Propyro wrote:flint_the_dwarf wrote:And Propyro, don't think of it as progressive metal. It's Progressive Metal, not metal that is progressive.

It may seem like semantics, but it is more of a title than a description. There is more to it than that, but I don't know it all so I'm not going to pretend I can tell you.
ok, what your saying probably isn't that hard to understand, but i'm getting lost ... do you mean Mettalic Prog and not progressive metal? then i suppose that by that logic nu-metal is progressive metal, but not mettalic prog ... dose any of this make any sense?
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In a sense, all metal is progressive as long as it changes in a forward direction but not necessarily
Progressive. So, yes, some nu-metal is progressive.
Otohiko, do you mean Prog Metal as the genre that I've become interested in? If so, Dream Theater is very often the standard. Other bands...
Andromeda - very fast, blazing guitar/keyboard solos/duels
Ark - decent shredding, some power guitar, great soulful vocals from Jorn Lande
Ayreon - progressive space metal, appearances from various musicians
Beyond Twilight - another band of Jorn Lande's, similar to Ark
Conception - Khan's, the singer from Kamelot, previous band... power/prog metal
Dali's Dilemma - haven't heard enough, heard they were similar to Dream Theater
Fates Warning - more prog, nothing outstanding, Pleasant Shades of Grey is a great concept album
Gordian Knot - diverse shredding and intricate guitar work featuring several very talented guitarists
Hourglass - new prog metal band featuring some interesting guitar riffs and almost nu-metal vocals but sung with talent
Liquid Tension Experiment - you know about them
Magnitude 9 - similar to Symphony X but a little more proggish
Pain of Salvation - not quite as blazing prog metal, very talented vocalist is one of the best writers in the genre
Planet X - instrumental project of Derek Sherinian, basically mindless shredding
Section A - prog band fronted by one of the more rare non high-pitched vocalists
Star One - Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the brain behind Ayreon, orchestrates some more very nice space prog metal
Symphony X - personal favorite, but I'm not sure I can call them prog... they're closer to neo-classical prog power metal
Those are all my personal favorites anyway.
Have you heard of bands like Porcupine Tree, Transatlantic, or White Willow? I think you'd be interested in them. I'll copy and paste a description from one of each of their albums.
Procupine Tree - Metatonia -"First time on CD for this release of improvisations recording during the Signify sessions. This is 65 minutes of looooonng trippy instrumentals definitely treading very close to Set The Controls Floyd territory.
Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever - Latest from the neo-supergroup featuring Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Neal Morse (Spock's Beard), Pete Trewavas (Marillion), and Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings). Naturally you'd expect epic prog and they deliver - the disc consists of 4 tracks, two of which clock in past 25 minutes.
White Willow - Ignis Fatuus - The group was originally formed as a folk ensemble incorporating progressive rock instruments like synthesizer and Mellotron into their sound. With increased exposure to the new Swedish bands Englagard, Landberk, and Anekdoten the band's sound became more symphonic, gradually developing into an unusual hybrid which seamlessly blends progressive, classical, and folk elements. White Willow's music is very dark - almost gothic. The blending of acoustic instruments with Mellotron creates an atmosphere akin to King Crimson's "In The Court Of The Crimson King". The songs on "Ignis Fatuus" vary in length from the brief 2 minute choral arrangement on "Song" to the Crimsonish 12 minute instrumental "Cryptomenysis", which is based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft. The band mixes short moody songs with long heavy progresive epics like the 11 minute "John Dee's Lament". At times the lyrics are rather melancholy focusing on age old topics like unrequited love and death. Other songs like "Now In These Fairy Lands" have fantasy themes. This 68 minute CD features a wonderfully open and transparent audiophile sound. Rounding out the package is an incredible cover painting from a rising star - graphic illustrator Thom Ang.
Yeah, I also kind of figured you've heard of Flower King's, Marillion, and Spock's Beard...