This metal music known as Progressive Metal has also been called "prog" metal. This is just another subgenre of heavy metal. Prog metal have some features from jazz and rock that are mixed into metal music. Powerful singing and guitar riffs from metal are still the main features. Progressive metal bands came up from jazz and classical music. Progressive metal has taken these musical genres and used them as their backbones. 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 metal community.
Progressive Metal Roots
This metal genre traces back to the 60's and 70's. One of the first bands to alternate their metal music with some other forms of genres was a band called High Tide. King Crimson and Rush started to experiment with their style of music and start to become a more progressive metal type band. With these bands scratching the surface, there was really only three bands that took progressive metal to the next level. Dream Theater, Fates Warning and Queensryche all had the same type of expertise in metal music. Each of these bands brought something new to the table for progressive metal. All these bands were from the metal community, but brought something new to their style and brought progressive metal to a new heavy metal genre of music.
Just Open the Door
In the early 1990's progressive metal started to breakout into the community. This popularity was because of MTV, it was played on all the radio stations and was available in all stores, people loved the song Queensryche, Silent Lucidity. This song really helped other progressive metal bands get noticed and out to the public. This opened the doors for other bands like Opeth, Threshold, Pain of Salvation, Symphony X, Tool and Ayreon. Their music all had different features and elements that kept them from becoming "like the other guy."
Time Moves On
The future continue with the build of progressive metal. Disillusion, Conscience and Dark Suns started to become the new comers of progressive metal and were greatly influenced by the "fathers" of progressive metal. Most progressive metal bands have always looked up to Anathema, Pain of Salvation, Green Carnation, Opeth and Tool.
Jazz, Classical, Rock and Metal Needs some Progressive
With some heavy metal, elements of rock, jazz and classical music will give you the building block of progressive metal. There are even more metal genres within this metal genre. The most popular bands in progressive metal are Opeth and King's X. These two bands could even be considered to be progressive death metal bands. There is also traditional progressive metal, like Devin Townsend, Shadown Gallery and Symphony X. Jazz / Fusion Death Metal has bands like Meshuggah, Between the Buried and Me and Pestilence.
New Age of Progressive Metal Bands
Progressive metal will continue to grow and become more advanced. New bands will continue to be featured, bring something new to the table for progressive metal. With time going forward this genre of music will continue to change with all the different music genres that started the music genre. As the song structures become more advanced and complex, so will the riffs, beasts and talent. There is a strong future for progressive metal.
