jrowa001: Top 25 Prog Metal Albums

moltenlava 07.10.08	I'm only familiar with the Ayreon, Zero Hour, Dream Theater and Sympony X titles. Someone recently gave me two mix CDs with tiltes by other bands like Amaran's Plight, Opus Atlantica, Red Circuit and The Armada. Can't really get into the stuff at all.....But, how dare you have a Top Pro-Metal list and not have Operation: Mindrcime mentioned? By far the title with the most intersting and enduring melodies. It acheives what no other Prog-Metal disc has ever done. You can seperate the songs from the larger piece and they all stand on their own as statements. Very little from this lot can claim that.
hermitspancho 07.10.08	fair few of these I need to check out. Have you heard Pathosray's s/t?
TheStarclassicTreatment 07.10.08	1 is easily the best ever 25 is so underrated. Andrew McDermott is a nice guy.
jrowa001 07.10.08	moltenlava: Operation: Mindcrime is great but i barely ever listen to it. so thats why i probably overlooked it when making this list. hermit: no i havent, but ill add them to my wishlist starclassic: yes 25 is underrated, their other albums are really good as well.
moltenlava 07.10.08	Zero Hour is the band that's got me excited the most. I found them through the 'Sensory' label after going all ga-ga over 'Spiral Architect'. Another album that should be on such a list. Along with the first 'Aghora' album. I'd say that these three groups embody what I like about the genre the most.
jrowa001 07.10.08	ive been wanting to get some Spiral Architect for some time, but i havent gotten around to it. i cant really get into Aghora, but i shall try to again soon. it has been a while
Monticello 07.10.08	Someone care to explain to me how Operation: Mindcrime is prog? maybe something to do with when it came out, but it sounds like pretty standard stuff to me. Awesome list jrowa, I have heard none of these except 1, your taste is easy to trust, so i'll see which of these i can find.
jrowa001 07.10.08	Monticello: most consider Operation a prog album because of its concept and structure even though it doesnt sound like much of the prog metal on this list. def check out the other albums here, they are all top notch. btw, i didnt put Pain of Salvation in this list, because i consider them more prog rock. but they could have been on list list. BE would be #2
Shrapnel94 07.10.08	no BTBAM??
jrowa001 07.10.08	read my list description. i was going for more of a traditional prog metal list. hence having no BtBam or Opeth
username345 07.10.08	Needs Psychotic Waltz.
jrowa001 07.10.08	i have A Social Grace waiting to be listened to.
moltenlava 07.10.08	Definitely have to look at some of these other titles. Spheric Universe Experience, I didn't notice at first. I got their first disc, but heard (from you, I think) that the second is much better. One new band that needs to be cited is 'Thought Chamber'. I was seriously impressed with their debut, 'Angular Perceptions'. Great stuff. And, Mindcrime has everything to do with its conceptual nature. It's progressive in the way that all other masterful concept albums are. Things like Quadrophenia, Tommy and The Wall. They're really but one piece of music, with various sub-sections or movements. Rock concept albums as Opera. Mindcrime is not only progressive when examining the changes and briding throughout entire piece, but each individual track has several different sub-structures. It's certainly nowhere as busy, or virtuosic as the groups who have followed in the spirit of Dream Theater. But, no one should confuse 'more notes' with being 'more progressive'.
moltenlava 07.10.08	"bridging"
jrowa001 07.10.08	perfect description of Operation. ill def have to listen to it more, i just tend to skip it. the newest SUE album is def better than their first. it literally beats the hell out of it. i havent listened to Thought Chanber yet, it has been recommended to me before but i havent gotten to them yet
204409 07.10.08	Where is Protest the Hero?!?!??!
jrowa001 07.10.08	why would Protest the Hero be on here? c'mon people read!
moltenlava 07.10.08	Arjen Lucassen/Ayreon's work is most impressive. 'Human Equation' and the new one, '01011001' are great albums. But, it's really the 'Universal Migrator' and 'Into The Electric Castle' collections that leave the listener aghast. Musically, they bury the two most recent titles. Perfect musicianship, provided by the planet's top talent, permeates everything on these discs. That would be impressive enough. Right? Collecting all the top progressive talent from all continents and bringing them into one project. But, the compositions themselves, and the way that all the seperate sections interlink and make sense together, is utterly amazing. Listening to Universal Migrator right now, and Lucassen makes every track sound like it was written by another artist. An illusion that's further fortified by using a different vocalist on each selection. Really, really diverse and powerful stuff on these albums. The guy is in the class of a Mozart.
