'Great' Prog Metal Releases (2005-2009)

[Up&Away]

Circus Maximus certainly isn't doing anything new. I just think they do what they do incredibly well.

And I think DT (especially, they set atop the genre), Vanden Plas, Seventh Wonder, Darkwater, Ivanhoe, etc. do what they do exceptionally well.

 

[Up&Away]

I wasn't saying anything on any of our lists was unique .. was just trying to say that your list wasn't all that under the radar or anything.


Britt

cool

I certainly think Wolverine is a standout, tho I debate whether or not I'd consider it prog metal, tho.

crossover

 

[General Zod]

I wasn't saying anything on any of our lists was unique .. was just trying to say that your list wasn't all that under the radar or anything.

I think if you're someone who pays attention to a forum like this, it's become nearly impossible for a "great" band to fly under your radar. If you're good, the community will find you.

 

[Up&Away]

l still think alot of great stuff/bands get overlooked/dismissed.

 

[rjrousseau]

Prog isn't my forte but I must add Pathosray (2007) to the list.

 

[Met-Al]

I personally don't label progressive metal as "traditional" or "untraditional," so my list of great prog metal albums from this time period would look like this:

Andromeda--Chimera
Andromeda--The Immunity Zone
Angra--Aurora Consurgens
Brave--Monuments
Circus Maximus--The 1st Chapter
Circus Maximus--Isolate
Communic--Conspiracy In Mind
Communic--Waves Of Visual Decay
Communic--Payment Of Existence
Dream Theater--Octavarium
Dream Theater--Systematic Chaos
Dream Theater--Black Clouds And Silver Linings
Freak Kitchen--Organic
Outworld--Outworld
Pagan's Mind--Enigmatic: Calling
Pagan's Mind--God's Equation
Pyramaze--Legend Of The Bone Carver
Redemption--The Fullness Of Time
Redemption--The Origins Of Ruin
Redemption--Snowfall On Judgment Day
Spheric Universe Experience--Mental Torments
Spheric Universe Experience--Unreal
Threshold--Dead Reckoning
Zero Hour--Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond
Zero Hour--Dark Deceiver


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[Orion Crystal Ice]

Twisted Into Form - Then Comes Affliction To Awaken The Dreamer (2006)

and then some of the recent Cynic is great.. I don't think all of it..but about half of it, very good stuff..

 

[General Zod]

l still think alot of great stuff/bands get overlooked/dismissed.

Granted there's a million bands out there. But great ones, there's but a small handful. I don't think very many of these get missed by those of us who pay close attention to the scene. Take your list for example... while I can't speak for everyone, I know I've heard every disc you listed, and I'd bet Britt and Milt have as well. I think the greater likelihood is, that people have varying definitions of great. Although Britt and I check all the same discs, and have a lot of common ground, there was zero overlap in our lists of "great" releases.

 

[AirGuitarLoonhouse]

My list would be (alpha by artist) as shown below.

Circus Maximus - 1st Chapter
Circus Maximus - Isolate
Dream Theater - Octavarium
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Jonas Hellborg / Mattias IA Eklundh - Art Metal
Pagan's Mind - Enigmatic: Calling
Prymary - The Enemy Inside
Redemption - The Fullness of Time
Redemption - Origins of Ruins
Redemption - Snowfall On Judgement Day
Riverside - Second Life Syndrome
Sieges Even - Art of Navigating by the Stars
Spheric Universe Experience - Mental Torments
Spheric Universe Experience - Anima
Thessera - Fooled Eyes
Tomorrow's Eve - Mirror of Creation, Genesis II
Threshold - Dead Reckoning
Vanden Plas - Christ 0
Zero Hour - Specs of Pictures Burnt Beyond


Based upon the traditional tag, I've left cross-genre bands like Kamelot on the power/prog and Opeth and Orphaned Land etc.

 

[jem777az]

Most all the one's I was going to list have already been mentioned, so I'll add one that hasn't.

Division By Zero - Tyranny Of Therapy

Great album that sits very near the top of my list.

 

[jem777az]

Based upon the traditional tag, I've left cross-genre bands like Kamelot on the power/prog and Opeth and Orphaned Land etc.

If that's the case then I don't see how you can throw Pagan's Mind in there. I wouldn't consider them to be "traditional" prog by any means.

 

[AirGuitarLoonhouse]

If that's the case then I don't see how you can throw Pagan's Mind in there. I wouldn't consider them to be "traditional" prog by any means.

Perhaps. I had typed that disclaimer on the bottom, then went and added a few more. Hell, you can argue that some other in the lists above cross genres/styles too (i.e. Sieges Even and Riverside can be argued to be prog rock to some) but I had to cut it off somewhere.

So I'll revise my disclaimer to be a mostly progmetal release.

IMO Pagan's is more progmetal than power (or at least 50-50), and Kamelot, for example, is more 60-65 power / 35-40 prog. I love Black Halo and would add it to the appropriate list, but this didn't seem like the list.

Anyways, we can debate everyone's opionon on the genre percentages of cross genre bands in another thread.

 

[General Zod]

Anyways, we can debate everyone's opionon on the genre percentages of cross genre bands in another thread.

Agreed. The overlap between Prog and Power is immense, perhaps more than any other two sub genres. It can be impossible sometimes to tell where one ends and one begins. This is especially true when you consider the term "Prog" has often come to represent a high level of musicianship.

 

[nomisofsiman]

Prog isn't my forte but I must add Pathosray (2007) to the list.

Agreed. That debut was great I thought.

 

[jem777az]

Perhaps. I had typed that disclaimer on the bottom, then went and added a few more. Hell, you can argue that some other in the lists above cross genres/styles too (i.e. Sieges Even and Riverside can be argued to be prog rock to some) but I had to cut it off somewhere.

So I'll revise my disclaimer to be a mostly progmetal release.

Fair Enough

 

[Up&Away]

I think the greater likelihood is, that people have varying definitions of great. Although Britt and I check all the same discs, and have a lot of common ground, there was zero overlap in our lists of "great" releases.

Like l said, it's subjective. Especially when narrowing down to a genre. Those who are really into prog are probably going to have longer lists. On the flipside, if you were to ask about power metal, my list would be very short.

 

[TheLongshot]

I think we could add both Devin Townsend Project CDs (Ki and Addicted!) to the list. I think both are great CDs.

 

[lady_space]

Track 8 .. January Sun is the best track on the disc .. IMO at least.

Agreed. Love that song.

In fact, that is the only album I think I would put into that category. I liked Scarsick okay, but it was no RL or TPE.

Threshold--Dead Reckoning would come next, although I'd call it simply "very good." I guess I just don't listen to enough stuff.

 

[Cheiron]

Voyager - UniVers
Wastefall - Self Exile

 

[Harvester]

Voyager - UniVers

In the immortal words of General Zod....

"This."