who do you think are the best bands actually in the prog metal scene?

[soul choir]

Who do you think are the best bands in the prog metal scene today?
And the best albums?
is the future of prog a melt between metal,art rock, alternative music with soundscapes, close to Fripp and Steve Roach?

 

[quaoar]

Hard to tell, but here are some current favs of mine:

Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane
DT - Scenes From A Memory
Threshold - Subsurface

btw.: does Enchant play Progmetal in your opinion? If so, than my list from above is incomplete.

 

[The Stormbringer]

Absolutely not. No abundant doublebase drumming, no chugga-chugga riffing, no shredtastic guitar pyrotechnics. Thankfully.

 

[Ze Dan]

I think the best prog acts today are
Riverside
ACT
Andromeda
Enchant
The Third Ending

 

[slowhand]

it's a matter of definition - what prog means...
so in the original sense of prog (doing something new) there are bands like

porcupine tree
radiohead
tool
sigur ros
pain of salvation

in the more traditional way (repeating and mixing the sound already existing):
the tangent (one of my faves)
the flower kings
spock's beard
riverside
pallas
pendragon
usw...

the godly Enchant are no 'prog'band for me - they are just one of the greatest melodic rock acts these days - with unique attitude und great melodylines.
->that's why I love their music that much

 

[jdryyz]

I think its safe to say that Fates Warning fits in the "prog metal" category.

One of my all time faves, by the way.

 

[The Stormbringer]

I think its safe to say that Fates Warning fits in the "prog metal" category.

Oh yes. If there's any one band on this planet that deserves that label, it's Fates Warning... after all, they created that genre almost single-handedly.

 

[slowhand]

Oh yes. If there's any one band on this planet that deserves that label, it's Fates Warning... after all, they created that genre almost single-handedly.

Yeah...forgot them!

 

[Burke]

Hear hear for FATES



As far as my current fav prog metal?
One band immediately comes to mind:

DREAMSCAPE

 

[soul choir]

Yeah, Enchant are great, but probably more melodic than really a progressive band. As for the discussion, there's prog metal, which combines (in my opinion), the Rush style with a more heavier sound which results in bands like Fates Warning, Shadow Gallery, Enchant or Dream Theater (these latest with a far more progressive approach, more experimental) and even Sieges Even. Now there are also other bands today, like Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Pain of Salvation and Sylvan, combining other styles. That's how I see progressive in metal developing, with the same meaning it had in the 70's. Probably these bands shouldn't be just called prog metal. But if we spread the spectre, of course there are bands like The Flower Kings, The Tangent, Spock's Beard, I.Q., Jadis, Pendragon, Arena also doing prog close to metal. And if we go more further Sigur Ròs to some and probably Steve Roach who's close to Robert Fripp approach, beeing more electronic though. If this isn't progressive, there's a term, avant-garde, where bands like Riverside, Porcupine Tree or Pain of Salvation could fit in. This is the main difference I think, the more traditional prog-metal and the more modern (if i should call this), that combines more styles and diverges from metal.

 

[YouthanAsia]

I don't think Enchant is metal. While some songs do have some metallic tendencies, I think they belong to Art Rock. But I love them, together with the bands listed on my sig!

 

[soul choir]

Hear hear for FATES



As far as my current fav prog metal?
One band immediately comes to mind:

DREAMSCAPE

I like Enchant's album "Break" a lot too. All songs are great and full of melody.
There are so many bands i could name that i love.

 

[The Wickerman]

is the future of prog a melt between metal,art rock, alternative music with soundscapes, close to Fripp and Steve Roach?

I hope so. I find those types of bands far more compelling than pure progmetal.

Also, I don't consider Enchant to be a progmetal band either. In fact, I wouldn't even really label them as a prog band. To me, they're more like melodic rock with prog elements thrown in.

 

[JOSENCHANT]

hey i think my progressive metal favourite bands at the moment are:
pagan´s mind, andromeda, wolverine, darksuns,circus maximus, redemption,and waiting for symphonyx new cd!!