Murmur 07.10.08	I'm going to have to look into most of these. Also can you do a list for prog death/other extreme styles.
moltenlava 07.10.08	[quote]ive been wanting to get some Spiral Architect for some time, but i havent gotten around to it. i cant really get into Aghora, but i shall try to again soon. it has been a while [/quote] Ya gotta get the 'Spiral Architect'. It is, literally, THE most complex music that you'll ever hear in your lifetime. The only thing that is on this level of complexity is the first two 'Mahavishnu Orchestra' albums (John McLaughlin's band) from the early 70's. Just like Mahavishnu, the music of 'SA' is Jazz-Fusion based. But, CRAZY Jazz-Fusion. And, 'SA' takes that Jazz basis into the realm of Extreme Metal, with vocals. SA's music is said to be an impenetrable orgy of proggy, thrashy, jazzy guitar licks, inconceivably difficult time signatures and basslines that you'd swear were being improvised if they didn't flow so flawlessly. Really destroyed me the first dozen or so plays. It'll take you at least a dozen plays or more just for your brain to make sense of what you're hearing. I once read a comparison that elucidates just how complex the music of 'SA' really is. The quote was that the music of Spiral Architect makes Dream Theater sound like AC/DC. lol. And, you really should give a bit more time to the 'Aghora'. That's the core, rhythm section of 'Cynic' there, ya know. Brilliant, totally original concept for a band too. The playing and writing are both stellar.
Ironpriest 07.11.08	I wouldn't call Operation mindcrime prog. but DAMN it should be on this list anyway!
jrowa001 07.11.08	murmur: ill work on one maybe this weekend molten: for Ayreon their last 2 are my fav. probably because they have more artists on them that i like. i love Mahavishnu! Spiral Architect i will be getting soon.
jrowa001 07.11.08	ok, so i just got through listening to a few Aghora tracks and they were a lot better than i remember. thanks for reminding me about them.
moltenlava 07.11.08	I really like the two most recent Ayreon titles. I just think that the two I mentioned are more 'musical'. Cooler instrumental parts, better compositions. I just heard 'Universal Migrator' a little while ago. Maybe I'll toss on '01011001' in a bit. I'm currently in the middle of a Thrash blast right now. lol. Are you familiar at all with the 'Thought Chamber' I mentioned?
HorrorBusiness78 07.11.08	Good list. It could use some Fates Warning and more DT though.
jrowa001 07.11.08	moltunlava: no i havent heard anything about them. i have a link for one of their albums though, just havent downloaded it yet. horrow: FW are sorat on the edge with me. i dont really see the hype behind them. and if you read my list description, it said only one album per band
moltenlava 07.11.08	Well, there is a pretty large difference between their 2000 and 2006 releases. A world of difference actually. I think both are great, but the first one features a totally different (better) vocalist, Danishta Rivero, and also Sean Malone on bass. I don't know if you're familiar with this guy, but there is no subsitute for him. He's on the top of the short list with guys like Steve DeGiorgio. His playing is beyond crazy. The new guy is great, but, like I said, no substitute. Thankfully, the band still retains Sean Reinert. Get the first album.
moltenlava 07.11.08	I'm talking about 'Aghora' above here.
