Some of my Favorite Progressive Metal Albums
In case you’re interested in the genre
I am by no means an expert in progressive metal. I wouldn’t consider it my favorite genre. In fact, I probably dislike 90% of progressive metal (and rock) that I hear. I find most of it to be too cheesy and ostentatious to listen to. I consider many vocals in the genre to be downright annoying. So, why should you listen to me then? Well, this is the stuff that does break through and get my attention. It’s crazy how the releases on this list don’t even span a full decade, but that tells you when I was busy finding all of it. So, here we go.
Pain of Salvation — One Hour by the Concrete Lake (1998)
I was on a parallel path discovering progressive metal at around the same time as death metal. I found Pain of Salvation through Symphony X and Dream Theater. I listened to the more refined The Perfect Element I like crazy, but this album took a long time to get into. In my view, that eventually results in a more rewarding album. Maybe it was the relative rawness of this compared to the more polished prog albums, perhaps it was Daniel Gildenlow’s vocal style. This album is saturated with emotion. Vocals range from soft and high-pitched to powerful and aggressive. The humanitarian lyrical content illustrates the band’s fervor for these subjects. There is heavy keyboard use and backing vocals, but otherwise, this is not very “gimmicky” like a lot of prog albums seem to be (even their later albums). I think I would rate Remedy Lane a bit higher than this one, but this is the one that really got me into the band.
Arcturus — The Sham Mirrors (2002)
Arcturus is an interesting band. They intertwine a bit of avant-garde and black metal in with progressive influences. Their songs have a very experimental and “cosmic” theme. Sometimes there is almost a silliness with some vocals, but it really just plays into the band’s personality. There is very heavy keyboard use here, and the musicianship is all top-notch. I will say, choosing one Arcturus album was really difficult but this is the one that got me into the band. The runners-up would include La Masquerade Infernale, Sideshow Symphonies, and Aspera Hiems Symfonia. The earlier you go in their discography, the closer to pure black metal their music becomes.
Maudlin of the Well — Bath (2001)
This album is one of the most distinctive and memorable treasures in my metal collection. Simply labeling Maudlin of the Well as “progressive” might be a little too basic. But, I think most fans of this band would consider them some combination of progressive, avant-garde, or “art” metal. This band is everything from eccentric, to comforting, to capricious, to alarming. If you’re not careful, this album can startle you into another dimension. One second, you’re relaxing with a soft, jazzy interlude, only to suddenly have your bones crushed by extreme heaviness and screaming. They toss flutes, trumpets, cello, and church organs into the cooking pot, as well as all types of vocals — male, female, soft, powerful, and screaming. You may be thinking, this band is just all over the place and just trying to be as crazy as possible. Well, I would disagree. It is crazy, but something about all this craziness works, and quite well. This is one of my most cherished albums in my collection, and it took years to fully grow on me. Their other albums, My Fruit Psychobells and Leaving Your Body Map are not far behind either. Some of the best bands of this genre don’t take themselves too seriously, aren’t afraid to have a little fun.
Devin Townsend — Terria (2001)
When I was first discovering other metal bands, Devin Townsend seemed revered in the metal communities I was a part of. He was a deviation from the melodic death metal I was getting into, but he kept growing on me. His brand of progressive metal can get a bit wacky at times, but can also be epic, catchy, beautiful, and contemplative. I think this album is a pretty good representation of all of Devin’s “sides,” while being something refreshingly different.
Riverside — Second Life Syndrome (2005)
This Polish band straddles the line between progressive rock & metal. They have everything a progressive metal band should have. I’m talking about imaginative songwriting, colorful melodies, lush keyboards, and awesome solos. The vocalist, Mariusz Duda, encompasses incredible range and emotion. His voice is soothing yet powerful, parallel with the music. The movements within songs flow naturally into each other, forming crescendos and then crashing down. They last just the right amount of time before moving on to something new and always feel saturated with the right amount of melody. I’ll admit, I still need to check out their last couple of albums — hopefully, I’ll get around to it soon.
Nightingale — I (2000)
It was really tough to pick my favorite Nightingale album. It’s basically a tie between this, Alive Again, and The Closing Chronicles. Nightingale is a project of the very prolific Dan Swanö. They aren’t an exceedingly complex or groundbreaking band. But, they do deliver a punchy, satisfying, superior quality prog-rock. The albums after this one got slightly cheesier but still listenable.
Nevermore — Dead Heart in a Dead World (2000)
Nevermore’s sound touches on thrash, power, and just straight-up Iron Maiden-esque heavy metal. This is on the heavier side for this list — no keyboards here. For whatever reason, I didn’t continue collecting Nevermore’s other albums except for This Godless Endeavor. I’m not sure why, I guess my taste just decided to go in other directions. I still really enjoy this album though and maybe I’ll collect more in the years to come.
Amorphis — Am Universum (2001)
Amorphis has been flirting with progressive rock since their inception, but they may come the closest to it on this album. They have abandoned the death growls, added a plethora of keyboards, and even a saxophone. Many bands make a few experimental albums that deviate from their main style. Some don’t quite work, but this one is a success.
Green Carnation — Light of Day, Day of Darkness (2001)
This hour-long, one-track album is just as epic as you can imagine. It’s quite varied, with heavy, doomy parts, acoustic parts, and plenty of keyboards. There’s even that dreaded 5-minute “breather” section containing female yodeling over a saxophone. No one seems to enjoy that part, but it’s almost necessary to break this up. The song circles back to certain themes several times and is not too cheesy or showy. Green Carnation has a really good catalog of other albums as well.
