Is there any good progressive metal out there or is it all soulless wank like Dream Theater?

>1989-2002
Soul Theater
>2003-2010
Butt Theater
>2011-present
Meme Theater

>>126987791 (OP)
prog metal is mostly wanky. my favourite "prog" metal isn't very proggish at all more like long and epic melodeth.
>Be'lakor
>Iotunn
>Wilderun
>An Abstract Illusion
>In Mourning
>any other of the millions of bands that draw from Opeth

>Fires in the Distance
>Lamentations
>Loneshore
the list goes on
picrel is a top 3 album for me

>>126987791 (OP)
watchtower, voivod, pain of salvation, edge of sanity, enslaved, opeth, symphony x... yeah there's a lot

oh and moonsorrow. I always forget them.

>>126987935
>symphony x
i mean sure, there's not wank but there is cheese

>>126987959
well, yeah, it's metal. if you want super duper serious rock music listen to hardcore.

>>126987976
yeah fair point. not dissing Symphony X btw, i like them. V and Twlight in Olympus are awesome but my point being a newcomer might be turned off by some of the elements.

my selections are pretty serious sounding btw (above posts)

Yes, but more of it is in black/death metal than prog metal. "Progressive metal" can't both be a defined genre and live up to its namesake. A band performing the same tricks as everyone else isn't progressing anything.
>>126987976
>metal isn't serious
Maybe that's true if you're immersed in circus prog, pirate singalong metal, and the deep end of high fantasy EUPM cheese. Metal doesn't have to be strictly simple, realistic, and about society to be serious, it just needs to be convinced of itself and able to convince you as well.

>>126988983
Circus prog is good

>>126987791 (OP)
Yeah there is Dream Theater without Rudess and Dream Theater when Rudess is toning down his Rudessisms (boring shredding/repetitive fast arpeggios, patches that sound like an early 90s rompler, honky tonk/circus music) like on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance where he's mostly playing piano or faux orchestral music, most of Scenes from a Memory and most of Train of Thought.

I was gonna make an anti-semetic joke about Rudess and his current AI obsession which I believe will lead to the band's next controversy in the future but Portnoy is a also a jew and he brought a lot of the soul in the band so I unfortunately cannot do that.

>>126988983
>deep end of high fantasy EUPM cheese
What's some good fantasy themed melodic metal that isn't too cheesy?

>>126987791 (OP)
Sigh's output from 1997-2001 is just early 70s King Crimson with screeching and Celtic Frost riffs

Some people will call it sporkcore but it isn't any more eclectic than a King Crimson album.

>go to last.fm
>type 'dreamtheatre'
>click 'similar artists'
>????
>PROFIT!

the entire point of prog is wank
check out SiKth they were a big influence on Protest the Hero

>>126990485
>the entire point of prog is wank
A line only a prog metal fan could come up with.

>>126987791 (OP)
Archspire

>>126990493
link me some non-wanky prog rock

>>126990485
there's also Porcupine Tree but they're more of a "my friend" band desu

>>126989216
Tell me the joke, then I'll share it here and you will be free from any blame.

>>126987791 (OP)
if you even consider them “prog metal”

check out prog-power, a lot of good things

>>126987791 (OP)
prog metal? you mean like pink floyd combined with death metal, right??

>>126992462
no

More like this

>>126987886
This, extreme metal written like classical music is the only consistently good style of prog metal. Ne Obliviscaris is the best at it imo

>>126987791 (OP)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJrI07bNfnc

>>126987791 (OP)
>implying Panic Attack isn't a fantastic song

>>126987791 (OP)
Haken are Dream Theater but better

>>126992517
That Spiral Architect album is the epitome of wank
What's the album between Negura Bunget and Deathspell Omega?

glad you asked

>>126994422
>What's the album between Negura Bunget and Deathspell Omega?
dordeduh. project of hupogrammos post-negura bunget. it's not as good.

>>126994422
no it isnt

>>126994506
Still Life is better

>>126994582
eh i actually think that's one of their worse albums. i've listened to it at least 5 times fully and nothing ever sticks for me.

>>126994633
Not even Face of Melinda?

>>126987791 (OP)

>>126987791 (OP)
Fates Warning were always better than Dream Theater

>>126987791 (OP)
>wank
Opinion discarded

>>126992462
they utterly failed at making the 2 styles work together.

>>126992645
>extreme metal written like classical music
Yes, you get it! i like the seriousness to it all as well unlike the goofiness of other prog metal

>>126994378
only because it's more modern. if Haken existed in the 90's they'd probably be the same or worse.

>>126994647
nta i don't care much for Face of Melinda or Benighted. rest of the album is top tier Opeth.
>do i just not like soft songs?
love To Bid You Farewell, Harvest, A Fair Judgement, all of Damnation ect.
>>126994582
i can never decide which one i like more

>>126987791 (OP)

I got this pretentious retard of a friend on Discord that thinks his music taste is flawless because he took a piano class that taught him a bit of music theory as a kid so all he listens to is slop like dream theatre, avenged sevenfold, porcupine tree and psychedelic porn crumpets and swears its great music because it applies basic music theory and anthony fantano said it was good so whenever I see dream theatre I cringe

He's actually such a snob while listening to what is literally a single step up from music on a shiity mainstream radio station I can't

>>126998036
>>126998051
lol, all because he listens to entry level, baby's first prog metal bands

>>126995377
No joke, are there any Fates Warning fans under the age of 45? Like the music is extremely good.
(especially Awaken the Guardian and No Exit)
But surely no one young actually listens to this shit

>>126989216
I know I'm going to sound like an oldfag here, but the best Dream Theater is Moore Theater, both because he's a fantastic keyboardist and because James's voice took a nose dive soon after he left.

