic" or "progressive" to my more extreme genre preferences such as "progressive death metal/black metal" or "epic black metal".

 

[Wires & Waves]

my dicks pretty epic when its progressing up a ladys puss>:]

 

[CF87]

I guess I would say progressive metal because there is no such thing as epic metal.

Maybe epic metal might be a genre. I do hear things in bands that are epic to my ears. I'm going to notice something epic than if something is progressive. Some bands people consider progressive don't sound progressive to me. It seems some people are basing progressive based on guitar solos/mainly 80's sounding metal solos. Nevermore for example mainly play there riffs on 2 strings on a seven string guitar, but people say it's progressive(same with meshuggah). There is nothing wrong with that by why would these bands be considered progressive over other bands in metal.

 

[Susperia]

Can't really stand Progressive... only Pain of Salvation once in a while.

Love good epic metal... Primordial, Thyrfing, that sort of thing.. but not the Power Metally type usually.

edit: Benjamin go to your room!!

 

[Demilich]

doesn't epic metal exist? If people want to call some metal "epic metal," it exists!

 

[Necro Joe]

I just read the question as 'do you prefer your metal epic or progressive', setting the terms against one another in what I see as a fairly sensible opposition. Oh and to answer it: I find metal which tries to be epic is more consistantly enjoyable but appreciate genuinely progressive bands more in the long run.

Example of a good epic band: Doomsword.
Example of a good progressive band: Mastodon.

 

[Saparmurat_Niyazov]

I prefer mundane and regressive metal, tbh.

 

[MasterOLightning]

Maybe epic metal might be a genre. I do hear things in bands that are epic to my ears. I'm going to notice something epic than if something is progressive. Some bands people consider progressive don't sound progressive to me. It seems some people are basing progressive based on guitar solos/mainly 80's sounding metal solos. Nevermore for example mainly play there riffs on 2 strings on a seven string guitar, but people say it's progressive(same with meshuggah). There is nothing wrong with that by why would these bands be considered progressive over other bands in metal.

Metal certainly can be epic, but epic is no more a genre tag than raw, or technical, or atmospheric. At its root it has to be something else. What one person finds epic, another may not. In fact, I think epic is less quantifiable than raw, technical, or atmoshperic.

Metal considered progressive usually marked by non-traditional song structures, usually long(er) songs, odd time signatures/time changes, and I think most importantly, non-metal influences. It seems like throwing enough mellow or acoustic parts in an album makes it progressive. I accept Meshuggah as progressive; they play in enough odd times, and their approach to writing songs has been far from typical on the last two releases. Progressive also has come to mean anything that sounds kind of like Dream Theater.

 

[The Heartbreak Kid]

Well if we're looking at Dream Theater being Progressive metal, then its PM for me.