Does Metal preclude Progressiveness?

I think metal is not one solid genre with no differentiation at all within it. 80's Hair metal (which I loathe) is completely different from, say, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden or Queensryche. Volume isn't all - there are other factors, such as the length of the songs, the way instruments are played, even the lyrics. As no one would say Krautrock groups sound exactly the same as Genesis or Jethro Tull, just because you can find both of them on ProgArchives, so you should be careful about lumping all metal together.

And of course, the answer is no... Metal can be progressive as much as every other genre!

Progzilla wrote: hmm, what happens when you put a bounch of proglovers together? They start fighting and wrestling about what PROGstyle or band is the best... I guess that tells us something about us humans.

Yes, if you're 16 you might.. but I've never seen any people over a certain amount of age start quarreling over what is what...

Well I'm delighted that nobody has answered yes to this poll (yet..). I someone really thinks all metal bands share some mystical factor that makes it impossible for them to create progressive music he or she certainly has a pretty narrow view of music.

And as usual when a thread deals with metal in some way or another, there are those who just have to come clean and inform us that they detest metal, in capital letters even. Is the fact that you don't like prog metal eating you up alive? Relax, it won't kill you, just stop listening to it!

Proglovers seem to have a view of them selves as open-minded and tolerant; hmm, what happens when you put a bounch of proglovers together? They start fighting and wrestling about what PROGstyle or band is the best... I guess that tells us something about us humans.

if someone believes that metal precludes progressiveness he can listen to the following records. he might change his mind.

sieges even-steps/sense of change

psychotic waltz-social grace/into the everflow

cynic-focus

vauxdvihl-vog

garden wall-the seduction of madness/chimica.

^
Great sig BTW NetsNJFan, quite a few classics there!

MikeEnRegalia wrote: King of Loss wrote: Prog Metal is basically Prog Rock with a hard-edge nothing more. Prog Metal is MUCH MUCH MORE connected to Prog Rock than to regular Metal becuase of the structure, songwriting and the playing abilities. I don't think that you can generalize it like that. Symphony X for example have nothing to do with Rock. I think that within Prog Metal, there are bands that are more similar to Prog Rock (like you described id, Prog Rock with a metal edge), but there are also bands that are very close to Metal. Symphony X are a good example. I think that they are very progressive, but also very metal. I don't think that you could categorize Symphony X in a subgenre of Prog Rock. Because of that, I think that Prog Metal is an entirely different beast than Prog Rock. The same applies to Fusion. Here's what I mean: Progressive Music Progressive Rock Fusion Progressive Metal I think that this makes much more sense than that: Progressive Rock Progressive Metal Fusion

Well, there are a lot of different parts. There are different kinds of Progressive Metal too.

Ayreon- Spacey Prog Metal

Evergrey- Dark Progressive Metal

Symphonic X- Symphonic Progressive Power Metal

Dream Theater- Progressive Metal

Porcupine Tree/Deadsoul Tribe- Psychodelic Progressive Metal

etc. etc.

King of Loss wrote: Prog Metal is basically Prog Rock with a hard-edge nothing more. Prog Metal is MUCH MUCH MORE connected to Prog Rock than to regular Metal becuase of the structure, songwriting and the playing abilities.

I don't think that you can generalize it like that. Symphony X for example have nothing to do with Rock.

I think that within Prog Metal, there are bands that are more similar to Prog Rock (like you described id, Prog Rock with a metal edge), but there are also bands that are very close to Metal. Symphony X are a good example. I think that they are very progressive, but also very metal. I don't think that you could categorize Symphony X in a subgenre of Prog Rock.

Because of that, I think that Prog Metal is an entirely different beast than Prog Rock. The same applies to Fusion. Here's what I mean:

• Progressive Music
• Progressive Rock
• Fusion
• Progressive Metal

I think that this makes much more sense than that:

• Progressive Rock
• Progressive Metal
• Fusion

Borealis wrote: philippe wrote: I've longely explain in others similar subjects the reasons why I defend the fact that metal + prog is an oxymoron. The combination dosen't make any sense, it's just as idiot as if you say that you eat a burning (hot) icecream...sorry but I'm not alone to think that Yes you aren't alone, I agree with you. There might be heavy prog rock (King Crimson, Van der Graaf), but no prog metal. Sorry, it's impossible.

Evidence, please.

As prog is not about instrumentation, I voted no.

I'm not sure why anyone would think that Metal precludes progressiveness unless they have a particular distaste for it and this 'precludes' their mind from considering it progressive.

Progmetal is probably one of the areas in prog today that has been genuinely moving in an upwardly mobile progressive direction. Would an objector to metal being considered prog say that King Crimsons heavier arrangements are not progressive?