Best prog metal band

1-Dream Theater (images & words)

2-Mercyful Fate

Mercyful Fate is one of the rare metal prog bands (not prog metal). people say it is black metal, but i find them metal prog too.

by the way, the electric guitar of Pain of Salvation is too alternative to qualify them as metal.

if uriah heep is metal, then Nektar is metal too.

greenback wrote: 1-Dream Theater (images & words) 2-Mercyful Fate Mercyful Fate is one of the rare metal prog bands (not prog metal). people say it is black metal, but i find them metal prog too.   by the way, the electric guitar of Pain of Salvation is too alternative to qualify them as metal. if uriah heep is metal, then Nektar is metal too.

Mercyful Fate are great!

One of the best metal bands ever!

There is a difference between "best" and "favorite," and since the poll asked for the best, I gave Dream Theater its props.  I disagree that DT lacks substance:  There is a glut of European prog-metal that seems to understand the style without understanding the soul.  DT just doesn't fit that description (although LaBrie's Mullmuzzler nearly does)--no band that counts Mike Portnoy among its members can be said to lack substance or soul.

As for favorites, I am torn between Vanden Plas and Blind Guardian.

PAIN OF SALVATION!!!!!

A nod and a wink to Symphony X who come second on my list.

My current top 5 of prog-metal...

1.  Psychotic Waltz... One of the most underrated bands of all time.  I always described their debut as "what would happen if Iron Maiden collectively dropped acid and decided to write a proggressive metal album."  Heavily influenced by everything from Jethro Tull, the NWOBHM scene, and Pink Floyd, "A Social Grace" is one of the greatest albums of all time."  Their later material goes into a more groove approach that, although not quite as good, still manages to impress.  So far, it's the band that best combines two of my biggest passions in music... prog and metal.

2.  Opeth - The band that helped me to tolerate death metal vocals and get me even more obsessed with prog-bands like Camel, Opeth is a fantastic example of extreme musical dynamics.  At first glance, it would not appear that that lucid and soft acoustic could work within the context of death metal, but Opeth takes preconceived notions on both genres of music and shatters them.  More than any other band, Opeth has opened up so many doors for me.

3.  Pain of Salvation - A more recent obsession... one part Andrew Lloyd Webber, one part metal, one part unknown, PoS are a band that are hard to pin down musically...  there are so many things going on in each song that it's almost absurdly hilarious how well it all comes together.  Unlike so many prog-metal acts which simply take Dream Theater's style and ape it, here's a band that does something daringly original and does it well.  Brilliant.

4.  Fates Warning - Often considered the "first" proggressive metal band, Fates Warning is certainly one of the best.  Starting off as a complex power/thrash group with John Arch's complex vocal lines, the band eventually evolved to creating emotional and understated mood pieces.  For the past decade, they've been doing some of the most original work in the genre... superb.

5.  Cynic - Also worthy of mention here are other technical/jazzy metal bands that came out around the time Cynic released their magnum opus "Focus," specifically Atheist's second album "Elements" and recently Spiral Architect's debut as well.  Also would like to mention Arcturus, an avant-garde post-black metal band who's last album, "The Sham Mirrors" is certainly one of the most progressive and unique metal albums I've ever heard...