with powerfull plying and inspired playing and singing. 

who do you choose

 

Muse is alright, too.

My wife liked Muse for a while but got bored with them - I never got into them myself.

If forced to choose...King's X.

But dislike both.

Don't really understand how Kings X ever got categorized as prog metal. The majority of their music does not fit into that genre

I guess my point is that I don't hear much "metal" in their music. In fact, in many cases, it's no where near metal. Yeah, they've had some heavier periods but it's never been a focus of their music. Iron Maiden is metal. Metallica is metal. Kings X? Not really

I agree. 

I see that they are "prog related" in the database. Let's assume they were proggier, even still metal wouldn't apply to them. Heavy prog maybe.

My initial reaction is to want to disagree vehemently with you - to me they have a lot of the elements of progressive rock and are also very metal.

But I think that where I disagree the most is with the whole attempt to categorize them at all - they exceed any simple attempts to define them or limit them to one genre. Paradoxically to my argument, in that sense I think that they are very progressive. Gretchen Goes To Nebraska and Faith, Hope, Love to me are their peak - all the various elements, the vocal harmonies, the varied dynamics between heavy and acoustic, the obscure lyrics, etc. come together perfectly. Maybe Dogman is more metal and less prog, though maybe the "heavy" part of Heavy Metal is more appropriate than the "metal" part.

Check out "Pillow" from Dogman, that's pretty metal to me.

Agreed. Moanjam is too but those are the exceptions in their music. 

But rather than be frustrated, I'm instead going to take it as an opportunity to go back and listen to some King's X! I have a lot of driving to do this coming week so will throw some CDs in the car.

I totally get that they aren't only metal, or that they aren't pure prog, but I feel that they have very strong prog elements, and that they are often very metal - the metal characteristics that I would point to are the heavy distorted guitars, the crazy distorted bass, the downtuning, and definitely the RIFFS - a lot of their songs are very riff-based.

What's more important, the genre or the music itself?

YEEEAHHHHH! PLAY SOME SLAYER!

Come on - at least back up your opinion, don't just state your opinion as fact - if you have an opinion back it up, believe in what you say, otherwise it's just empty, worthless, why bother even saying it. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, a lot of people here spout on and on about whether something does or doesn't fit a certain genre without ever giving any definitive characteristics by which we can determine whether or not a certain piece of music or band fits within a given genre. That's the easy way out, how about we study music and listen deeply to the music we love, instead of saying "x isn't this, it's that" - are you even a fan of this band you claim to understand genre-wise? Maybe one of the reasons I love King's X so much and have followed them, buying every single CD I can get my hands on for the past almost 30 years, is the cold hard reality that they actually transcend genre, listen to them because you love them and love the music they put out! If you're just categorizing them I guess I can just ignore you, what I probably should have done in the first place...

I agree with you that they transcend genre which makes categorizing them as metal even more perplexing. That's my point. 

Okay, I got sarcastic with my Slayer post. Big f**king deal. However, if you feel like you have to ignore me after interactions in one thread, then so be it. Go for it. No hard feelings.

 

They're too eclectic to be distilled down into a single word like that, be it metal, prog or whatever.

 

Songs like "Summerland," "Shot of Love/It's Love," "The World Around Me," "Send a Message," "Flies and Blue Skies," etc. aren't metal. I know Ty's guitar playing (and his covetable tone) might be the single greatest element to suggest they may be a "metal" band, but to me it's always been an example of how versatile those three guys are.

 

I'd rather discuss why aren't recording a new album, though.

I apologize - I was drunk when I made that post! I did express what I was feeling but it shouldn't have been directed at you. I think I just don't belong here - I find discussions of genre very frustrating. To me the best Progressive Rock bands transcend genre, but of course there are also bands that fit into the molds cast by the pioneers. The crazy thing is we may have actually been saying the same thing!

The good thing is that it has me listening to them again - they are a band I have come back to again and again over the past almost 30 years. 

I have to disagree here - I think that "The World Around Me" is very metal, as is "It's Love". So our understanding of what metal is is different. 

But I don't think I am saying that King's X ARE METAL or ARE PROG-METAL - I was frustrated at the statement that they AREN'T METAL - to me, heavy metal is a fundamental part of their musical identity and aesthetic, but they can't be adequately explained by just that one word. 

I need to stop thinking about this stuff! 

No problem. I apologize for the sarcasm. There's lots of things on the internet that are frustrating to discuss. 

 

I've been listening to King's X since a friend lent me his then-new tape of Gretchen in '90. Before that, I'd read a festival review that remarked that King's X "was the only 'real' metal band of the line-up."

 

That said, what I heard surprised me — a lot — as I found myself drawn in by a trio that sounded like no other band on the rock landscape at the time. I thought "These guys aren't really metal...they've duped a lot of people into thinking they are, though!" Which is fine, for marketing purposes. I simply thought they were, and are, too eclectic to be slapped with a label.

 

I feel the same way about early Def Leppard. They were lobbed in with the NWOBHM movement, but I've never felt they were metal. Hard rock, certainly. Not metal. It didn't stop me from playing the hell out of their first three albums back in the day.

 

 

I just listen to them more than I do Muse

Kings X were introduced to me by a Rush fanatic (same guy who introduced me to Max Webster and FM) by playing me 'Out of the Silent Planet' & 'Faith, hope love'. Wasn't too sure to start but they did grow on me and I came to feel they were a really great and sadly underrated band.  So Kings X get my vote.

Never cared for King's X at all. 

 

This one is my fave.