The most successful modern prog music nation?

That is part of the discussion points for this topic. What does it mean to be successful? How do you measure success?

In Norway's defense, there is a variety of prog that does come from there, not just retro prog. Though the retro is the most popular on a prog scale.

^And that's honestly the first track you've posted that actually is "modern" in terms of prog, at least to my ears (love that album). That's not a comment on my opinion of the quality. But I think Grumpy brought up the true dichotomy of how we're discussing this. Are we talking the NUMBER of groups/artists and releases, or are we talking about acts that are actually treading new (or at least somewhat new) ground? 

MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^ by whom?

Edited by Cristi - January 10 2024 at 03:56

David_D wrote: In my book, the main criteria for being "successful" is to be appreciated.

Guapo is, for instance, a well-appreciated modern band in the avant-prog scene. And they are an English band.

Is the UK just a footnote now? In terms of prog artists they may not be the most numerous but they are certainly the best known and exposed. Consider that Marillion, Porcupine Tree, solo Steven Wilson, IQ et al have had albums out that made various charts in Europe and abroad over the last 20+ years. Recall that the OP's question asks for the most successful.

Edited by SteveG - January 10 2024 at 07:28

Grumpyprogfan wrote: USA. In my opinion, they have the most quality and quantity of modern prog.

Of course, but the U.S. is so huge and such a big market that at least I don't see much sense in comparing it with these European countries. Maybe if we compare the progressive music production of each individual federal state in relation to a European country, it would make more sense.

With this arbitrary criteria of "modern prog", I will just go with the first quarter of the current century. "Success" is a rather nebulous term as well. Is it pure album sales, critical acclaim,etc? I am fairly certain that in terms of pure quantity in the broadest sense of "prog" the US And UK probably outnumber other countries. But with a few exceptions, most of what the US and UK have put out has gotten pretty stale, or even downright bad. Especially in regard to bands that have been around since the classic era.
When it comes to the subset of prog styles I enjoy, the bands are coming mainly from Norway, Sweden, France, Germany and Japan. If I go through my Last.fm it appears to be Sweden, but using scrobble data is limited to counting tracks rather than listening time. France has probably made me say "wow" the most in the last 5 years.





Edited by Tapfret - January 10 2024 at 09:15

As a well-appreciated band, I'd like to mention TesseracT. Formed in Buckinghamshire, England, in 2003,  TesseracT is credited as one of the bands to pioneer the djent strand in the progressive metal genre. The group is well known for its intricate compositions and unusual time signatures. Playing progressive music that straddles the line between metal and djent, TesseracT conjures up strong cerebral imagery and sounds like progressive music of the future—at least for the younger generation of today.