Dark prog epics

I pick most of GODSPEED discogrpahy and Evenless and Arriving Somewhere... by Porcupine Tree... they sound very dark to me... and of course, Battlement and The Funeral Plain by Univers Zero...

is "happy growling" possible? I'm just trying to imagine Peter Hammill's song "Happy" (in my opinion the happiest song ever) with growled vocals. "grooad moaning sunshorne, you'rrrrrre awwwwllll arrround marrr headrrrrrr...". no, impossible

Ghost Rider wrote: micky wrote: Philéas wrote: Two I came to think of atm: Rush - The Necromancer (although it has a happy ending)   I know.... the first sign of Peart's inability to write a great song.... a classic D&D inspired romp... ruined by a damn happy ending... pfff... great music though *having no hair left to tear out, just bursts into tears of frustration* Peart's inability to write a great song... What have I done wrong in my life to be forced to read these words? There's definitely one too many in the Symph Prog team... *starts writing application to join the PM team* On a more serious note, I think "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" is the archetypal dark prog epic. However, I would also mention ELP's "KarnEvil 9", which is very far from being a happy romp through the park. Then, the whole of PF's "Animals" and "The Wall" are extremely dark, especially the former (which is also musically better). And if you really want dark as in doom'n'gloom, most DT epics are far from uplifting... As a matter of fact, anything Prog-Metal seems to be pretty dark to me.

hahahha   you see how all those poor DT kiddies feel... sort of makes you think twice before crushing the idols of the acne scarred set...

see though.. you focus on the provocative noodlings and miss the heart of it... the happy ending ruined what was a potentially great early epic from them... lay that in the  lap of Mr. Peart

chamberry wrote: micky wrote: chamberry wrote: gong wrote: Genesis - "Lamb..." hahaha.. let me elaborate on that chamberry..... hey gong.. how is that 'dark' prog?  Or did you mistake this thread for the PA's most overhyped,  overrated prog album thread hahhah   Seriously though... I never saw anything 'dark' in that.  Now give me some A'sC 666.. now that's a 'dark' album hahaha. Thanks Micky. It just shocked me how someone could say The lamb and dark in the same sentence, but I guess it may be a dark album on the Genesis discography even though I still don't really see it.

no problem.. I saw a fresh face that I hadn't offended yet

That sounds nice... I'll be looking forward to hearing some happily growling PM!

Edited by Ghost Rider - August 09 2006 at 16:22

micky wrote: Philéas wrote: Two I came to think of atm: Rush - The Necromancer (although it has a happy ending)   I know.... the first sign of Peart's inability to write a great song.... a classic D&D inspired romp... ruined by a damn happy ending... pfff... great music though

*having no hair left to tear out, just bursts into tears of frustration*

Peart's inability to write a great song... What have I done wrong in my life to be forced to read these words? There's definitely one too many in the Symph Prog team...

*starts writing application to join the PM team*

On a more serious note, I think "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" is the archetypal dark prog epic. However, I would also mention ELP's "KarnEvil 9", which is very far from being a happy romp through the park. Then, the whole of PF's "Animals" and "The Wall" are extremely dark, especially the former (which is also musically better). And if you really want dark as in doom'n'gloom, most DT epics are far from uplifting... As a matter of fact, anything Prog-Metal seems to be pretty dark to me.

... well, of corse GENESIS "The Lamb..."album is not 'dark' on the way of KG, or VDGG,, but its great DARK EPIC (prog) album - to me, so i mentioned...sorry for that!

Edited by gong - August 09 2006 at 03:40

I'm very fond of MORTE MACABRE's "Symhonic Holocaust", which runs about 17-18 minutes. It's more a long jam though, than a carefully constructed epic though. VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR's "Godbluff" album has a long fine section of music building up from the two first songs on album side A, "Undercover Man" and "Scorched Earth", I have always seem them  as a one entity.

"Brown Light Upon Us" by Toby Driver is the darkest song ever writen. And yes. I feel it's an epic although im sure most would disagree there.

Philéas wrote: Two I came to think of atm: Rush - The Necromancer (although it has a happy ending)

  I know.... the first sign of Peart's inability to write a great song.... a classic D&D inspired romp... ruined by a damn happy ending... pfff... great music though