Prog Fans Unite!

[KingCrimson250]

You know, all throughout this forum I've seen different people talk about their love of prog or different prog artists, but they seem pretty scattered, so I figure we should have our own thread where we can talk about all things prog.

I personally have only just recently discovered that there is life after the mainstream, so to speak, discovering a bunch of lesser known prog bands who are of top quality but who never really made it into the better-known circles (which would be Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, etc for the 70s, and Dream Theater, Symphony X, Mars Volta, Opeth, etc for the 90s). One of my favourites is this band Taal. Really awesome stuff.

Anyway, share your love! Talk about anything prog! Who are your favourite artists? What do you love most about the genre?

 

[riseagainst]

I just got an album called In Absentia by Porcupine Tree. Their singer is the man who worked with Opeth on Blackwater Park through Damnation. I think he was the producer and did some extra vocals for them. It's a very good album, I highly recommend it.

 

[staveoffzombies]

Yeah, In Absentia is a good place to start with Porcupine Tree. The frontman is Steven Wilson and he's one of the most prolific and hardworking musicians in the world right now.


Anyways, my favorite band in the world is Dream Theater. I've seen them live on three occasions, have all their albums and dvd's and am dying to get my hands on their new album that drops later this month.

Porcupine Tree and Opeth happen to be my other two favorite bands, and I've seen both bands live as well.

I've also become a big fan of more up and coming bands like Between the Buried and Me and Three.

 

[stonetoflesh]

I like prog rock. Mostly older stuff, but also some of the newer space-rock-oriented groups.

Favorite classic prog: Gong, King Crimson, Gryphon, Univers Zero
Favorite newer prog: Ozric Tentacles, Poseidotica, Titan

 

[Jeffersoni]

Yeah, In Absentia is a good place to start with Porcupine Tree. The frontman is Steven Wilson and he's one of the most prolific and hardworking musicians in the world right now.


Anyways, my favorite band in the world is Dream Theater. I've seen them live on three occasions, have all their albums and dvd's and am dying to get my hands on their new album that drops later this month.

Porcupine Tree and Opeth happen to be my other two favorite bands, and I've seen both bands live as well.

I've also become a big fan of more up and coming bands like Between the Buried and Me and Three.

Yeah, here also waiting for Dream THeater's new album

 

[KingCrimson250]

I dunno how I feel about Dream Theater's new album. I might give it a listen or two once it comes out, but DT has yet to make a good album this century and I'm not convinced that this one will be any different. I might give it a shot but I've got higher buying priorities.

Is anyone familiar with the band Anekdoten at all?

 

[BjorkIsCool]

I only like the big name bands like: Yes, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Rush, Mike Oldfield, Queen. I'm not big enough prog fan to go any more obscure.

 

[staveoffzombies]

Dream Theater's new album is quite good. A few missteps here and there...but this is probably their best work since 2001's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

 

[smacarena]

I wonder if the new Mars Volta record is any good.

 

[3trees]

I like Dream Theater and some Mars Volta - also Porcupine Tree

 

[Dasein]

I'll put my hand up for a couple of so far unmentioned bands.

Symphony X are probably my favourite prog band, for their cheesy power metal edge. I'd highly recommend listening to the Odyssey - a 25 minute epic about the Greek epic poem of the same name.

Tool tend to get classed as prog also, and I'm a massive fan of them! First album's a bit lacking, but the rest of the stuff is pretty amazing.

If Coheed and Cambria get classified as prog - which I think they do - then you can tick me off for them aswell; I'd suggest last.fm/music/Coheed+and+Cambria/Good+Apollo%2C+I%27m+Burning+Star+IV%2C+Volume+One%3A+From+Fear+Through+The+Eyes+of+Madness


On the lighter side of things, Jethro Tull are a lot of fun, although I can't add much about them since I've only started listening to them recently.

Rush....

And finally; Mastodon! Extremely unique style, even for prog! One of the best imo.

 

[KingCrimson250]

Jethro Tull are quite good. If you haven't already, be sure to check out Thick As A Brick. It's an incredible album and probably the highlight of their prog stuff.

 

[Tzaousios]

I like classic and new prog. My all time favorite band is Emerson, Lake & Palmer!

But I also like Rush, Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Dixie Dregs, Return to Forever, Rick Wakeman, etc.

From newer prog I like Dream Theater, Symphony X, Neal Morse, Transatlantic, Dali's Dilemma, Ice Age, Kamelot, Falconer, Spock's Beard, Thought Chamber, Serenity, Sybreed, Meshuggah, and a host of other really obscure stuff.

Right now I am getting into DT's new one, Black Clouds & Silver Linings.

 

[BUCKFANDAN]

Porcupine Tree is AMAZING!!
Opeth is really good aswell.

Anything that it similar that you guys would reccommend to me?

 

[TobyMoore]

I don't believe anyone mentioned Gentle Giant: English multi-instrumentalist virtuosos from the 1970's. They were AMAZING! Their live album Playing the Fool is the best live record I've ever heard.

Nor did anyone mention Camel. Also from the 70's. Also great.

There's a whole slew of classic prog bands that I have only recently discovered and/or begun to appreciate, like Van Der Graaf Generator, Focus, Genesis (The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway made a bad first impression on me. Wind And Wuthering cured me of that about a year or two ago), and many others. What a fantastic genre!

 

[marduke]

Huge Dream Theater fan right here have every album and dvd, have my ernie ball music man 'john petrucci' signature guitar personally signed by the man himself. also LOVE the new DT album, JP's tone is flawless and his playing is at a whole new level. cant wait to see them live in december!!

also love pink floyd, rush, liquid tension experiment, altera enigma, porcupine tree, COG, coheed and cambria (yes i class them as progressive), karnivool (their later stuff is very prog styling), mastodon, symphony x, deep purple (more classic rock though), the butterfly effect (their latest album is more prog stylised)

 

[zepsinger]

Prog is funny for me- I can appreciate the musical chops, and I like some of it alot, but a big fan of the genre? nope.

 

[Citanul]

Another prog fan here. I used to be mainly a fan of prog metal, but recently a lot of what I've heard recently sounds a little formulaic and the sub-genre doesn't hold my interest as much as it used to do and I've found myself drifting towards neo-prog.

My favourite prog bands include (and these are just the first few that come to mind):
Threshold, Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, Marillion, Rush, Savatage, Ayreon, and pretty much anything Clive Nolan's been involved in.

 

[redpill]

I loooooooove Dream Theater. I've only been into them for about 3 years or so but I've fallen madly in love with them in that short time. Dream Theater is pretty much everything I love about music all in one place. The perfect antidote to the inane pop music that plagues the airwaves. I'm also a huge fan of Rush. Mainly 70s proggy Rush such as 2112 and Farewell to Kings. I have two Opeth albums which I definitely enjoy but haven't listened to a whole lot yet. I like what little I've heard of Symphony X. Sounds good. If you consider Tool a prog band, I certainly like them a lot. I'm crazy about prog metal, symphonic metal and power metal.

 

[xxPhilxx]

Dream Theater, the band that got me into Prog. Very good music. Symphony X is also pretty awesome. A lot heavier too. It's more Progressive power metal though instead of straight prog.

@Red Pill
You like any Heavy Metal too? Where it all started man.