Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Jazz + Classical + Metal = Progressive Metal


Progressive metal or sometimes known as prog metal is another subgenre of the heavy metal community. It has some elements of progressive rock and jazz with complex structures and powerful guitar distortion from metal. Jazz and Classical music inspires a lot of bands. Progressive metal uses these genres of music to build on and create a more complex sound. This small metal genre has less fans and popularity than other metal genres. With more bands entering in, it could find its way to the mainstream of the community.

Where Progressive Metal Came From

This metal genre traces back to the 1960's and 70's. High Tide was one of the first metal bands to start mixing some of these other elements into their music. Other bands started to follow the trend. Rush and King Crimson was another band to take some of the features of other music genres and mix them. There was three bands that could really push progressive metal to what it has become today. Dream Theater, Queensryche and Fates Warning all had the same type of expertise in metal music. Each of these bands brought something new to the table for progressive metal. These three bands really had some progressive rock influences that gave them a more edgy and extreme metal sound.

Just Open the Door

This started to breakout in the community in the early 1990s. When there was a release from Queensryche called Silent Lucidity that became very popular on MTV and on the radio. And because of its wide popularity it increased other bands to be exposed. Band like Pain of Salvation, Ayreon, Symphony X, Tool, Opeth and Threshold all started to come out and make a name for them. Their music all had different features and elements that kept them from becoming "like the other guy."

More Progressive Music

More and more bands started to go with this trend. Bands like Dark Suns, Conscience and Disillusion were entering the metal words by being influenced from the earlier bands in this genre. Tool, Anathema, Pain of Salvation, Green Carnation and Opeth are the most influential bands of progressive music.

Rock, Metal, Jazz and Classical Needs some Progressive

With some heavy metal, elements of rock, jazz and classical music will give you the building block of progressive metal. You can branch down more genres within this genre. The most popular bands in progressive metal are King's X and Opeth. These two bands could even be considered to be progressive death metal bands. There is also traditional progressive metal, like Devin Townsend, Symphony X and Shadown Gallery. Jazz / Fusion Death Metal has bands like Pestilence, Between the Buried and Me and Meshuggah.

New Age of Progressive Metal Bands

With new bands emerging in the genre there are certain styles that will come with them. With some staying with tradition and some changing it will be interesting what will happen. The experimentation of this genre has been influenced by jazz, thrash, classical and even its own music and will continue to change. The metal community will also have progressive metal, giving the community some type of new and exciting genre of music.








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