Progressive Metal – Wood of Light Dictionary
What is Progressive Metal?
Progressive metal (shortened as prog-metal) is a fusion of Progressive Rock and Heavy Metal born in North America between 1980s and 1990s. The tipical elements of Progressive Metal music are heavy strong sound (from Heavy Metal music), and experimental and complex arrangements and melodic lines (from Progressive Rock music). Sometimes the Progressive Metal music is influenced from Jazz, Funky and Psychedelic styles (“fresh” Progressive Metal), or is influenced from Classic, Symphonyc or Folk music (“dark” Progressive Metal).
Between 1990s and 2000s, Progressive Metal’s popularity start to decline, maybe because the “fathers” of this genre start to divert for pop style, for example “Octavarium” of Dream Theater (2005), expecially in “A walk Beside You” (like U2 style), or “Scarsick” of Pain of Salvation (2007), expecially in “Disco Queen”.
Where are the first examples of Progressive Metal?
The first examples of Progressive Metal was between 1960s and 1970s, but always are a Progressive Rock style thought a Heavy Metal influences.
We can recall Bands like Hide Tide, King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Night Sun and Rush. Rush is maybe the Band that is closest to the prog-metal, specially in songs like “Anthem”, “Bastille Day”, “By-Tor And The Snow Dog”, “The Fountain of Lamneth” and “2112” (an obvious inspiration for “The Ytsejam” of Dream Theater)
Who invented progressive metal?
Is difficult to determine which band invented the Progressive Metal music, but We can say with certainty that the Bands that gave birth to this genre, with commercial succes, are Rush (although it is difficult to categorize as prog-metal band), Queensrÿche (“melodic” Progressive Metal), Fates Warning (with Trash Metal influences), Tool and Dream Theater (expecialy with the album “Images and Words” of 1992).
What Bands are Progressive Metal?
Addition to Rush, Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, Tool and Dream Theater, We can quote 30 Seconds to Mars, Andromeda, Angra, Architects, Arcturus, Ark, Ashent, Blind Guardian, Circus Maximus, Devin Townsend, DGM, Evergrey, Kamelot, King’s X, Labyrinth, Lacuna Coil, Liquid Tension Experiment, Mastodon, Nevermore, Opeth, OSI, Pain of Salvation, Planet X, Rhapsody of Fire, Riot, Rishloo, Sieges Even, Solid Vision, Symphony X, and much more.
Is evident as a Progressive Metal is broken down into many sub-genres: for example Opeth are very influenced by Death Metal, Devin Townsend by Classical music, Symphony X by Power Metal, King’s X by Softer Rock, sometimes Grunge style.
The rules of Progressive Metal: a pathetic legend.
Often We talk about the “rules of Progressive Metal”, which are just the main features that are common to all Bands.
You hear then rules such as “songs must last as long as possible”, “songs must be complex and lengthy solos”, “there must be many unison in a songs,” and much more.
In reality it’s just only a few elements that often appear in the progresive metal discography.
According to the Wood of Light, the term “progressive” means “always in progress” and adapt to these “rules” would be like killing the very essence of a sense progressive!
The only rule is to “go beyond” … the progressive metal musician must be “feel like escaping” from stationary composition.
Find the italian progressive metal band Wood of Light! Don’t write “Wood and Light“, “Woodo Flight“, “Wood o Flight” or “Voodoo Flight“!