Ten essentials albums of progressive metal

[Taliwakker]

1.Ark-Burn the Sun
2.Dream Theater-Images and Words
3.Symphony X-The Odyssey
4.Pain of Salvation-The Perfect Element
5.Star One-Space Metal
6.Freak Kitchen-Dead Soul Men (these guys have chunky odd time riffs and awesome solos so they are in)
7.Meshuggah-None
8.Devin Townsend-Terria
9.Tool-Aenema
10.Watchtower-Control and Resistence

not in any specific order......

 

[v01c354nd51gn5]

lol, crap, i like Tool, mostly cuza Danny Carey, but i'd say they are more prog than not prog. sorry guys, i forgot that list said sum'm about Tool. k, uhhh, pretend that rule #5 is not on that list, and that its only the 100 rules of prog metal. and everyone needs to add Power of Omens's 'Rooms of Anguish' to your lists!, prolly 'Eyes of the Oracle', too, but i'm waiting to get that when its remastered soon.

 

[v01c354nd51gn5]

thats rule #51, not #5. sorry, this loser cant type today.

 

[-Rivfader-]

Tool is definitely Prog to me. Odd times, complex music/rythms, many changes, progressing songs that take you on a journey. Honestly, they are so unique you really can't label them, but to me Prog comes closest. (Keep in mind Prog itself is a very broad label - think of all the bands that fall under this umbrella).

But Industrial? Excuse me, but !!! Industrial is stuff like NIN, Ministry, etc. Tool is nothing like that. Yes, Tool is dark and very rythmic oriented, but beyond that the similarities to industrial end. Call them whatever you want if it makes you happy, but don't limit yourself by liking music if it fits/doesn't fit your label.

Im a HUGE tool fan, got all the albums, 3 shirts, and like 5 posters in my room. It was all I listened to for years untill I discovered bands like SyX/Adagio etc. Tool is very unique (like Pink Floyd) and doenst really fit into any label, but if I had to pick one, it would shurly be Industrial/Metal..Sure the timing is crazy, hell, the drummer is fuckin NUTS . but theres never any complex guitar parts/solos, or Keys, and you surly cant call something Prog Metal without having crazy guitar solos and keys. Mabie you could even consider Tool "Melodic Metal" or "Ambient Metal" or even "Alternative Metal" if that really makes any sence, but not Prog..

You cant genrematch Tool, they are just Tool.

 

[cacko]

- Pain Of Salvation - Entropia
- Pain Of Salvation - One Hour By The Concrete Lake
- Pain Of Salvation - The Perfect Element I
- Adagio - Underworld
- Symphony X - The Odyssey
- Andromeda - Extension Of The Wish
- Dead Soul Tribe - A Murder Of Crows
- Beyond Twilight - The Devil's Hall Of Fame
- Dream Theater - When Dreams And Day Unite
- Dream Theater - Awake

 

[arglebargle]

Tool is prog-rock, case closed. If you disagree, you're wrong.

I'll try to limit my list to one album per artist.

Vanden Plas - Beyond Daylight
Symphony X - V
Andromeda - Extension Of The Wish
Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory
Pain Of Salvation - Entropia
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
Opeth - Still Life
Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
Emperor - Prometheus
Edge Of Sanity - Crimson II

The last two are questionable, I guess, the Emperor disc is kinda prog-black and the Edge Of Sanity is kinda prog-death.

 

[The Patient]

Why does everybody have to fight over Tool?

My list would probably go as this (and expecting to be flamed for #4)

1. Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element Pt.1
2. Dream Theater - Metropolis pt.2 - Scenes From A Memory
3. Tool - Lateralus
4. Ayreon - Into the Electric Castle
5. A.C.T. - Final Epic
6. Pain of Salvation - (The rest of their albums, just so they won't take up all the space)
7. Dream Theater - Awake
8. Andromeda II=I (yes, this album is better than Extension of the Wish! )
9. Masterplan
10. Symphony X - The Odyssey

Runners up:
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus
Metallica - ...And Justice for All
Ark - Burn the Sun
The Flower Kings - The Rainmaker
Transatlantic - A Bridge Across Forever
Spock's Beard - Feel Euphoria

that's enough, i think...

