pjquinones747
09.10.25 | Good luck soldiers. |
pyroflare77
09.10.25 | That's because first two Persefones are the best. Aathma, from what I remember, is a distant third compared to those two.
Dessiderium is pretty dope. Aria should be right up your alley.
I haven't heard In Mourning in ages but the debut was good and the recent one is getting traction. Will probably re-check them, but I remember them being a deathier Opeth.
Also check Pandemonium. The album Insomnoia is a good starting point and their best. Melodeath with plenty of prog, but it's not the more melancholic style that Be'lakor and Insomnium do.
Switching away from prog death to prog...
Gonin-Ish is one of my favorite bands. Zany Japanese extreme prog with prominent piano but that description of long journeys and heroic riffs fits the bill. Naishikyo Sekai is where to start, check my review of it for more detail.
Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor definitely also has those journeys.
Cormorant is also super dope, but they have some different sounds across their albums. Metazoa is more melodeath/trad metal with death; Dwellings is blackened heavy. Both of those two have some of the best lyrics in metal if that's a thing you like. Said lyricist left the band after this. Earth Diver and Diaspora are more prog black and not as good but at very least the song Migration from Diaspora should be checked out.
Also it's nowhere near as bombastic as Opeth or NeO, but maudlin of the Well is also essential prog metal. Bath. |
Hawks
09.10.25 | In Mourning - Shrouded Divine
Into Eternity - Buried in Oblivion
Insomnium - Above the Weeping World
Dark Tranqullity - Fiction
Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows
Swallow the Sun - The Morning Never Came
Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendoe
Xanthochroid - Blessed He With Boils
Persefone - Core
Wintersun - Wintersun
Ingurgitating Oblivion - Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light
Be'lakor - Stone's Reach
Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
Skyfire - Spectral
Mercenary - 11 Dreams |
Keyblade
09.10.25 | Kalisia - Cybion
way more epic in scope than either of these tho, like they even created a whole language for the album lol |
Futures
09.10.25 | u need extol- undeceived friend |
pjquinones747
09.10.25 | @pyroflare77: I'm checking out Dessiderium to start with this. I haven't even truly begun with Japanese prog so Gonin-Ish sounds really intriguing, I'll probably try that next. Forgot about Cormorant! Awesome band. I've been a little tired of black/gaze/ambient variants of metalsince I was binging it for a few years straight but I'll have to check that again. That whole variant with bands like TGOO, WITTR, Cormorant, Saor, Falls of Rauros, etc. is pretty close when scratching the itch I made this list about so i'll probably get back around to it soon! Thanks so much for the detailed reply! |
pyroflare77
09.10.25 | The first two Cormorants are not like the last two Cormorants |
pjquinones747
09.10.25 | Yeah dude Dessiderium has the riffs I'm looking for. Doesn't even need the singing. Well done on this rec. |
botb
09.10.25 | The last tomb mold scratched that itch for me |
pyroflare77
09.10.25 | Don't know if you're working backwards or not and I haven't heard early Dessiderium at all, but Shadow Burn might be darker since that was an album made out of a therapist's suggestion to put all those feelings over the sudden death of his girlfriend into something. Aria and Keys to the Palace were older compositions refined over time, with the latter predating the other two. So the trio really feels like a nice package about grief and eventual acceptance. |
pjquinones747
09.10.25 | Oh wow thats wild. I covered the most recent two and will go back soon. Spotify gave me Changeling at the end of the newest Dessiderium album and it is pretty fucking awesome for what I was requesting here. |
Hawks
09.10.25 | Are you gonna add to the list as you jam? I'd like to know what you think of some of my recs! |
ComeToDaddy
09.10.25 | Putting in a hard [2] for Disillusion's Back to Times of Splendor and Persefone's Core. I've got a playlist for prog metal in this particular vein and those 2 albums are all stars on there.
A big one that seems to be missing from your ratings is Edge of Sanity's Crimson albums. Akerfeldt on vocals on the first one, both got stellar remasters in 2025 and they're on the tier of Opeth's best stuff.
Would also suggest Disillusion's EP Alea, especially since it's a quick and easy 10min spin. It's a lot softer but has the vibe and fits the style well. |
pjquinones747
09.10.25 | @Hawks: can do! it'll take me a little bit though I only get a couple hours a day to spin lately |
Hawks
09.11.25 | No problem!! |
Beardog
09.11.25 | In Vain - Solemn is something nice. Might scratch a bit of that Dopeth itch.
Aeternam - Last three records. Arabian Opeth I guess.
Dvne - More sludgy but also epic
Textures - Djent but can also get cool and epic
Conjurer - Perhaps more on the heavy side but also cool |
bens
09.12.25 | The Reticent - the oubliette
you can thank me later... :) |
Orb
09.12.25 | Dvne - Eteman Aenka is all you really need tbh |
pjquinones747
09.12.25 | First update! I'll dig deeper soon but I'm hoping 8-11 highlight a bit more of what I value with this type of sound. Production value is a high priority. Yes yes I'm a poser I accept it. |
Beardog
09.12.25 | Posers for life PJ!!! |
pjquinones747
09.12.25 | Pose long brother |
SuzyC
09.15.25 | That Insomnium album is incredible in my opinion. |
Hawks
09.15.25 | Nice update. |
Beardog
09.15.25 | Seems I'm not a fan of that Dessiderium record sadly. For sure a respectable record but a bit too much for me |
pjquinones747
09.15.25 | Alright I'm finally listening to Disillusion and I'm having revelations. I finally see where Ne Obliviscaris must get a lot of their influence and I'm incredibly happy about it! This band is hammer on nail what I was hoping for. Probably the earliest instance of the sort of writing formula that seems to match NeO in terms of bombastic orchestral elements and heroic riffs blending black death tech and prog. |
pyroflare77
09.15.25 | fwiw I thought keys to the palace was also a little much. Aria is better imo |
pjquinones747
09.15.25 | I can see that. It's close to Dragonforce and Seventh Wonder level convolutedness. |
Beardog
09.16.25 | Sadly I don't think I will be checking more of the band's records in the meantime.
I see I have heard Disillusion before but I don't really remember liking it or not. Strange that I haven't rated it, perhaps I need to dive back in. |
Jmal00
09.18.25 | Edge of Sanity? Definitely check out that if you’re looking for epic death. |
ComeToDaddy
10.20.25 | Dropping back in here to mention the new An Abstract Illusion album is exactly this style, first album to hit the spot on this kinda thing in a few years for me |
