Hello Subway readers! Welcome back to another edition of “Reports From the Underground”, this time I (Sebastian) will be taking Sam’s place in introducing this post which also serves as a monthly update on how we’ve been doing here in the blog. Instead of Sam’s usual improvisational BS about flying guinea pigs, milking jokes long enough until they become metaphorical cheese, underwear helmets, etc., I’m going to write about discussions we have had both amongst the blog’s members and in the wider prog metal community. If you are a fan of Sam’s quirky stories, that’s just really unfortunate because he’ll never be writing those again… Just kidding, he’ll be back on the next album of the month edition. We’ll likely alternate or I’ll step in whenever Sam’s too busy; looks like time will tell.
As you might have noticed the new writers have taken on a lot of responsibility in the blog and have been doing an exceptional job getting into the groove of things, and we are proud to have them; you’ll start seeing Mathis, Will, and Zach in future Reports from the Underground posts. On the flip side, Nick and Evan have not had the time to write reviews for us so they will be taking a temporary hiatus; an indefinite leave also goes for Monche. All have been going through some tough times and I hope them the best.
Moving on to the content. It looks like we have quite the diverse variety in this month’s post, there is basically something for most of the main genres relating to prog metal: we’ve got gothic metal, avant grade stuff, traditional prog metal, tech death, black metal, power metal, thrash, even progressive alternative metal and post-rock. No doom metal though… It seems those are somewhat difficult to come by in the area of prog, even though both love writing long tracks, their styles seem to clash a bit. But I think if you’ve already gotten to this point you will almost certainly discover something you’ll like amongst these obscure findings. If you are not interested in the discussion paragraphs, feel free to skip ahead to the goods. Happy reading!
Discussion: What does it mean to be Progressive Metal?
A big part of this discussion started between me and another Reddit user /u/TehCustis which you can find here. I am pleased to say that a lot of productive dialogue came out of this discussion. As opposed to genre labels like death metal or power metal, I would say defining the boundaries of what “progressive metal” means is much trickier. This is in part because the word “progressive” holds connotations that resonate outside of the progressive rock/metal music scene itself, and this may imply that the genre withholds the general principle of the word. And the divergence arises when the establishment of the genre, progressive metal, strays away from its predecessive connotation. For example, as Sam stated in the original discussion: “There’s a difference between the genre and the spirit (or intent) of a genre”.
Progressive rock was originally motivated by the desire to make something really innovative and intellectually challenging out of the rock and roll scene, which many people at the time saw as a superficial and pop-oriented genre. It was fueled by the desire to break preconceptions of rock and to impress those who were looking for innovation, complexity, and artistic, drawn-out compositions. The same may also be said for the adaptation of progressive metal. However, as time goes on, it is no guarantee that artists that use the same styles and techniques as those who founded the genre are doing anything original or innovative, yet they are still often labeled the same way, as “progressive metal”. Just think about how often it is that we review a band on this blog that may be compositionally exceptional but write music in a way that is essentially using a cookie-cutter formula of another well-known progressive metal/rock band. This is essentially where the divergence in how we define the genre comes from.
If I were to condense the debate down to two competing mindsets, they would be the etymological approach and the compositional approach. I will be looking specifically at progressive metal for the following comparison.
The etymological approach would be defining progressive metal by its creativity and innovation on the scene, as well as its capability to change styles as a band; a band is progressive metal iff they establish an innovative style that is new to the scene, or they progress as a band by changing their styles of music (never stagnating). What this means is that any metal band that has made a musical innovation and produced a groundbreaking album would be considered progressive metal for the time. In doing so, the spirit and intent of the genre would be maintained because the genre was originally founded on the motivation to break boundaries and make innovative music. This mainly leads the listener to two conclusions. One is that many of the bands that are labeled progressive metal now out of the fact that they’ve used the progressive metal formula without innovating are mislabeled. For example, Soul Secret would not be rightfully labeled as progressive metal, rather, they would be better defined as Dream Theater inspired metal. Secondly, this means that many bands that are not often considered a part of the scene really are progressive metal if they progressed the music scene with their historically influential innovation. This would mean, for example, that Possessed, Melvins, and Korn (assuming we accept that they are metal) would be included in the progressive metal label out of the fact that they invented new subgenres of metal: death metal, sludge metal, and nu metal respectively.