 

[grandbazaar]

1. Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory
2. Evergrey - In search of Truth
3. Evergrey - Recreation Day
4. Symphony X - Divine Wings of Tradgedy
5. Dream Theater - Images and Words
6. Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
7. Amaran - Pristine In Bondage (kindda proggy)
8. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon
9. Dream Theater - Awake
10. Symphony X - The Odyssey

 

[Destroyer Of Orden]

1. Symphony X - The Odyssey
2. Dream Theater - Images & Words
3. Dream Theater - Awake
4. Symphony X - Divine Wings of Tragedy
5. Opeth - Still Life
6. Pain Of Salvation - One Hour By The Concrete Lake
7. Pain Of Salvation - The Perfect Element I
8. Adagio - Underworld
9. Symphony X - V
10. Dream Theatre - Train Of Thought

 

[Thornmoon]

Some bands/titles that are never far from reach:

Cynic: Focus
Spiral Architect: A Skeptic's Universe
Fate's Warning: Disconnected
Symphony X: V
Symphony X: The Odyssey
Pain of Salvation: One Hour by the Concrete Lake
Pain of Salvation: The Perfect Element Pt. 1
King Crimson: The Power to Believe
Shadow Gallery: Tyranny
Tool: Lateralus
*Zero Hour: The Towers of Avarice

 

[Lord Of The Snow]

4. Metallica - Load

I knew this thread would be silly, but I didn't imagine it would be that silly.

 

[SevenString]

hmm... 10 "essentials", huh? well, it's all subjective, but if i were stuck on an island with only 10 CDs, it wouldn't do me any good, because i wouldn't have a CD player or electricity.


seriously, here's my list of CDs that sort of define the genre to me:

Symphony-X : The Odyssey
Vanden Plas : Beyond Daylight
ARK : Burn the Sun
Dream Theater : Images and Words
Kamelot : Karma
Threshold : Critical Mass
Soilwork : Natural Born Chaos
Evergrey : In Search of Truth
Lucassen's "Star One"
Fate's Warning : Perfect Symetry


Like some other's here, I limited it to one CD per artist. If not, I would have had to include huge chunks of Sym-X and DT's catalog.

 

[The Patient]

I knew this thread would be silly, but I didn't imagine it would be that silly.

Well, I always loved that album. Since I'm into alot of different styles of music, it felt natural for me to like it. You'll hear many nods to the classics of rock in that album...

 

[Lord Of The Snow]

Well, I always loved that album.

I always loved AC/DC's "Highway To Hell", but I would never list in the "Ten essential albums of progressive metal". Hope you get the point.

 

[SpiritCrusherX]

If your going by the Rules of Prog, then Tool isnt Prog, its Industrial..no keyboardist..

I would personally classify Tool as garbage

 

[BurnTheSun]

In no order

Dream Theater - Awake
Dream Theater - SFaM
Symphony X - V/The Odyssey
Pain Of Salvation - The perfect element part 1
Pain Of Salvation - Entropia
Ark - Burn The Sun
Evergrey - In Search of Truth
Liquid Tension Experiment - 1 and 2 (so amazing)
Zero Hour - Metamorphosis


i cant think of anymore at the moment

- matt

 

[Platinum Maze]

in no order

Queensryche - Rage For Order
Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry
Fates Warning - APSOG
Symphony X - The Odyssey
Symphony X - V
Symphony X - Twilight in Olympus
Psychotic Waltz - Bleeding
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Engine - Engine
The Quiet Room - Introspect

 

[jester00]

i cant believe more people dont have Into Eternity - Buried In Oblivion

 

[Demonspell]

Well, it just came out last month, so it would be too early to include it on an essential list...but it may very well end up being my album of the year...

 

[SevenString]

crap! how could i have POSSIBLY left Queensryche off my list?!!!

although i'd have to give "Mindcrime" the nod over "Rage", but that's just my personal preference.

If I'm still limited to only 10 in my list, I'd have to replace Kamelot's "Karma" with QR's "Mindcrime", since Kamelot is really only BORDERLINE progressive... more of a power-metal thing, really.