jrowa001 07.11.08	the songs i heard were from their last album, but ill check out their first asap. ive just discovered some really good bands while searching through a blog. Delta - Black & Cold In Vain - The Latter Rain IQ - Dark Matter
McP3000 07.11.08	I consider Symphony X more power metal idk
jrowa001 07.11.08	theyre in that realm of power prog metal. in that case i should of included Outworld's album. damn, i love that album
moltenlava 07.11.08	jrowa001, 'IQ' are like 'Neo-Prog'. Not very progressive at all, and certainly not Metal. There's a couple Scandanavian Prog-Rock bands that have got me totally hard at present. Check out a band called 'Magic Pie'. I would consider them Heavy-Prog, not Prog-Metal. But, their compositions and instrumental parts destroy many to most of what's in Prog-Metal. They're from Norway. They have some elements of Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull in their music. Really brilliant stuff. Check out the most recent one - 'Circus of Life'. And, what about the 'Thought Chamber'? You know them? I got something here that will spin your head. Check out this band right here from the U.K. I'll give you the links to The Thinking Principle, Thought Chamber and Magic Pie to check out. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=38385023 http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=88385822 http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=81714102
jrowa001 07.11.08	i know IQ arent prog metal, i just thought id mention them. i am very aware of neo-prog. thanks for the sites
moltenlava 07.11.08	I'm listening to this Paatos you suggested. This is good for late night. Some good, mellow Prog. What country are these clowns from? The instrumentation is very much like a band from Norway that I've been listening to, named 'Anekdoten'.
moltenlava 07.11.08	Oh, snizzle-snap, dawg! I keep on tryin' to remember to ask ya about this next one, but the info keeps on slippin' out of my frizzle-fried brain...What do you think about Pagan's Mind, playa? I think they're fairly consistent with their output. Which is further proof that these kinda groups have to be given some time before ya judge 'em. I initially thought they were just alright. But, records like 'God's Equation' got me coming back for more. A band that put out a great album last year was 'Redemption'. They've been touring with DT, and have some similarities in sound, but I thought that 'Origins of Ruin' had some great stuff on it. Have to get that thing. We named some of the more notable acts here already. Ya know what's fun if you got a few hours on your hands to experience new music? Go to MySpace and select 'Music' in the search window and do a real general search for Progressive + Metal and watch all of the bands, signed and unsigned from all over the world. 9 out of 10 will be unimpressive, but every once in a while you catch a gem. Plus, it's just a good way of hearing new stuff. Even if most of it will be derivative, or just plain weak.
jrowa001 07.11.08	Pagan's Mind are pretty good from what i remember. its been a while and i dont have one of their albums. Paatos are from Sweden. i actually heard about them because Akerfeldt of OPeth is always bragging about them. for finding new prog bands, i have a few blogs that will upload just about anything they get their hands on. thats how ive found a lot of these bands on this list. like for instance i just discovered Appearance of Nothing today in a blog and just like that their album made this list. i do end up finding a lot of horrible bands and some mediocre ones. let me know what you think of some of the other bands on this list. btw, do you have a last.fm account? id like to discuss more on prog music
Altmer 07.11.08	wrong sym x album
Wizard 07.11.08	This list made me realize how little I know about the genre.
jrowa001 07.11.08	altmer: i was waiting for someone to say that. really, i couldve of put a few other Symphony X albums there but THe Odyssey will always be my fav the_wizerd: well in that case i suggest you look into all these albums
botb 07.12.08	epic win.
moltenlava 07.13.08	Yo, I most definitely need to call attention to a band named 'Brainstorm', and a title of theirs called, 'Downburst'. It's the only recording of theirs that I know, but the thing is ridiculously catchy and well-orchestrated. In the right era, these songs would be all over the radio. Great stuff.
jrowa001 07.14.08	yeah ive heard that album. its some good power metal stuff but nothing i havent heard before
jordanrudess 04.30.10	symphony x, queensryche and pain of salvation could not be out of the top 5. ohh there is no pof. i realy like ayreon and some of zero hour and anubis gate sons but theyy are not enought good to be on the top 5. The diving wings of tragedy operation mindcrime( not much progresive but for 1988 was perfect) mercy falls remedy lane are missing
Ghostechoes 04.30.10	...