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FLOYDWRIGHT


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PROG REVIEWER

Member since: 1/20/2005 • Forum posts: 369 • Last visit: 7/13/2006 2:38:45 PM EST

Progressive Biography

I was first introduced to progressive rock in 1995 with PINK FLOYD's live album PULSE. Prior to that, it had pretty much been all classical music for me! The great thing about PULSE was the inclusion of a full performance of The Dark Side of the Moon. I didn't know anything about prog at the time...all I knew was that I'd finally heard a rock album that had almost the same scope and complexity that classical music had trained me to expect out of a composition.

For awhile, I mainly explored PINK FLOYD's solo artists and other artists (like PETER GABRIEL) who have inspired them. Other artists came my way, too, like the MOODY BLUES, VANGELIS, RADIOHEAD and SIGUR ROS...when I heard the final track on ( ), I couldn't help wishing for more of that--the power and ferocity of it was absolutely unlike anything I'd ever heard before. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the nascent metalhead in me was screaming to get out!

Then, thanks to the S & M collaboration he did with Metallica, Maestro Michael Kamen singlehandedly completed the transformation and made a metalhead out of me! Getting into metal wonderfully revived my interest in prog, when I started to discover just how many wonderful prog metal bands are out there--a journey I continue on to this day.

I do listen to other genres besides prog...I'll even accept pop if it's very, very good. Please also understand that I am extremely picky about the sound quality of an album and I do deduct stars as a result of what I think are egregious mistakes, and I also tend not to like older albums as much because of this. I know that won't sit well with some people, but hopefully by explaining this in advance, you can take my reviews as you will. I take a broader approach to the prog genre than some may, but I hope that when that's the case, you'll still be able to get something useful from my reviews and make a decision according to your own tastes.

Number of CD in your collection of original progressive albums ... (Will get back to you on that...)

My favourite progressive bands/artists (in alphabetical order)...

Ayreon
Dream Theater
Peter Gabriel
Opeth
Pink Floyd
Radiohead
Sigur Rós
Symphony X
Talk Talk
Rick Wright


My favourite progressive albums include (in alphabetical order)...

Ayreon: The Human Equation
Dream Theater: Awake, Octavarium
Peter Gabriel: Passion, Us
Opeth: Damnation or My Arms, Your Hearse
Orphaned Land: Mabool
Radiohead: Kid A
Pink Floyd: Meddle
Sigur Rós: Agaetis Byrjun, Takk...
Symphony X: V--The New Mythology Suite
Talk Talk: The Spirit of Eden
Rick Wright: Broken China

Other comments: If pulled off successfully, I tend to favor prog albums with a concept as opposed to those who do not...although when a concept gets out of hand (think Pink Floyd's album The Wall), it can end up being the ruin of an album.


Next Review: Rush: Moving Pictures

Other Pending Reviews (will not necessarily appear in this order):

Ayreon: Ayreonauts Only
Between the Buried and Me: Alaska
Blackmore's Night: The Village Lanterne
Chroma Key: Graveyard Mountain Home
Dream Theater: When Dream and Day Unite, A Change of Seasons
Brian Eno: Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks
Fates Warning: FWX
Peter Gabriel: Hit
Mogwai: Mr Beast
Nightwish: Wishmaster
OSI: Free
Rush: Rush in Rio (DVD), Signals
Star One: Space Metal

(Reviews I will write if these bands are added to ProgArchives. Disclaimer--some may or may not, and you are free to disagree with me about prog or non-prog status about any bands named here:)

Blind Guardian: (Full discography)
Enigma: MCMXC aD, Cross of Changes, Le Roi est Mort, Vive le Roi, The Screen and the Mirror, Voyageur
Jonny Greenwood: Bodysong
Mark Hollis: Mark Hollis

Reviews distribution by sub-genre


 Sub-genreNb of reviewsAvg rating
1 Crossover Prog303.37
2 Progressive Metal243.83
3 Psychedelic/Space Rock203.35
4 Tech/Extreme Prog Metal123.58
5 Post Rock/Math rock73.57
6 Prog Related63.17
7 Heavy Prog43.25
8 Experimental/Post Metal33.67
9 Progressive Electronic24.00
10 Symphonic Prog13.00

Reviews and Ratings

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