Name your top 10 Proto/Prog Related METAL bands!

Talking of whom, what do you think of Dickinson's "The Chemical Wedding"? I find it a real masterpiece of 'intelligent' metal!

Bryan wrote: Certif1ed wrote: 7. Napalm Death - Scum (not convinced? Have you heard Fantomas? ) The approach taken by Fantomas is completely different... their short blasts of musical insanity are united by some kind of conceptual meaning, they all flow together into more or less one piece (not to mention contain incredibly tight musicianship).  ND were (and still are) all about being raw, sloppy, brutal and to the point, which sort of goes against... well... everything generally associated with prog-metal.

    
Indeed - but just as John Cage's anarchic and random compositions were revolutionary to avant-garde music, so were Napalm Death to metal.

They may well have been the antithesis - on purpose, I might add - but the idea was a highly progressive one. Even if there was no need to go ahead and make additional albums of it.

The album "Scum" is a bona fide landmark - everything else ND did is either repetition or humdrum - and the statement it makes is almost unparalleled in metal.

The conceptual meaning is also there - never mind the musicianship, as that's unimportant and above all relative in rock music.

I'm not an expert in metal, but as far as I know Rush has had a large influence on many prog-metal bands. I consider them to be proto-prog metal. Also, I'd say In Flames are prog metal related, since they're similair to Opeth in many ways. 

Edited by Philéas - June 20 2006 at 14:12

I'd give a NWOBHM band called Witchfynde the heads up- just got their excellent album 'Give 'Em Hell' that overcomes a slightly odd production and features some very progressive songs indeed- some of the longest NWOBHM songs this side of Maiden, Diamond Head and White Spirit. Great track called 'Leaving Nadir' that has a very progressive intro and a 9 minute epic called 'Unto The Ages Of the Ages'. The CD has a 9 minute extra track that's similarly very progressive called 'Tetelstai'. Heck, there's even a dig at celebrated journo of NWOBHM (and still writes for Classic Rock) Geoff Barton!! Top album.

Edited by salmacis - June 20 2006 at 17:07

Actually, everyone on the team has placed his vote for them, it's just that it is  50/50, if I'm not mistaken, with nothing in between.

Ghost Rider wrote: Great idea, Mike!  So, there's my list: Judas Priest (circa "Sad Wings of Destiny") Iron Maiden (from "The Number of the Beast" onwards) Metallica (from "Ride the Lightning" to "And Justice for All) Megadeth (from "Peace Sells..." onwards) Rainbow would not probably qualify as Metal, but I would include them all the same.

Just wanted to pop in here and point out that at the time that Rainbow were at their peak during the mid to late seventies, they were considered to be part of the Heavy Metal scene. The only bands heavier at that time were Motorhead. They were pretty much on a par with Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Saxon, MSG, AC/DC, Black Sabbbath, Gillan, and so many other bands at that time. None of these would be considered progressive althought some of the tracks by some of these bands did have progressive hooks, and light and shade. I think Rush were the only band around at that time that could be considered early Progressive Metal. I think the most underated of all the bands above were The Scorpions who, in the seventies, wrote some very intelligent rock ballads, and some outstanding and interesting guitar rock. Virgin Killer, Lovedrive, and Animal Magnetism, all come to mind. Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell is another personal favourite at that time (and still is!)

In No Order

Fates Warning
Shadow Gallery
Dream Theater
Steve Vai
Led Zeppelin
Yngwie Malmsteen
Deep Purple
Pink Floyd
The Doors
Iron Maiden

Some might be considered just heavy metal but that's my list and I'm sticking with it.


Edited by Daydreamyng - February 06 2007 at 13:42

Iron Maiden (Somewhere In Time, Seventh Son...) Judas Priest (Sad Wings, Sin After Sin)

OK:

proto-prog metal: Metallica, Megadeth, and all the other 'big ones' already mentioned 

For Prog-metal related, I have to mention Freak Kitchen!! I was puzzled when I found out they weren't listed on this site, but at the same time I guess I can understand it. They(i.e. IA's guitar playing) are very experimental and creative, but their songs' structures are very simple and their songs aren't exactly very lengthy. Still, I think they're brilliant and very humoristic!!("Haw, haw, haw, I don't know what I'm singing now")