The compositional approach would be defining progressive metal by attributes of its musical composition alone. Many of the following characteristics can be listed out as the following (but there may be more that are not included in this list): Varying song lengths, use of odd time signatures and/or polyrhythms, liberal use of tempo shifts, unconventional song structures, implementation of nonmetal genres (especially classical and jazz music), implementation of nonmetal instruments (saxophone, violin, tuba, cello, hurdy-gurdy, cowbell, etc), extended instrumental interludes, technical, often virtuoso musicianship, lyrical themes that often form concept albums, use of spoken-word interludes with non-instrumental sound effects, and so on. A band is progressive metal iff they contain many of the following characteristics. And of course, where one decides to draw the cut-off line between what is and is not progressive metal by which, and how many, of the following attributes there are in an album’s composition is up to the judges’ preferences. This leads to huge gray areas between albums that are often considered progressive metal to some, and metal of another genre to others. This is why we do not only cover stuff that is explicitly traditional progressive metal on this blog and we try to proceed with a liberal mindset. There are many related subgenres that I would consider to be tangential progressive metal genres; these would include: technical death metal, technical thrash metal, avant-garde metal, fusion metal, post-metal, djent, and black-gaze.
Personally, I much prefer the compositional approach because I think it’s more intuitive to think of innovation and creativity more as a measurement of an album’s quality when it comes to their rating scale, rather than thinking of its originality as a genre boundary. I also believe that it is much more useful for us to categorize progressive metal using the compositional approach because it guides people more to the music that they want more efficiently. I think this in part because I know of many metal elitists who really cringe at the compositional longevity and the instrumental virtuoso stuff which is labeled as “prog wankery”. With that said, I still know many people disagree with me, so I would encourage you to think about these issues for yourself and come to your own conclusion on this topic. I think it is more important that you choose a set of reasoned criteria and be consistent when judging art, this gives all albums you listen to an equal playing field and helps to eliminate confounding factors that may unfairly worsen or enhance an album’s score. If you made it this far, all the way in this post I applaud you, and I wish you the best of luck in your musical journey.
A Kew’s Tag – Hephioz (Germany)
Style: Progressive Rock/ Alternative Metal (Clean Vocals)
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Pick by: Mathis
Hephioz was a breath of fresh air for me. Such a beautifully constructed story with excellent instrumentation and vocals, and the best part is that it is completely unique. I think my musical taste was a bit stagnant when I was introduced to Hephioz, so I am sure that played a large role in my love for this album. However, I am confident that I am not the only one who gets burnt out on the same tracks, bands, genres, etc. If you suffer as I did then you need to take this cure. Go listen to Hephioz now!
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: I recommend listening to the whole album in order.
Recommended for fans of: The Dear Hunter, Lunatic Soul, Vola, Animals as Leaders, Intervals
You may also like: Meer, Sermon, The Mask of the Phantasm
Hunted – Deliver Us (UK)
Style: progressive heavy/power metal (mostly clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sam
Blast beats in power metal are underutilized greatness. I love it even more when I don’t expect them. Hunted writes highly unpredictable heavy/power metal songs, which indeed, include blast beats (and harsh vocals!). These are not the only things that make them great but are a good enough reason to get me hooked. It’s crazy how much flies by within a single song on this album. Hunted make sure to pack them to the brim, though they mostly remain within the genre’s established framework. Deliver Us feels like a natural progression from the early works such as Awaken the Guardian or Transcendence, while also bringing in more modern influences such as Nevermore or Sanctuary into the mix. The biggest obstacle is likely the nasal vocals, but I assume people into this style are used to those.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Velvet Worm, Burning Ones, One More Time
Recommended for fans of: Sanctuary, early Fates Warning, Nevermore, King Diamond
You may also like: Starborn, Silver Talon, Witherfall, Leviathan (US-CO)
Melancholy – Waiting for Darkness (Russia)
Style: Progressive Death/Black/Gothic Metal with Fusion Parts (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Zach
As unfortunate as it may be, I tend to judge books on their covers. What can I say, I really don’t want a Photoshop job of some dude with a sword on my bookshelf when I can have some beautiful Michael Whelan art. And this is exactly what I did when I saw Melancholy pop up on my feed. Coupled with the tag of “fusion”, I expected some dissonant jazz metal. Instead, I got pure distilled fun in the form of some amalgam of genres. Expect to be submerged in tremolo riffs, blast beats, and horns that don’t sound like prog gimmicks. Waiting for Darkness might go on a track or two too long, but it’s the most fun you’ll have with seven Russians all year!
