Progressive Metal Pioneers?

Woo-hoo!  I just got the Angel Witch remaster (25th anniversary) and it sounds great.. gone is the distracting muddy bass sound, and the Witch's true power can be heard.  The liner notes make clear how hugely influential they were on the Bay Area metal/progmetal scene, though the band simply couldn't compete against the popularity of Maiden, Def Leppard, Motorhead and others

Guitarist/composer Kevin Heybourne reflects;  "I still have bloody excellent memories of those times, there was so much energy-- everyone was buzzing."

form the notes; 'The band smashed attendance records at the old Marquee Club in Wardour Street, where only AC/DC ever attracted more punters.' 

"Angel Witch had been name checked by several San Francisco thrash metal bands.  The Bay Area bands definitely took ideas from ourselves, Witchfynde and Diamondhead, but they had chances that were denied to us.  Metallica had seen other bands get screwed and insisted on a hands-off attitude.  It's a luxury I wish we'd had,"  recalls Heybourne.

And so this hugely influential group maintains its legend with this handsome and beautifully remastered debut, and it's time they were given their due not only as a great band, but as true trailblazers of heavy metal of a progressive nature.  May their memory live on.







Edited by Atavachron - May 02 2008 at 22:38

Crack The Sky doing Hot Razors

Atavachron wrote: Woo-hoo!  I just got the Angel Witch remaster (25th anniversary) and it sounds great.. gone is the distracting muddy bass sound, and the Witch's true power can be heard.  The liner notes make clear how hugely influential they were on the Bay Area metal/progmetal scene, though the band simply couldn't compete against the popularity of Maiden, Def Leppard, Motorhead and others Guitarist/composer Kevin Heybourne reflects;  "I still have bloody excellent memories of those times, there was so much energy-- everyone was buzzing." form the notes; 'The band smashed attendance records at the old Marquee Club in Wardour Street, where only AC/DC ever attracted more punters.'  "Angel Witch had been name checked by several San Francisco thrash metal bands.  The Bay Area bands definitely took ideas from ourselves, Witchfynde and Diamondhead, but they had chances that were denied to us.  Metallica had seen other bands get screwed and insisted on a hands-off attitude.  It's a luxury I wish we'd had,"  recalls Heybourne. And so this hugely influential group maintains its legend with this handsome and beautifully remastered debut, and it's time they were given their due not only as a great band, but as true trailblazers of heavy metal of a progressive nature.  May their memory live on.

HughesJB4 wrote: Philip wrote: I would say Rush, and in my opinion, Uriah Heep.   Read the rest of the thread please. I've had to tell several people this so far, because the Rush argument has become virtually irrelevant and redundant in this thread. I'm not having a go at you, I'm just saying this because we have been around this circle too many times, and it will keep the thread cleaner if we don't go around it again.   Cheers

I agree. Rush is a given. We can point out some other bands. Uriah Heep certainly has a heavy sound that lends itself to metal, in the LedZep vein.

The T wrote: I think I'm onto something...   From The ScripTures:   "And so on the seventh day God decided to rest and behold what He hath created. But as the day went by, it was getting boring to stare at the same useless ball of water and earth...Then He decided to create rains, and with rains He created thunder.. and with thunder came lightning... and a huge wall of noise rose from the oceans as thunder and the waves collided in unison...and the God knew... this creation of His needed a soundtrack... and thunder and water gave Him the idea of creating rock... but Satan, deep from the fires of Hell, had already created His own soundtrack to oppose the Allmighty's new discovery.. And then God hath the final idea: "Let's combine Lucifer's sounds with my own.. after all, I created Him, so I'm not violating any intellectual property rights"...And a new genre was created, a mixture of both heaven and hell best elements..."   There you go.. God created progressive metal.

Very nice.

Nightfly wrote: The T wrote: I think I'm onto something...   From The ScripTures:   "And so on the seventh day God decided to rest and behold what He hath created. But as the day went by, it was getting boring to stare at the same useless ball of water and earth...Then He decided to create rains, and with rains He created thunder.. and with thunder came lightning... and a huge wall of noise rose from the oceans as thunder and the waves collided in unison...and the God knew... this creation of His needed a soundtrack... and thunder and water gave Him the idea of creating rock... but Satan, deep from the fires of Hell, had already created His own soundtrack to oppose the Allmighty's new discovery.. And then God hath the final idea: "Let's combine Lucifer's sounds with my own.. after all, I created Him, so I'm not violating any intellectual property rights"...And a new genre was created, a mixture of both heaven and hell best elements..."   There you go.. God created progressive metal.       Now i didn't know that!

Well, God even created Satan. Why couldn't the Almighty create metal after all?

I seriously don't get why people still connect these stuff with The Horny One, since this kind of "satanism" is only the antithesis of medieval christianity, which said that happiness is the thing of the Devil.

The T wrote: I think I'm onto something...   From The ScripTures:   "And so on the seventh day God decided to rest and behold what He hath created. But as the day went by, it was getting boring to stare at the same useless ball of water and earth...Then He decided to create rains, and with rains He created thunder.. and with thunder came lightning... and a huge wall of noise rose from the oceans as thunder and the waves collided in unison...and the God knew... this creation of His needed a soundtrack... and thunder and water gave Him the idea of creating rock... but Satan, deep from the fires of Hell, had already created His own soundtrack to oppose the Allmighty's new discovery.. And then God hath the final idea: "Let's combine Lucifer's sounds with my own.. after all, I created Him, so I'm not violating any intellectual property rights"...And a new genre was created, a mixture of both heaven and hell best elements..."   There you go.. God created progressive metal.

oh lovely

rhinn wrote: Prog metal...does it really exist, or is it clutching at straws to allow heavy metal into a prog site that would've run dry a long time ago?   My own thoughts are that prog metal does not exist, but allows certain bands to be allowed access into a certain genre that they should never be afforded. Also. call me cynical,  it allows certain bands from a weak prog rock country to enter this genre, and keep this site going. From my observation, only european prog has allowed other countriesto try this genre, but never ever match the formulae.   NWOBHM seemed to strike a chord with other bands but definitely not prog, so sit down abd realistically think, is this band prog, or do i feel my country never gave enough?   Prog............too many bands most without the right to be here.

4/10, considered raging

CCVP wrote: p0mt3 wrote: Rush, Queensryche, Fates Warning = Prog Metal Pioneers   Symphony X, Pain of Salvation = Modern Prog Metal Pioneers   Dream Theater = Very good copycats         *braces self for attacks* Please say you are kidding. Its the same thing as saying that King Crimson is a copycat of jazz (at least on the 1st and the 2nd albums) I mean, i really like Pain of Salvation and Symphony X, but justice is not being made to Dream Theater.