81 db for Prog Metal / Experimental Metal

This one's a difficult one for me to be honest. I picked up 81db's (second) Impressions album off the back of a review in Classic Rock magazine's Prog spin-off and it is really good. Whether it fits in with the definition of Prog on PA is another matter. The music is certainly experimental and technical, but I can't make my mind up whether this makes it suitable or simply good alt-metal. The band has an uncanny resemblence at times to System Of A Down, but has more to it than that band. To take a line from the band's own web-site; "The music of the Italian, Florence based, band 81db has been often described as an original rock and metal musical kaleidoscope. It combines heavy riffs, crazy tempos, progressive and alternative rock melodies as well as eastern sounds played with bouzouki, sounds taken from the Greek background of the founder of the band, Kostas Ladopoulos."

Thanks rdtprog. It was the avant-garde flourishes along with the almost tool-like technicality in places made me thing experimental metal. A very decent album if anyone gets the chance to listen!

I'm having a hard time hearing these guys as progressive - cheesy riffs with ethnic breakdowns won't cut it for PA I don't think.

Thanks, was always a long shot. Most web-reviews do have this band down as prog rock / metal, although this means little in itself. Also most of the streams seem to be for the first album which I believe (haven't heard it) isn't  as experimental.

I just added them under alt-metal, on PA's "sister site", Metal Music Archives: http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/81-db.aspx

CCVP, not sure how you linked the track you did, but thanks! Riffs not too cheesy for my cheesy tastes, and no ethnic breakdowns, eh Andyman?

Bosh66 wrote: Riffs not too cheesy for my cheesy tastes, and no ethnic breakdowns, eh Andyman?

Dream Theatre fans are experts on cheese though