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Astroshine, Moon Spirits, Ritual
Recommended for fans of: Demoniac, Paradise Lost, Barren Earth
You may also like: Burial in the Sky, Æthĕrĭa Conscĭentĭa
Driving Slow Motion – Adrift:Abyss (US-TX)
Style: Post-rock (instrumental)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Pick by: Nick
Post rock is a genre that is easy to make, but hard to do well. Fortunately Driving Slow Motion knocked it out of the park on this one. Through six tracks that come out to a total of 31 minutes, the band takes you through a taste test of the many sounds of post rock from ambient to dramatic and everywhere in between. It’s a worthy listen to any fan of the genre or even a nonlistener who wants a bite-sized sample.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Cathedral Dreams, The Fall (The Deep Pt II)
Recommended for fans of: Caspian, This Will Destroy You, Explosions in the Sky
You may also like: This Patch of Sky, Old Seas Young Mountains, Man Mountain
Teitan – Vákuum (Netherlands)
Style: Avant-Garde, Black Metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Dan
This is an oppressive, murky slab of acerbic and ritualistic black metal. The vocal layers are dense and haunting, combining harshes and uncomfortable cleans into walls of throat-rending expression. The guitars range from impenetrable to melodic, hypnotic to clean – quite impressive variation for such an extreme solo project. There’s a wide range to the album’s dynamics, and the song structures are focused but organic, with excellent motion and outstanding album flow. The mix is grimy and dull, with excellent attention to detail, suiting the music well. This 22 minute journey is fully engaging and well worth your time!
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: The Grinding Teeth of the Wheel of Time, Metempsychosis, …or just all of it because it’s so short
Recommended for fans of: the lovechild of Entropia and Sunnata, perhaps?
You may also like: Esoctrilihum, Stone Healer, Noctambulist
Aeon Zen – Transversal (UK)
Style: traditional/power (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sam
30 minute songs don’t come by often, and I’m always happy when a band attempts one. I must say, Aeon Zen succeed at it pretty well. Transversal is a thrilling journey with cinematic synths, powerful vocals, hard riffs, and solos for daysss. This is what I imagine DGM would sound like if they leaned harder into their Symphony X influences and attempted to write a 30-minute song. I feel like I undersold it a bit in my review, because I still have this in regular rotation over a week later. While I don’t believe it to be quite in that mind-blowing territory prog/power can achieve, this song is certified greatness nonetheless.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: it’s one song (though Part VII is pretty nice standalone)
Recommended for fans of: Symphony X, DGM, Circus Maximus, Dream Theater
You may also like: Alhambra, Lost in Thought, Sentire, Hac San
Exxperior – Escalating Conflicts (Germany)
Style: Progressive Thrash/ Avant Garde (Mixed Vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Mathis
I have always been a fan of weird and wacky stuff in music, but I never thought I would find it in thrash metal. Thrash is one of the founding fathers of metal, no one really dares to alter it in fear of disrespect, well that is until Exxperior came around. These guys don’t give a hoot about the rules of thrash, and in their minds, nothing pushes the envelope too far. That’s why you can find goofy carnival music, a gospel choir, and tap dancing in their latest album Escalating Conflicts. I hope you didn’t plan on a roundtrip thrash album because Exxperior is taking detours in all of the strangest places; this ride is a crazy one!
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: The Agnostic Jam, A Murderer’s Excuse
Recommended for fans of: Devin Townsend, Voivod, Vektor
You may also like: Misterer
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