The Best Progressive Metal Bands

[J-Dubya 777]

Your loss, man. Not everybody is blessed with good taste OR respect for other's preferences, lol. However I understand and respect the tastes of people like yourself. Anyway, my post's intention is to describe my feelings for a band many people might not know, as I take someone else's post about a band I don't know to get to know it. Normally, a prog metal fan is open minded enough to hear all music styles. Taste is a matter of feelings. Whatever makes you rock. Oh, testosterone plays a part too, eheh. Because I don't like Justin Bieber that doesn't mean I should feel some kind of hate for the kid. Get the message?

Not even close, pal, no loss at all. I LOVE the justification that because I don't like PoS, I'm not blessed with good taste in music... That's almost as good as PoS fanbois telling the haters "You just don't get it". If you read my 2nd post on this subject matter, you'd hopefully understand that there is no lack of respect. And what DO you know of my tastes in music? Besides the fact that I like Sy-X (would I have been a co-mod here for all this time if I didn't?) and despise PoS (although I did retain my copy of OHBtCL, it's probably the best they've ever done.) I AM open minded, and I have varied likes in the music spectrum. PoS just isn't one of them. I think you have your hormones mixed up, when I listen to PoS, I think more estrogen than testosterone when I hear them. I can feel my man boobs grow with the first note of any PoS song. Did you know that:

1) I have sat thru portions of every PoS set that they have played at Prog Power USA, including all of it at the first Prog Power in this country?

2) My dislike of PoS is legendary

3) I have had a crowd of people (friends) run out of a resturant and call me out on my hatred?

4) Referring to the leader of PoS as Danny Goldenblow is a term of endearment?

Same lake, different fish, I'm just waiting to set the hook...:Smokedev:

p.s. Justin Bieber is a douche bag with nozzle lips, and is everything that is wrong with pop music...

If that's not enough chum, then there aren't any fish here....

Get MY message?

 

[SolarLuna96]

p.s. Justin Bieber is a douche bag with nozzle lips, and is everything that is wrong with pop music...

Could this be something everyone can agree on?

 

[Sep3]

All rockin' good albums. Check out Odyssey - Reinventing The Past

Hey, thanks for the recommendation. Sound pretty good.

As for the PoS, Psychotic Waltz and Shadow Gallery discussion, I dont like any of them either. PoS doesn't really appeal to me since I like my music much heavier and they are very boring to me. Gildenlöw is technically quite a good vocalist but I don't really like his tone and style at all. Their earlier albums are slightly better but ruined by bad production.

Psychotic Waltz has an extremely annoying vocalist and I don't really like their songs either.

Shadow Gallery is full of cheese and they have way too many poor songs. Baker was decent but I don't like the new vocalist at all.

As for an album that I like, there's this one ridiculously good album that I just recently picked up, Redemption - Snowfall On Judgement Day. I'd describe it as some sort of a weird hybrid between dream theater and nevermore. Apparently Rullo and Romeo have both contributed something on their earlier albums. I don't really know if I like Fates Warning that much, but Ray Alder fits really good to this band and I'm planning to get more familiar with their production as soon as I've had enough of the newest album.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I've pretty much hated everything Redemption has ever done EXCEPT their debut, which they dislike. THAT album ruled. Everything since sounds like FW2.0 and not at all in a good way. Songs like "Sapphire" are so Cheesy even Wisconsin would reject them.

 

[Sep3]

Heh, you're right. Seems like everything in between has a very thin soundscape to start with. I like the latest album tho, as it's actually much closer to nevermore than FW and there's no sign of the thin soundscape whatsoever. "Leviathan Rising", "Peel" and "Fistful Of Sand" especially drew my attention.

"Sapphire" was awful. I'll have to see on that first album later.

 

[aXvXiA]

I've looked long and hard for another band like S-X to fill in these 3 or 4 year gaps between releases, but I feel like I have been largely unsuccessful. Nevertheless, I've found some other stuff that I like. Since most of these haven't been explicitly mentioned in this thread yet, here's what I've enjoyed that is somewhat Symphony X-ish in nature:

Pagan's Mind - Enigmatic:Calling - Once you get over the "Norwegian" vocals and puzzling lyrical directions, the guitar work is quite catchy.

