Unexpected moments of progressive brilliance...

[Till Fjalls]

It's a funny thing what you can realize when you go back in the past.. This is what I've stumbled upon lately.

Well, at this point in my life, I am obsessed with progressive music, mainly metal. I love Opeth, camel, Sinkadus, Anglagard, Arcturus, ulver, death, etc... I've tried to figure out why I l8ike this, but I can't really get a definite answer. However, I have noticed, upon listening to some old favorite albums, that a LOT of the music I listened to was pretty damed progressive, at least for the time, and for the genres. Here's some examples:

Foo Fighters-The Color and the Shape-This was one of my favorite albums when It came out. I listened to it endlessly. Now I look back, and I realize how unconventional this record is. Sure it's aimed at the rock/pop market, but Grohl pulls off some very cool stuff on this album. For me at the time, some of the odd riffs (my poor brain, new way home, etc...) were new to me....And some of the riffs are just weird. Yet I loved them....

Steve VaiPassion and Warfare--Well, his music is just whacked out. Gotta love it.

Metal Church-Two songs in particular, Badlands, and Anthem to the Estranged. Two of my fave songs by the band, and as I see now, very long, going through many changes, and kick ass riffing. Far from pure prog, but a departure from the norm nonetheless!

GNR: Coma-What else can I say? They pushed the limits of rock with this song. I don't even want to know what kind of drugs slash was on when he wrote the riffs for this....Wow, absolutely briliant display of an unconventional approach to writing.


Well, that's just a few examples. Give me more of non-metal/non-prog bands that have ventured into progressive territory. It's kinda interesting to hear artists let themselves go once in a while.

 

[Imaril]

Cake is a good example, progressive not just in their style, but the way they have interpreted some great old tunes, like 'I will survive', and 'perhaps perhape perhape'.

I reckon that the Red Hot Chilli Peppers is one of the most Progressive bands ever. Listen to the early stuff (uplift mofo party plan etc.) through to B.S.S.M and Califorication, all in the context of what was cool when they came out. I reckon they are a band that got popular by accident.

FOO is good too...

A band you probably have never heard of (from Austraila) OnINC. a mix of funky electrionic, scraching, drum kit and bongos, flute, and punchy sometimes rappy lyrics. Totally not metal but pushing the boundarys of funky dancy type stuff (yet still being good- lots of improv.)

Beck, and lets not forget the old stuff, Jethro Tull, Pink Flyod, Led Zepplin, and so much more.

 

[Cutter]

I'm not sure it gets much more 'progressive' than Mr Bungle. Talk about genre breaking, Patton fucks shit up like a ten tonne hammer (Machine Head gag for all you old-school nu-mettallers)...

or something...

 

[Kushantaiidan]

I never thought about that with the foo fighters.. and now that I think about it, yeah, though pop, they did push boundries. Another band that comes to mind is Faith No More, they progressed to a point in Album of The Year where they were just plain difficult.

But my first real discovery of Prog metal was Opeth.. and then one day, I discovered Yes... and now I'm finding everything else inbetween..