 

[ebass]

Hey where is the love for Kamelot? they are right at the top man, maybe not so progressive but they kick ass, I give Redemption a very high vote along with the Zero Hour crush! We are talking progressive metal now right.

Soul Choir, change the word, best to favorite, it is impossible to say who is best. Its all just taste. Good post though, always amusing.

.....................and we are many things including prog metal for sure. Our power is not in the volume or heavy guitars but more in the emotions of the songs!

 

[purplica]

Hey where is the love for Kamelot? they are right at the top man, maybe not so progressive but they kick ass, I give Redemption a very high vote along with the Zero Hour crush! We are talking progressive metal now right.

hey, u going to see them at the pound?

Soul Choir, change the word, best to favorite, it is impossible to say who is best. Its all just taste. Good post though, always amusing.

yeah, like little kids, people always end up fighting about who is "best".

.....................and we are many things including prog metal for sure. Our power is not in the volume or heavy guitars but more in the emotions of the songs!

for sure!

i'm not that much of a proggy listener, so i don't think i can answer the questions asked with competence. one of my faves is pain of salvation. but even so, i can't mention only one of their albums to be my fave ... i'd say it's a tie between perfect element I and remedy lane.

 

[Wounded Land]

Ayreon
Dream Theater
Opeth
Pain of Salvation
Riverside
Tool

This is the top tier of contemporary progressive metal as far as I'm concerned.

NP: Dream Theater "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence"

 

[soul choir]

Hey where is the love for Kamelot? they are right at the top man, maybe not so progressive but they kick ass, I give Redemption a very high vote along with the Zero Hour crush! We are talking progressive metal now right.

Soul Choir, change the word, best to favorite, it is impossible to say who is best. Its all just taste. Good post though, always amusing.

.....................and we are many things including prog metal for sure. Our power is not in the volume or heavy guitars but more in the emotions of the songs!

I agree totally! And i have to say that Enchant are really a fantastic melodic band. I love A BLUEPRINT OF THE WORLD. I hear it a lot. I've been a huge fan of Marillion in the eighties and when i hear Enchant i find that it captures the same emotive feeling that they had. Like a cross between that and Rush, also a great band. For instance to talk about emotions, i quite enjoy listening to Tears for Fears and I know it's an Enchant influence.
I also hear David Sylvian, Steve Roach and plenty of things outside the prog environment. My intention was just to hear opinions about good music, not to label anyone in a negative way. Thanks for the thoughts

 

[soul choir]

Hey where is the love for Kamelot? they are right at the top man, maybe not so progressive but they kick ass, I give Redemption a very high vote along with the Zero Hour crush! We are talking progressive metal now right.

Soul Choir, change the word, best to favorite, it is impossible to say who is best. Its all just taste. Good post though, always amusing.

.....................and we are many things including prog metal for sure. Our power is not in the volume or heavy guitars but more in the emotions of the songs!

To talk about progressive metal, Ed, i have to say that Shadow Gallery are really on top in my opinion. I remember in the beginning of the nineties when those cover albums from Magna Carta came out, Working man, Supper's ready and Tales from yesterday, and i thought at the time, wow great bands, regarding Shadow Gallery and Enchant. I also think Sylvan can be considered prog metal, although they claim to be art rock, i quite love them, think their latest "Posthumous silence" is a wonderful album along with "Artificial Paradise".
They're full of melody also reminding Marillion in times. Riverside is a great band too in my opinion, and Sieges Even are very progressive but it's very beautiful. "The art of navigating by the stars" is pure art, to me. And The Flower Kings, they're really kings, very complex at times, melodic at others.
I like these guys (with Enchant included) because they can be prog, sometimes can be metal, but there's lots of emotion. Keep the good music, Ed

 

[ebass]

Soul Choir

Thanks again very much for your kind words and support of the band. And your post is a good one. These are always fun because it is just that and opinion and taste. But what better place to get opinions and ask these questions. You find som many great bands and are turned on to so much good stuff here in this forum.

As far as progressive metal goes? and the future. Good questions. But its all taste I guess?

Thanks again, and I really don't think anyone thought you were labeling anything in a negative way at all.

Post anytime and often OK.