Myrath - Hope - Tunisian band that takes cues almost directly from Sym. X and Dream Theater, and are developing a style of their own (esp. on their latest album, Desert Call).

Andromeda - All albums - A more "traditional" prog metal band that definitely have some chops and produce the occasional good song.

Dream Theater - Awake - This is my favorite DT album, and I think it's often overlooked. It has have some badass riffs, and Labrie is almost tolerable in his grittier and darker style.

Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray - Possibly my favorite album of all time. It take several listens to get into it, as it is on the slow side, which is why it seems to be overlooked as well.

Seventh Wonder - All albums - I've only heard snippets from these guys, but they seem like they are VERY good. I usually listen to music at work, and the guys make fun of the vocalist in this band. Truth is, he sings the hell out of these songs with a very fluid style that makes metalcore vocals look like the trash that they are, and I think it makes my co-workers uncomfortable.

Jeff Loomis - Zero-Order Phase - His debut solo album is a shred that is not to be missed. Some good stuff on here, esp. if you like Nevermore.

Other bands often recommended that haven't been mentioned here and I do not really like as much: Suspyre, The Hourglass, Dreamscape, and Darkwater.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

I've pretty much hated everything Redemption has ever done EXCEPT their debut, which they dislike. THAT album ruled. Everything since sounds like FW2.0 and not at all in a good way. Songs like "Sapphire" are so Cheesy even Wisconsin would reject them.

Yah Hey Dehr!!!! Leave us out of it!

 

[Kenneth R.]

There's good cheese too. You guys are good cheese. So is the annual cheese run. Oh yes.

axvxia: Pleasant Shade of Grey is AWESOME. Definitely FW's best album.

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

Cap, you were definitely way out of line!

No mention of Circus Maximus in your list? They are one of my next choices after SX in the prog metal genre.

 

[Capitao]

Not even close, pal, no loss at all. I LOVE the justification that because I don't like PoS, I'm not blessed with good taste in music... That's almost as good as PoS fanbois telling the haters "You just don't get it". If you read my 2nd post on this subject matter, you'd hopefully understand that there is no lack of respect. And what DO you know of my tastes in music? Besides the fact that I like Sy-X (would I have been a co-mod here for all this time if I didn't?) and despise PoS (although I did retain my copy of OHBtCL, it's probably the best they've ever done.) I AM open minded, and I have varied likes in the music spectrum. PoS just isn't one of them. I think you have your hormones mixed up, when I listen to PoS, I think more estrogen than testosterone when I hear them. I can feel my man boobs grow with the first note of any PoS song. Did you know that:

1) I have sat thru portions of every PoS set that they have played at Prog Power USA, including all of it at the first Prog Power in this country?

2) My dislike of PoS is legendary

3) I have had a crowd of people (friends) run out of a resturant and call me out on my hatred?

4) Referring to the leader of PoS as Danny Goldenblow is a term of endearment?

Same lake, different fish, I'm just waiting to set the hook...:Smokedev:

p.s. Justin Bieber is a douche bag with nozzle lips, and is everything that is wrong with pop music...

If that's not enough chum, then there aren't any fish here....

Get MY message?

LOL. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you on the Justin Bieber thing, but I don't go and lose my time saying bad things about him on someone's thread. That is really the point I wanted to make. I expressed what I felt about a band and maybe someone else could get interested by it and give it a try. All you did was making fond of someone's taste and try to put the band down, and that's not cool. If you don't like it, just keep it for yourself.
Anyway, you're right, I don't know what your tastes are. Man, I don't even know you. I was only joking about the good taste thing, you should take it lightly. But at least we have one good taste in common: I love Symphony X!

 

[Kenneth R.]

welcome to the dysfunctional family

 

[Capitao]

LOL Sorry, dude, but I have to agree with Ken here.

Yeah, I agree with him myself. That didn't go out well. Maybe it's because I'm fed up with people criticizing others just because they don't like the same things. I may be a prog fan, but I like many other styles, even out of the Metal scene. I apologize for that statement.

 

[Capitao]

welcome to the dysfunctional family

eheh I see what you mean...

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

It's all good, man.
Just misunderstandings.

 

[Postulate]

I can feel my man boobs grow with the first note of any PoS song.

Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray - Possibly my favorite album of all time. It take several listens to get into it, as it is on the slow side, which is why it seems to be overlooked as well.

So good. Part VIII is genius put to music

 

[Capitao]

Fates Warning. Great band, though I lost track of them after No Exit. That makes me curious. Gonna listen to the rest of the discography. I wonder why I never got back to them.

 

[Prog is King]

Cap, you were definitely way out of line!

No mention of Circus Maximus in your list? They are one of my next choices after SX in the prog metal genre.

Did you check out my list from yesterday. Circus Maximus is one of my
favorites. They should have a new CD soon! A few years ago they opened
for Symphony X. I would have liked to have seen that show.

 

[Postulate]

Fates Warning. Great band, though I lost track of them after No Exit. That makes me curious. Gonna listen to the rest of the discography. I wonder why I never got back to them.

Perfect Symmetry, A Pleasant Shade of Gray, and Disconnected are all excellent. The other stuff is pretty good, but I'd go for those three first easily.

 

[Prog is King]

I've looked long and hard for another band like S-X to fill in these 3 or 4 year gaps between releases, but I feel like I have been largely unsuccessful. Nevertheless, I've found some other stuff that I like. Since most of these haven't been explicitly mentioned in this thread yet, here's what I've enjoyed that is somewhat Symphony X-ish in nature:

Pagan's Mind - Enigmatic:Calling - Once you get over the "Norwegian" vocals and puzzling lyrical directions, the guitar work is quite catchy.

Myrath - Hope - Tunisian band that takes cues almost directly from Sym. X and Dream Theater, and are developing a style of their own (esp. on their latest album, Desert Call).

Andromeda - All albums - A more "traditional" prog metal band that definitely have some chops and produce the occasional good song.

Dream Theater - Awake - This is my favorite DT album, and I think it's often overlooked. It has have some badass riffs, and Labrie is almost tolerable in his grittier and darker style.

Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray - Possibly my favorite album of all time. It take several listens to get into it, as it is on the slow side, which is why it seems to be overlooked as well.

Seventh Wonder - All albums - I've only heard snippets from these guys, but they seem like they are VERY good. I usually listen to music at work, and the guys make fun of the vocalist in this band. Truth is, he sings the hell out of these songs with a very fluid style that makes metalcore vocals look like the trash that they are, and I think it makes my co-workers uncomfortable.

Jeff Loomis - Zero-Order Phase - His debut solo album is a shred that is not to be missed. Some good stuff on here, esp. if you like Nevermore.

Other bands often recommended that haven't been mentioned here and I do not really like as much: Suspyre, The Hourglass, Dreamscape, and Darkwater.

Have you heard of ADAGIO? Very similar to SYMPHONY X. The guitar player, STEPHAN FORTE', has a history that is much like MICHAEL ROMEO. He started playing at a young age, was inspired by YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, and studied music theory and orhestration for years. ADAGIO'S first two CDs are the best. Sanctus Ignis and Underworld. There is also a very good live CD, A Band In Upperworld, which contains songs from the first two. After those, they changed singers and the new guy is more of a growler and the music is much heavier.

Awake is also my favorite DREAM THEATER CD. Outstanding guitar work and
I agree about JAMES LaBRIE. Voices and Scarred are brilliant tracks.

I have just discovered SEVENTH WONDER and I am very impressed.

Other bands/CDs that I recommend are:

VANDEN PLAS -
Christ O
Beyond Daylight
The Seraphic Clockwork
Colour Temple

CIRCUS MAXIMUS -
Isolate
The First Chapter

SERENITY -
Fallen Santuary
Words Untold & Dreams Unlived

If you like JEFF LOOMIS, you might also like:

ANDY TIMMONS - Resolution - Very similar to Zero Order Phase

MICHAEL ROMEO - The Dark Chapter - Instrumental before SYMPHONY X

JOHN PETRUCCI - Suspended Animation - With MIKE PORTNOY on Drums

 

[Capitao]

Perfect Symmetry, A Pleasant Shade of Gray, and Disconnected are all excellent. The other stuff is pretty good, but I'd go for those three first easily.

Thanks for the tip. Will do that. No Exit is a good album, but I guess at the time I was a bit deceived by the change of singers and the production of that album. I was youger and and less receptive to changes, I guess that's why I never got back to them.