Prog genres that you dislike

Whatever genre this is.

Gnik Nosmirc wrote: Disclaimer: I don’t actually dislike any of these genres—I’m just less drawn to them, that’s all. ...

Hi,

I wonder if the real issue is that things change with time, and the definitions end up being left behind, and not able to get updated. HOWEVER, I do not listen to genres at all ... I listen to music!

Recently I wrote on a slight comment/review of a band about krautrock, and the difference between a "guided improvisation" and a "free form improvisation", and the way to say it was a film/theater set of words ... script or no script ... and the early "krautrock", did not exactly have a script (witness Werner Herzog's film about Klaus Kinski ... the "krautrock" version on film and theater!)(or Tago Mago, that came from 20+ hours of wide open improvisations per Holger!!!) and its start was sort of described as something that Amon Duul 1 (the original) was doing, which was just a party and fun circle and there were no rules or scripts except (likely!!!) get stoned and then get laid! (Thus, the origin of AD2's first album which fits their very typical/satirical style of comments!)

That review/comment was a "guided" tour for the band, with the drummer on a beat, and/or a guitar leading, and their freedom was not as wide open as we would think. Thus, entering this band into "krautrock" makes sense, only because it "sounds like" ... not because it "belongs".

The "symphonic" thing is even more scary, since a lot of it was originally coming from stuff that was classically inspired and one might even consider KE a strong person there, but then, it was considered "art rock" because the majority of classical music is/was considered "art" ... but today, the Internet does not care about "art" or music that is similarly created like a "symphony" would ... the whole thing for symphonic seems to be ... it sounds like ... and it's just short cuts and not exactly "symphonic" at all ... but it has a keyboard with strings on the synths ... and the composition? Who cares?

It's not about music anymore, it's about the sound!!!

We just have to update, or clean up the definitions, so they are not "stupid", or at least extremely simplistic.

Tough area, and I think there will be too many ideas and comments!

Later on, for example, "krautrock" added beats, and Neu had them, and so did CAN, but in almost all of CAN, the drummer never interfered with the music, and added a lot of touches that fit really well (Chain Reaction to Quantum Physics) and the beat was over by then to set the stage for the flow that was coming ... which is not on the CD!!!! But is on the LP ... you did not even hear the constant pounding of a snare drum, a sign that the drummer can only keep time and is not a good music listener!

Edited by moshkito - May 21 2025 at 21:46

Disclaimer: I don’t actually dislike any of these genres—I’m just less drawn to them, that’s all.

Symphonic prog: I wouldn’t say I dislike symphonic prog. In fact, many great early prog bands like Yes and Genesis were symphonic, and I really enjoy more recent acts like Wobbler or The Flower Kings. That said, the genre can be pretty hit-or-miss for me. It often leans into clichés, and many albums fail to surprise me because of that. Compared to RIO or eclectic, it is often less experimental, and at the end less remarkable. So it's not that I dislike symphonic prog itself — I'm just cautious when approaching it. I'm aware there are counter-examples (Bacamarte, All Traps on Earth, etc.), I'm not saying symphonic prog as a whole is not compelling.

Progressive metal: I’ve always had a bit of a feud with metal in general. Sure, it’s catchy, but it rarely moves me emotionally. That said, I’m not opposed to noisy or hardcore music—I love The Mars Volta, and a lot of early prog bands like King Crimson or Atomic Rooster explored proto-metal territory.

My issue lies more with conventional prog metal, which often suffers from the same shortcomings as symphonic prog: it can feel formulaic and uninspired.

I also struggle with much of contemporary instrumental rock or virtuoso-oriented music in the vein of Polyphia or Sithu Aye. While technically impressive, these albums often lack cohesion and come across more as displays of skill than fully realized artistic statements. The same criticism could be made about jazz-fusion as well (Allan Holdsworth, for instance).

Psychedelic/Space Rock: Funnily enough, many so-called psychedelic or "trippy" albums end up feeling less genuinely trippy than a lot of RIO or post-rock. Just saying. I don’t dislike psychedelic rock, but it often comes off as bland.

Edited by Gnik Nosmirc - May 21 2025 at 18:51