Prog Metal-Like It or Don’t Like It?

It's a flawed question, because there are so many prog metal bands with VASTLY different styles.  Pain of Salvation sounds NOTHING like Arcturus which sound NOTHING like Psychotic Waltz which sound NOTHING like Fates Warning which sound NOTHING like Symphony X etc. etc. etc.

For those that voted that they don't like the genre, I think it has a lot to do with ignorance and an assumption that all prog metal bands sound like Dream Theater (these are the kind of people that only listen to music from the 70s... you have to be a LITTLE close minded to post at a prog forum but we're talking extremes with this crowd).

great genre!!

my favorites are Opeth and Fates Warning

I truly think Opeth is taking this genre foward with awesome riffs, uniqueness, vocals and variety. one of the best bands today!!! 

I like it.  As a matter of fact, I love prog-metal.

I just want to add that Friede and I suggested that a band could belong to more than one genré, which would make this splitting-up unnecessary and be much more accurate.

Edited by BaldJean

I dont care for it. I like Ayeron and a song or two from other bands, but that is pretty much the extent of it.

I like it. I'd listened to metal before prog. I really like PoS, DT, Green Carnation, Jeremy (Korean Prog Metal ), Evergrey, The Provenance, SX and others, a bit Opeth too...

BaldJean wrote: I just want to add that Friede and I suggested that a band could belong to more than one genré, which would make this splitting-up unnecessary and be much more accurate.

That would be cool, if the genres were listed all together. As the site is now, it would be incredibly confusing to search the Prog Metal section and find Dream Theater, then go to the Symphonic Prog Section and find them there too.

Not only am I Prog fan I am a metal fan and when the two are combined that much better.I must say however not all Prog Metal is killer because too many vocalist think they are opera singers or something.Hey I love Dream Theater,Symphony X,Vaden Plas or Threshold as much as anyone else but there are too many Fates Warning,Dungen,Queens Riech or many others with anoying vocals.I must say my favorite Prog metal right now is Ayreon the dutch master.

Dont misunderstand me, prog metal still has its moments. For one I still own Tool's Laterilus

MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^ well said ... I'd like to throw in the label "Heavy Rock" ... also often applied to bands like Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin.

Both bands were progressive, so "progressive heavy rock" is appropriate. One could just as easily classify AC/DC or Led Zeppelin as Heavy Blues, Heavy Rock, Hard Rock or Heavy Metal - and be right each time.

The term "Heavy" as applied to rock music originated in the 1960s, and is used by Grace Slick on the "Woodstock" compilation album during her band introduction speech, which runs something like;

"OK, people, you have heard the heavy bands, now it's time for morning maniac music".

Heavy referred to the seriousness and earnestness with which the bands played the music, as well as the opposite to the "lightness" of sound and philosophy of the more folky, dancy and "peace, love and happiness" type bands.

Terms like these have a grounding in reality, and are convenient "labels", as you put it, but can be readily interchanged and crossed-over. Deep Purple's music grew out of psychedelia and the blues, and Led Zeppelin's grew mainly out of the blues, with a dash of folk. These are the same roots that Prog Rock had.

Prog Metal's roots are mainly in metal - anything else seems largely forgotten or cut off. The "Prog" aspect of it comes from doing something a bit different to the rest - using odd time signatures, making it a bit more technically complex by and extending elements like riffs, bridges and so on. These are not common techniques in "traditional" Prog Rock.

The usefulness of subclassifying it seems limited to those who have a deep interest in the genre only; to those not immersed in it already, it all seems rather confusing.

That's only my perception, of course - I'm sure that your hard work is very useful to fans of Prog Metal.