>>126987791 (OP)
Late era Rush, I recommend Clockwork Angels, Vapor Trails, and maybe a bit from Test for Echo, in that order. They're all a bit on the hard rock side, but are all great albums.

Most stuff from Steve Wilson is good too. I found myself liking In Absentia by Porcupine Tree.

Always liked these dudes, quality of the discography kind of has some variance going on though. Funnily enough I actually think they sound worse the more like Dream Theater they become.

>>126998355
Between the Buried and Me's the band name, for some reason my mole eyes didn't catch how fucked up and tiny the text was on the image I grabbed,

>>126998036
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets is the only good band there

>>126998191
true, also there was a certain mystical sound to their earlier stuff. it was truly dreamlike, living up to their name.

>>126998355
they're a great band if you can get past the LOL XD randum nonsense

>>126987791 (OP)
I could show you some really good stuff but I won't because anybody who posts obscure music gets called a shill now. This board used to be a great place for sharing obscure music but the morons who dominate this board now totally ruined that, so I just keep everything good I find to myself now.

>>126998661
you can share it with me anon. i won't judge

>>126998191
6 O' CLOCK ON A CHRISTMAS MORNING
https://youtu.be/ElgXCB4exGU?si=iTKUm1j22SyfrZml&t=51

>>126998355
Parallax II mogs

>>126999350
Great Misdirect as well

Does this count ? cause if so it is great

>>126998160
I just turned 30 and I like them
Both Arch and Alder albums
Shame they are pretty much done with making music and the last album was underwhelming

>>126987791 (OP)
Leprous

>>126994506
>This riff is not good
https://youtu.be/srKWSkOg2eM?t=546
lol

>>126987791 (OP)
If you think DT are wank don't listen to Liquid Tension Experiment

>>126998036
>>126998051
why is it always prog rock/metal who attracts these dorks? it rarely happens in jazz or classical by comparison. also i assume he's still a teen?

>>126999350
not even fucking close lmao. their 2010s shit is when they jumped the shark

>>126998036
>anthony fantano said it was good
Fantano hates all these bands LMAO

>>126998435
Not gonna listen to a band with such a cringe worthy name

>>126998621
A big part is Moore's more tasteful patch selection and more subdued keyboard parts. Not saying virtuosic playing and complex parts aren't good, you can still hear all that in early Dream Theater, but serving the song should always come first.
You can still hear that "mystical sound" you describe in Moore's post-DT stuff. The Chroma Key and OSI records are amazing.

>>126987935
>watchtower
FPBP
close the thread now

>>127005370
The vocalist is annoying

>>126987886
Do you like Insomnium?

>>126987791 (OP)
To bad that "Art Metal" isn't really a thing unlike in rock, where "Art Rock" gets rid of the annoying wanky stuff in "Prog Rock".

>>127004397
>they jumped the shark
how so?

>>127008821
Art rock is just prog for hipsters

>>127008821
Most "art metal" is just atmoshit

>>127005118
>Moore's post-DT stuff. The Chroma Key and OSI records
I'm not really into Dream Theater but I like those albums. Free was part of my soundtrack back in college

>>126987791 (OP)
I listened to this again today and it's still amazing. Zoomers remain mentally crippled.

>>127007197
yeah kinda. i find them a tad boring and samey but there alright.

Maudlin of the Well

>>126992517
It's nice to see Negura Bunget/Om still getting mentioned, it's in my all-time top 10.
>>126994582
I really think Still Life is overrated. Never understood the praise for it being top 2-3 in Opeth's catalog.
>>126997847
The soft songs on Still Life are definitely a step below usual standard Opeth, agreed. I don't really care for Serenity Painted Death either.
>>126998285
Good answer. I love Clockwork Angels and was very pleasantly surprised at how heavy it sounded.
>>126987791 (OP)
First 3 In the Woods albums were pretty fun, and all significantly different from each other.

>>126987791 (OP)
No mention of Riverside yet? I think picrel is excellent.

>>127013993
Second Life Syndrome is their peak

>>127004377
Pretentiousness + Contrarianism
Jazz is only pretentious but not contrarian

>>127001508
I love this little nigga like you wouldn't believe.

>>126994582
Agreed, Still Life is peak Opeth. Every album from Morningrise up to an including Watershed is great, though.

why would anyone take the opinions of "what's good" in regards to music from a forum that has literally 10 KPOP threads is beyond me

>>127014406
kpop/koreaboo containment board fucking when

>>127014416
i pop into /mu/ every like, 3-6 months to see if there is a new buzz or for album recommendations and it never fails that it's asian simps and pasty radiohead redditors

fucking coomers need to go to /gif/ or something

>>126987791 (OP)
Cloudkicker - Beacons
Devin Townsend (earlier material before he got too repetitive)
maudlin of the Well - Bath

>>126987791 (OP)

>>127014406
bro this is probably one of the best threads we've had all week. just enjoy it while you can.

>>127015363
>ugh you like prog? you must be a LE NERD! haha
you just know some underemployed insecure 99 IQ STEM major made this

>>127014229
>Every album from Morningrise up
you add Orchid right the fuck now. it's Morningrise's brother and also the better one i might add.

>>127015380
pretty good for a bait thread

>>127015805
Nta but I still don't enjoy morningrise much besides the last 2 tracks

>>126987791 (OP)
Serapis Project. They focus more on melody and narrative than constantly showing off, but they're all phenomenally good musicians and the guitar solos are outstanding. Also no fucking keyboards, which is a plus.

>>126987935
Good list