[Xevion]

Quote:

(BTW, how many proggers got into prog because of DT I wonder? Scenes From a Memory was my "first contact")

I did too, although it was Awake that pulled me in and Images and Words that kept me. Then came Symphony X and I was hooked. Braver - if you can pick up V I would highly reccomend it, if you see DWOT, PICK IT UP, YOU MUST DO IT, THEY WILL BECOME ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE GROUPS, of course this is judging by your musical tastes in my opinion.

I didn't mention Nightwish since they aren't exactly progressive, more like power metal, although they do make some time changes, they aren't nearly as common, as say Dream Theater or Gordian Knot. If you like Nightwish and want something more to an extreme end of the power metal world, you should try Rhapsody, Luca Turilli, Dragonheart, and Sonata Arctica. I think I am the only fantasy power metal listener here, a few people made some comments as to not liking Rhapsody, but if you haven't heard it, it is something you will either love or hate. The lyrics are all hellishly cheesy, but I would say you would be hard to find more triumphant, uplifiting music in the world of metal then Rhapsody. There is also a bit of neo-classical mixed into the bit, sometimes you hear remnants of famaliar classical pieces worked into their songs

.

Here is a picture of Luca Turilli, if it turns you off completely then they are probably not for you, as this is a good example of what their music sounds like:

For some odd reason both Rhapsody and Luca Turilli are listed on allmusic.com as progressive metal, and while they do show some prog tendancies, they aren't really very progressive, and it should be changed.

And I certainly like Arena's 80s sound myself

.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by Braver (BTW, how many proggers got into prog because of DT I wonder? Scenes From a Memory was my "first contact")

I must be a bit older than you. My first contact with "prog" was Yes. "Roundabout" was big radio hit.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

 

[coolvij]

Wow - i'm impressed at the response - thanx guys.

Xevion: Thanks for that helpful post - DT's Scenes From A Memory is going to be the next (rock

) CD i buy, no question. The Liquid Tension Experiment stuff I've seen (again, on Amazon) - but I'm not sure if I'd like it or hate it. Sometimes vocals can get in the way of great rock, other times it can be an integral part (like a piano in a truly free jazz enviroment trying to hold down a rythym sp?)! I don't like Therion much from clips......KR mentioned their album, Vovin, recently.....Secret Of The Runes sounds interesting, but frankly, that satanic stuff doesn't really appeal to me. I mean, i am sympathetic - but do NOT believe in - nihlism, but satanism.....nah....and, isn't Therion a blackmetal band? (I am most familiar with their album "of darkness" through several mp3s....hate that album...).

I enjoy dissonance a *great* deal (strange, no? ah well...) - love Ascension by Coltrane, etc.....sadly, I don't have enough dissonant rock. Therefore - I think V by "X" is gonna be my first buy from them..

I don't like symphonic stuff too much - but I never thought I'd find a metal band i *liked* till I discovered prog....so I'll give all this orchestral rock stuff a chance

Shadow Gallery sounds interesting.........

Lord Chimp loves Opeth - anyone familiar with those guys? If any of ya are, could you tell me what there tamest, least dark album is? I may be a wuss...but I like me that way. So there.


Braver: I'd love to get into a bit of discussion - but, first, tell me what this whole "80's sound" is.....i mean, i was 2 at the most back then.......

Is it like Pink Floyd - rock with effects and the like? lots of soundscape stuff (like sigur ros?)? Simply bombastic (like some DT

)?

Thanx in advance.

Demetrio: good god.....I wish i had enough cash to get all those albums (i'm sure they'll all sound good......). For now, I'll go with Gordian Knot and Porcupine Tree (radiohead and pink floyd....wow...

). Thanks a lot for the advice.......

Thanks again, to all those who replied HELPFULLY (you're a bad man, dhwilkin...a bad, bad man...

).

 

[Xevion]

Therion isn't "satanic", Secret of the Runes for example is based on nordic myths. Also, Of Darkness is a re-release of their old stuff. It is crap. Download some songs of Secret of the Runes. Theli is a much easier listen for people afraid of real classical insturments, try downloading "In The Desert of Set". Mind you Therion isn't exactly progressive as a rule of thumb (Via Nocturne is), I am just reccomending them because they can have some progressive tendancies and I think everyone should give them a try.

