interesting point of discussion-Help with research for my dissertation,Please Reply

[wolfster]

Hey guys,

For my Dissertation, I have decided to look at innovations in metal, focusing on Progressive metal. I will be studying Meshuggah, dillinger, planet X and spastic ink. If you guys could me with some research It would be very much appreciated.

I will post another thread looking for your opinion on why this innovation has come about(if at all),the culture and attitude around the prog metal, and how fans and musicians alike identify themselves with the music soon.

But for now ,I have been thinking about what defines Prog metal - its history, background, musical features etc. This kind of categorising of sub genres is a difficult thing to do, and paricularly so with Progressive metal, as the bands associated with it tend to include alot if influences and styles into their music.

If you guys could suggest any better ways of attempting to label Prog metal then by all means say!

But for anyone interested, with the inclusion of all aspects of the music(cultural,social,aesthetics of the music etc),

what defines Progressive metal?

 

[optionthree]

Well, if you're going to be writing about the origins of progressive metal, you should probably focus on the bands who created the genre, i.e. Fates Warning, Queensryche, Watchtower, Dream Theater, Voivod, etc. The genre itself was initially based on combining the heaviness of bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and the like with the unconventional song structures and instrumental virtuosity of 70s progressive rock bands like Yes, Genesis and Rush. The movement started in the mid-80s, but really took off in the mid-90s, with many bands incorporating more extreme elements (Meshuggah, Cynic, Pestilence), increased technicality (Spiral Architect, Spastic Ink, Psychotic Waltz), or as many carbon-copy elements of Dream Theater circa 1993 as they possibly could (Symphony X, Vanden Plas, Vanishing Point). One of the big paradigms that seems to have arisen regarding the genre is the usage of the term 'progressive' - whether as a brand (Band X is progressive because they sound like Dream Theater/Pain of Salvation/insert big-name progressive metal band here), or as an adjective (Band X is progressive because they incorporate elements or stylistic choices that take metal to places it has not gone before).

Kind of rambled a bit there, but I think that's some decent starting material. Hope this helped!

 

[wolfster]

Well, if you're going to be writing about the origins of progressive metal, you should probably focus on the bands who created the genre, i.e. Fates Warning, Queensryche, Watchtower, Dream Theater, Voivod, etc. The genre itself was initially based on combining the heaviness of bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and the like with the unconventional song structures and instrumental virtuosity of 70s progressive rock bands like Yes, Genesis and Rush. The movement started in the mid-80s, but really took off in the mid-90s, with many bands incorporating more extreme elements (Meshuggah, Cynic, Pestilence), increased technicality (Spiral Architect, Spastic Ink, Psychotic Waltz), or as many carbon-copy elements of Dream Theater circa 1993 as they possibly could (Symphony X, Vanden Plas, Vanishing Point). One of the big paradigms that seems to have arisen regarding the genre is the usage of the term 'progressive' - whether as a brand (Band X is progressive because they sound like Dream Theater/Pain of Salvation/insert big-name progressive metal band here), or as an adjective (Band X is progressive because they incorporate elements or stylistic choices that take metal to places it has not gone before).

Kind of rambled a bit there, but I think that's some decent starting material. Hope this helped!

Thanks man, Some great info here! Especially the last point - I suppose the term shifted once new and upcoming bands began to draw influences from the first 'progressive' metal bands. This is to say that basicaly the novelty of the genre wore off and the term - along the characteristics of the music and culture - became a brand for fans to identify with.

 

[SentinelSlain]

If you're mentioning prog rock, the song Hocus Pocus by Focus was apparently quite important.

I suppose at the end your going to have to find some bands that are progressive in that they actually do take prog metal somewhere new and say something like, for Prog metal to actually be what it says on the tin blah blah, this will have to be blah blah.

 

[waif]

If you guys could me with some research It would be very much appreciated.

You accidentally the whole dissertation?

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Hopefully he uses better English on the dissertation than he does in his posts.

 

[waif]

If you're mentioning prog rock, the song Hocus Pocus by Focus was apparently quite important.

My friend played me the album that's from and it's ridiculous. Steve Harris was heavily influenced by prog rock, for the record, especially Genesis, I think.