Dredg

They're not going to be kicked out, so these discussions are fruitless. My advice is, if you don't think they're prog or even good, just ignore them.

 

I'll second that.  I believe they fit just fine as an art rock band.  Just because a band doesn't sound like one of the prog masters (Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson) in and of itself is not a reason to classify a band as non-prog.  We all have different tastes and different ideas to what prog can be.

 

I, for one, use some odd criteria for judging whether something is prog.  One of my criteria is the "general public" factor.  For example, is the band I'm listening to create music that is too advanced for the general public to understand or even appreciate?  In this case, El Cielo and Leitmotif fit that criteria.  The music is too good to ever get radio play.

 

Another criteria I use is the "push the envelope" test.  For example, does the band create music that pushes beyond the standard music formula.  The key here is that I'm not comparing them to the 70's prog masters, few bands outside Anglagard and Anekdoten could achieve that comparison.  Rather, I am comparing them to their contemporary peers.  I can think of nothing in the current popular music scene that approaches Dredg's first two albums.

 

El Cielo is an ambitious and artistic endeavor based on an odd concept / inspiration.  And if you've never heard the 5.1 SACD version, you're doing yourself a great disservice.  This is an album that really was designed to play like a soundtrack and in 5.1 it really shines in its ability to convey a very well styled mood.

 

I will agree that Catch Without Arms is more of an alternative album than an art rock album, but there are countless bands here that straddle the grey area between prog and non-prog some time in their careers.  And some of those bands, Jethro Tull and Rush for example, are considered stalwarts of the progressive rock scene!