Progressive metal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Dexter prog (talk | contribs) at 21:08, 13 January 2007 (Queen? yeah right...). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jump to navigation Jump to search
Progressive metal
Stylistic originsProgressive rock, Heavy metal, Jazz fusion, New wave
Cultural origins1970s, United States, Great Britain, Canada
Typical instrumentsElectric guitar - Bass guitar - Drums & Percussions - Keyboards
Other topics
Timeline of heavy metal

Progressive metal is a genre of heavy metal music which shares traits with progressive rock including use of complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing. The high level of musical proficiency is often combined with a lyrical counterpart in the form of epic textual concepts, resulting in lengthy songs and concept albums. As a result of these factors, progressive metal is rarely heard on mainstream radio and video programs, much due to that the length of the songs are not suited for those medias.

History

The origins of progressive metal can be traced back to progressive rock acts of the 1960s and 1970s such as Yes, Queen[1] , Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Genesis and Rush. However, progressive metal did not develop into a genre of its own until the mid-1980s. Although bands such as Rainbow possess many qualities of progressive metal and had experimented with the fusion of metal and classical styles, the genre was not a defined one at the time, such bands prior to the breakout of the genre are generally classified as heavy metal. Acts such as Fates Warning, Queensrÿche, and Dream Theater took elements of these progressive rock groups – primarily the instrumentation and compositional structure of songs – and merged them with heavy metal characteristics attributed to bands like Metallica, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Death, Megadeth, Voivod and Iron Maiden. The result could be described as a progressive rock mentality with heavy metal sounds. Though they began as blues-based heavy-metal, the progressive elements they created have carried on to these other, more well-known bands. Judas Priest, although not a progressive metal band, is credited on the liner notes of their The Essential Judas Priest compilation album as having created the first example of progressive metal with the song "Victim Of Changes."

The genre received mainstream exposure in the early 1990s when Queensrÿche's "Silent Lucidity" (from 1990's Empire) became a radio and MTV hit. It was not a typical progressive metal song, but nonetheless it opened Queensrÿche's music to a whole new legion of fans, which in turn had an effect on the popularity of other progressive metal bands of the time. In 1993, Dream Theater's Pull Me Under (from 1992's Images and Words) became popular on radio and MTV. It is a more typical progressive metal song than "Silent Lucidity", but still more accurately described as straight heavy metal.

Bands who emerged in the 1990s, such as Pain of Salvation, Opeth, Ayreon, Tool, and Symphony X each inadverently re-invented the wheel with their styles, straying from the traditional sounds of Dream Theater and Fates Warning into their own signature sound. Pain of Salvation and Opeth drew heavily on more obscure 70s prog acts for their influence, Tool took elements from bands like King Crimson and mixing it with alternative rock influences, Ayreon stayed with the traditional Prog Metal themes, but mixing with Rock Opera influences to make a unique result, while Symphony X married progressive elements to Power metal, bridging the gap between the two subgenres.

Also important to the development of progressive metal was a greater emphasis on the technical aspects metal that arose almost simultaneously in the 80's,. At the forefront were bands like Watchtower, Atheist and Cynic, all of three of whom displayed incredible complexity in their song structures and virtuosity in their instrumental work. These bands by and large stood apart from the standard definition of progressive metal. Atheist and Cynic, despite their role in incorporating jazz elements were invariably placed amidst the Death Metal camp, due to their usage of growled vocals.

Currently progressive metal stands on the principle of using all the past traits associated with it. While many bands still look back to other rock bands for inspiration, progressive metal's pioneer bands are now often cited as influences amongst this newest generation. Bands like Sun Caged and Circus Maximus showcase a heavy influence derived from both traditional progressive metal and several of the first wave of 1990s bands. Bands like Dark Suns or Conscience look to the influences of Opeth, Pain of Salvation, Tiamat and Anathema to find their own interesting sound. Tiamat can more considered be Progressive metal band and organitors of "modern progressive metal" sound.

Diversity

Progressive metal can be broken down into countless sub-genres corresponding to certain other styles of music that have influenced progressive metal groups. For example, two bands that are commonly identified as progressive metal, King's X and Opeth, are at opposite ends of the sonic spectrum to one another. King's X are greatly influenced by softer mainstream rock and, in fact contributed to the growth of grunge influencing bands like Pearl Jam, whose bassist Jeff Ament once said, "King's X invented grunge". Opeth's growling vocals and heavy guitars (liberally intermixed with gothic-evocative acoustic passages) often see them cited as death metal, yet Mikael Åkerfeldt refers to Yes and Camel as major influences in the style of their music.

Classical and symphonic music have also had a significant impact on sections of the progressive metal genre, with bands such as Devin Townsend, Symphony X and Shadow Gallery fusing traditional progressive metal with a complexity and grandeur usually found in classical compositions. Similarly, bands such as Amorphis, Liquid Tension Experiment and Planet X have a jazz influence, with extended solo sections that often feature "trading solos". Cynic also blended jazz/fusion with death metal. Devin Townsend has a more Ambient inflences in the atmosphere of his music. Similarly, Tool exhibits a dark, haunting atmosphere that has its roots in bands like King Crimson and Black Sabbath. Progressive metal is also often linked with power metal, hence the ProgPower music festival.

Influential and important artists

See also: List of progressive metal artists

See also

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "allmusic ((( Queen > Biography)))". allmusic. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Progressive_metal&oldid=100511921"