Top 10 Progressive Metal releases

[rms]

Dead Reckoning is defitenely their weakest Prog cd, it leans more to that mainstream feel that their older albums dont have..never was a fan of the singer before Mac but he was amazing live.

 

[~Neurotica]

Why the hell am I not seeing fucking Beyond Twilight in anybody's list?
Have you even heard this band?! Shame on you...

 

[King Richard]

I'm late on this, but home is one of my favorite songs, period

fuckin .

Why the hell am I not seeing fucking Beyond Twilight in anybody's list?
Have you even heard this band?! Shame on you...

Obviously I deserve a spanking.

 

[MetalAges]

Surprised that Dead Reckoning or Hypothetical isn't up there. I didn't really like EI

Hypothetical is really cool, but there's something about extinct Instinct that just oozes classic to me. The songwriting, the melodies, the playing, lyrics - heck Eat the unicorn alone jacks it up many notches!

I like most all the threshold catalog though (although Clone didn't do much for me).

Why the hell am I not seeing fucking Beyond Twilight in anybody's list?
Have you even heard this band?! Shame on you...

I like the band, but for me they just don't rank into the top spots like what I listed. Great releases though.

 

[~Neurotica]

Well, nice to know that somebody has heard it. Releases are really good. Great vocals, considering that they have 3 different vocalists on each of 3 albums.

 

[MetalAges]

I forgot another honorable mention:

Madsword - The Global Village

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Some brilliant recommendations in this thread. I just picked up Orphaned Land's "Mabool" last night and it really is superb. I'll also go along with whoever it was talking about Sieges Even's "Paramount": brilliant album, download "Tidal" and you'll be convinced.

I'd also like to point out that I really don't understand the love for "Recreation Day" by Evergrey. Don't get me wrong, I love the band but "The Inner Circle" and "In Search of Truth" (which is a PHENOMENAL disc) completely destroy it.

But anyway, my list in no particular order...

Evergrey - In Search of Truth
Therion - Gothic Kaballah
Ayreon - Into The Electric Castle
Shadow Gallery - Tyranny
Dream Theatre - Metropolis 2: Scenes From A Memory
Lacrimosa - Fassade
Lacrimosa - Echos
Savatage - Streets
Rush - 2112
Fates Warning - Awaken The Guardian

Honourable mentions for Amaran's Plight - Voice In The Light, I love it but only got the CD a few weeks ago and need a bit of perspective to see just how good it is. Also Royal Hunt's "Moving Target" - I always preferred it to "Paradox". Also Ayreon's "Human Equation", it was close between it and ITEC but Human Equation is at times a bit cheesy and scmaltzy for my tastes.

 

[Vitor]

lacrimosa???

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Yeah I kinda figured this would start a thing about genre definitions etc. I was just working from the earlier response of progressive being any "technical" type of metal. Granted, Lacrimosa are arguably not even metal but if not what are they? Classical? I mean...listen to Liebesspiel and tell me that's not metal.

 

[Vitor]

they are gothic

 

[Burkhard]

1. Atrox - "Terrestrials"
2. Atrox - "Orgasm"
3. Madder Mortem - "Desiderata"
4. Atrox - "Contentum"
5. Voivod - "Nothingface"
6. Mekong Delta - "The Music Of Erich Zann"
7. Sieges Even - "Steps" (it's at least metal-related)
8. Fates Warning - "Awaken The Guardian"
9. Psychotic Waltz - "A Social Grace"
10. Voivod - "Dimension Hatröss"

 

[optionthree]

Going to give this a bump since there are so few topics on progressive metal on this board. Anyways, since I can't bear to cut one of these albums:

1. Queensryche - Promised Land
2. Vauxdvihl - To Dimension Logic
3. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Grey
4. Atheist - Elements
5. Dodheimsgard - 666 International
6. Dream Theater - When Dream and Day Unite
7. Spiral Architect - A Sceptic's Universe
8. Gordian Knot - Emergent
9. Psychotic Waltz - A Social Grace
10. Symphony X - V
11. Crimson Glory - Transcendence

 

[XSASweet]

Even when I liked DT, I hated awake. I don't know, it just sounds so lame to me.

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

My favorites..

1. maudlin of the Well - Leaving Your Body Map
2. Queensrÿche - Rage For Order
3. Gordian Knot - s/t (barely qualifies as metal, but!)
4. WatchTower - Control and Resistance
5. Cynic - Focus
6. Ephel Duath - The Painter's Palette
7. Believer - Dimensions
8. Spiral Architect - A Sceptic's Universe
9. Opeth - Morningrise
10. Ark - Burn the Sun

 

[The Ozzman]

Yeah, I need to re-evaluate my list as Spiral Architect is probably on it now

EDIT: Yeah, Awake sucks

 

[Vegard Pompey]

^Not listening to you. However, Awake is far from their best effort.

To me, a list of my favourite prog metal albums is essentially a list of my favourite albums... But anyway, I'll make another list: There should be some changes, for one thing I've finally started liking Opeth.

Almost in order:

1. Devin Townsend - Terria
2. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
3. Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris
4. Dream Theater - Images & Words
5. Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory
6. Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine - Biomech
7. Voivod - Dimension Hatröss
8. Voivod - Nothingface
9. maudlin of the Well - Bath
10. Opeth - Blackwater Park

 

[optionthree]

Hmm, I really like Awake, but I listened to it again and it wasn't as good as I remembered. I replaced it with the debut, which is one of the most underrated progressive metal albums out there. I limited my list to one release from each band, too, otherwise Queensryche and Fates Warning would have been on there three or four times each.

 

[Omni]

1. Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

 

[Black Friday]

1. Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

.
The only perceivable problem is that the first track is so awesome as to make everything after it seem tame.

 

[ShredHeadJHJ]

Anyone who lists Ayreon and Dream Theater are gays.

They're only at the top of the genre for what they do. Well, maybe Ayreon is not "metal" but they're going in my list anyways because ItEC is so fucking bad ass.

1) Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory/Awake (Tie)
2) Ayreon - Into the Elctric Castle
3) Spiral Architect - A Skeptic's Universe
4) Spastic Ink - Compatible
5) Atheist - Unquestionable Presence
6) Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy
7) Orphaned Land - Mabool
8) Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernal
9) Art Metal - Art Metal
10) Dan Swano - Moon Tower




EDIT: Forgot Maudlin of the Well's "Bath". Stick that shit in there somewhere before Dan Swano.