The most musically complex prog band(s)?

I'd go with Planet X too.

well as many have said Planet X is SICK, mindboggeling complex, so is Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Yes and EL&P.
also i think Pat Metheney Group play some complex Jazz Fusion, Mastodon are extremly complex and so is Gojira just listen to the song Rememberance and that SICK drum part at the end YOU HAVE TOO
the most complex Neo Prog band is to my ears Pallas hust listen to the hole the Dreams of Men  nough said

progressive wrote: I am very very sad :( I read this whole thread and found only few new bands: A Triggering Myth (though I've heard of it - sounds very promising), It's a Beautiful Day, Protest the Hero (lol, metalcore mentioned here???), and Raymond Scott... does anyone know his 30's material? (maybe this: http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/metropole_orchestra_and_the_beau_hunks_saxtette/raymond_scott__chesterfield_arrangements_1937_1938/ ) Of course, I haven't listened enough to all bands mentioned here, for example even Al Di Meola... or those other jazz fusion mentioned.. but anyway it depends much on what album you have picked. And many of those mentioned here doesn't seem to be much complex to me. But sometimes the curiosity just dies. Luckily, it moves to another things, so it doesn't die entirely :P And I think it's maybe better to move on if you don't like some album. And maybe coming back later is more comfortable. Anyway, I'm not even giving examples here. Well, I say just some bands that aren't mentioned here:  Thinking Plague U Totem Arrigo Barnabé Höyry-Kone Mezquita Watchtower Gunesh Ensemble Hermann Szobel Continuo Renacer Blotted Science Dün Ruins (their album Symphonica) Orchestra Njervudarov Il Berlione Abus Dangereux Emmanuel Booz 5uu's Conlon Nancarrow (modern classical) Esperanto Et Cetera (see Gentle Giant) Maneige Normal Love Myrbein Pochakaite Malko Rational Diet Sotos Vortex (not the metal band) Absolute Zero Ahvak Cartoon Doctor Nerve Rational Diet Sloche Olive Mess Alexander Kostarev Group Of course there's a lot symphonic and eclectic prog bands but.. those are what I mentioned and that's it, many of them are avant-prog. Maybe I should add genres and album recommendations for them. Ha, the list just became bigger, but still, it's JUST SOME bands. Though, I think there isn't enough complex music in the world, so I'm quite disappointed.

EDIT: Double Post, sorry


Edited by NecronCommander - March 09 2010 at 16:44

Quatermass comes to mind

I am going to have to agree - for a current 'still active' band it has to be Planet X.  Animals as Leaders can be quite complex too.

I'll only mention Univers Zero , since it has only been mentioned once : )
(so I wont mention GG)

progressive wrote: Ruins (their album Symphonica)

I thought of them...don't know if I've heard that particular album... But I think there's a difference between "advanced" and "complex". Complex to me has to do with several things going on at the same time, like multilayered pattern. Harmonically it would be polyphony and arrangement-wise it could be made so that a melody is split up between many instruments and voices. Rythmically it would be polyrythmic and contrapuntal. Ruins is only two people, so it's drums, bass and voice. I think it's mostly advanced rythmic stuff, not THAT complex and intricate, but "dense" and advanced progressive noise-rock.

Sample of Univers Zero "Bonjour+Chez+Vous"
http://www.lastfm.se/music/Univers+Zero/_/Bonjour+Chez+Vous

But as we all know, complex doesnt mean good, it's not even a quality in itself. Quality doesnt lie in complexity in itself. It's also a relative word of course. If I hear music that seems really complex to me, it's typically some classical music.



Edited by wilmon91 - March 14 2010 at 16:17

Musically complex = King Crimson, esp. "LTIA"

It is correct that some classical is more complex than a lot of prog.  For instance, Iannis Xenakis used fractal math and other advanced mathematics for his compositions.  Plus they usually aren't as rigid in their song structures.... way more "free" than a lot of prog with more shifting rhythms... well that is at least most 20th century avant garde composers.  Once I got into them, prog took a backseat...

Frank Zappa as far as classics go and Dream Theater (or perhaps The Mars Volta) for modern.