BeyondCosby: The State of Prog '19

Friday13th 04.17.19	I love all things prog with few exceptions. I'm not big into djent or metalcore prog. I do love 70s prog the most since it was the biggest explosion of sounds, but I don't mind modern bands sounding retro. There are plenty of modern bands that don't sound retro if you dig deep enough. I really think people who criticize all new prog as not fresh enough are using a higher standard than they use for other genres. No genre is pure innovation after innovation for 50+ years. Prog is old, so of course there are some conventions like any genre. I could do a rundown of the past 20+ years of anyone's favorite genre and show that prog is not any less continually innovative. Sure, something like Dream Theater's new album isn't terribly innovative. Neither are most new jazz, pop, or hip-hop albums. People just don't like the style, which is fine, but I think the claim that prog is less innovative than other genres is false.
theYearis1999 04.17.19	myles oliver- the train beyond home
Divaman 04.17.19	I'm mostly in the throwback category. My favorite modern prog band right now is Mostly Autumn, which is definitely a throwback kind of band. My favorite prog metal band is Nightwish. I'm fine with bands making whatever kind of music they want to make, but this is the kind of prog that I enjoy.
Hawks 04.17.19	Get on Soen if you haven’t.
DoofDoof 04.17.19	Get well soon prog
Divaman 04.17.19	I'll I've them a listen, Hawks. Thanks.
MrSirLordGentleman 04.17.19	inb4 Sinternet saying prog sucks
BookoftheFallen 04.17.19	leprous!
BeyondCosby 04.17.19	I tried Soen with Lykaia and there wasn't really anything to draw me into it. I'll give Lotus a fair shot though. @divaman I'll check them out! Anywhere I should start with them? @book my buddy actually just got into them and I've dug what I've heard so far. I don't know why I never checked them out earlier haha.
Divaman 04.17.19	For both bands, I'm way familiar with their newer stuff, although I know Jethro is a big fan of their earlier material. But I'd go with "Sight of Day". For Nightwish, I'd go with "Endless Forms Most Beautiful".
BeyondCosby 04.17.19	I've checked out a handful of Nightwish, but I don't really know where I stand on them yet. There hasn't been anything I've heard from them that has wow'd me.
SitarHero 04.17.19	This year is turning out to be just silly with prog records. Tool(!!!) and Mastodon are also rumoured to be putting out records.
BeyondCosby 04.17.19	If Tool does I'll be legitimately shocked. I know they have confirmed and confirmed again, but at this point it's pretty George R. R. Martin. Until the new record is in my hands I won't believe it. I'd heard Mastodon was in the studio, but no word on anything yet. I'd also heard that Protest the Hero was in the studio a while ago, but I haven't heard boo about that either.
BlazinBlitzer 04.18.19	Prog is really tricky. It might be my favorite collective of genres out there, but it's quite hard for most prog-based bands to master their concepts and make their music exceptionally interesting. If an easy comparison were to be drawn here, 90% of prog bands very talented with their instruments (though vocalists about 70% of the time in this genre), so those looking for complexity are often not let down here. However, it's what prog groups do with these complexities and grand, often fancy progressions that has the ability to make prog genres so special. The difference in greatness when talking about progressive genres can often boil down to groups that just play their talents (Periphery, TesseracT, etc.) and others that use those talents to say something within their music (King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Dreadnought). As far as appeals go, the mentioned characteristics of prog (throwbacks, modernization, seriousness, and cheese) can all be key pieces to wonderful music or complete setbacks in the way an album presents itself. That's why progressive music can be so special when any of those things perfectly hits its stride.
BeyondCosby 04.18.19	When you say a band that just plays their talents, are you saying that you think they are musically gifted but, vocally, they don't seem to tackle deeper topics?
BlazinBlitzer 04.18.19	Not just vocally or lyrically, but even the instrumentals of those bands don't have much of a relatable atmosphere and when they do it often feels forced and scripted. Though that can just boil down to some groups being better at making captivating instrumentals than others.
BeyondCosby 04.18.19	Interesting. I've always thought that bands like TesseracT and Periphery nailed atmosphere really well. Not too overdone, but tasteful. I guess I've just never felt like it was forced for the sake of having atmosphere. Especially on last years "Sonder". Songs that needed a breath in them or before them had them. Now Dream Theater... sometimes it feels forced there. or the new Devin Townsend.
sixdegrees 04.18.19	the absolute state of prog
BeyondCosby 04.19.19	The Prog of State, Absolute
SitarHero 05.01.19	Opeth might be releasing a new album this year too! :o This is turning out to be a helluva year for prog.
BeyondCosby 05.01.19	Never really hit Opeth. Them and Leprous are two bands that are on my short list, but I just haven't pulled the trigger yet.
SitarHero 05.01.19	I'm not a fan of Leprous. I saw them live and the vocalist's constant falsetto usage for like an hour+ set made me almost violently angry. I'm getting angry just thinking back on it. I've heard the albums are great but I have no desire to go check them out now.
Firedust 05.01.19	Periphery ain't prog tho
SitarHero 05.01.19	pErIpHeRy AiNt PrOg ThO
BeyondCosby 05.01.19	Lol by what definition?