Symphony X has some songs that are driven by keyboard, but those are far and few in betwen, I think they strike a really good balance for something more based on guitars, whereas Rhapsody would be the opposite extreme without counting Therion.

The 80s style is easy to hear but hard to describe. Arena makes use of simple sounding synths (Versus Symphony X's synthesized insturments), and the overall sound is somewhat more positive and uplifting versus the slightly dark and menacing Symphony X. They also have a touch of a Van Halenish sound which I strongly associate with the 80s, clean vocals, the guitar is slightly muted compared to straight metal but it has a bit of an edge to it, you know it when you hear it.

If you want Scenes from a memory you might just get the live version instead, it was $22 but it has 3 CDs, and it has all of scenes froma memory on it, and to top it off some LTE, a really sweet keyboard solo by Rudess, and the absolutely incredible a Change of Seasons. The thought that it was all live, and the concert they played was over 3 hours long, and the last song is A Change of Seasons, which they played impeccably, is quite amazing to me.


If you want a more refined sound, LTE 2 is probably a better choice of the LTE discs, listen to Biaxident, however, Bozzio Levin Stevens or Gordian Knot might suit your liking better. Gordian Knot is the jazziest of the bunch with LTE being more metal-ish.

Opeth really isn't light at all, I like Still Life the most, although I find them a bit heavy for my tastes, and I don't particularly care for death vocals. If you handle the song "White Cluster" I strongly reccomend Still Life. Opeth would be something like progressive black metal. They do make use of a lot of acoustic guitar, clean vocals, too, just not as much as death vocals. White Cluster runs the entire gamut of their sound reasonably well, and they are really good at making transitions from light to heavy, whether it is a jarring one or a gradual change. I also live their use of synth, which is much more subtle then SYmphony X or DT, but still adds another dark, haunting layer to the sound which I like.

If you want something like Floyd, you won't find it in Arena. Try Spacemen 3.

 

[Demetrio]

Quote:

Originally posted by coolvij Demetrio: good god.....I wish i had enough cash to get all those albums (i'm sure they'll all sound good......). For now, I'll go with Gordian Knot and Porcupine Tree (radiohead and pink floyd....wow... ). Thanks a lot for the advice.......

You won't regret these two choices IMO, both Porcupine Tree and Gordian Knot are great bands, great stuff!!!...

I see you like some more "challenging" stuff, don't you? Why don't you also try the Finnish band CIRCLE?... Take a little of your time and download these two complete sound samplers of their album Prospekt available at this link:

http://www.ektrorecords.com/releases/prospekt.html

More interesting samples available at this other link:

http://www.ektrorecords.com/releases.html

Hope you enjoy something there (I do think you will).

 

[Demetrio]

Quote:

Originally posted by Demetrio You won't regret these two choices IMO, both Porcupine Tree and Gordian Knot are great bands, great stuff!!!...

In addition to my previous message, sound samples of PORCUPINE TREE can be found at their web site, at this link:

http://www.porcupinetree.com/audio.htm

Like I said above, their music sounds like Pink Floyd meets Radiohead... go there and check it out for yourself.

 

[coolvij]

Demetrio: The porcupine tree audio page aint loadin on my machine - and I have geometry finals tommorow.....talk to all of you guys later.

Xevion: Thanx for the clarification. Of Darkness....well......is crap...and it would make anyone think Therion was into all the dark arts....

I'm very interested in Secret Of The Runes, and already knew IT was about norse mythology (intriguing concept...).

I've so far avoided it because some hard core Therion fan (or past fan, I should say) said Theli was their apex....and I didn't like Theli samples.....he didn't like Vovin...and, if I remember right, he used the word "suck" to describe Secret.

shoulda came to head-fi first after all........

Thanx again.

 

[Demetrio]

Quote:

Originally posted by coolvij Demetrio: The porcupine tree audio page aint loadin on my machine.....

Hope you can open the page and listen to the samples today. Also hope you can download the CIRCLE samples I mentioned before, I think you might enjoy them (listen also to samples from the band EKTROVERDE, available at the same site of Circle).

I was also wondering, you said you like "dissonant" stuff a lot, so I think you might eventually enjoy the avant-garde bands/artists from Cuneiform Records... Here's the link to their web site, so that you can check them out, if you are interested in this sort of challenging stuff:

http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/

Best regards.

 

[Braver]

Quote:

Originally posted by coolvij Braver: I'd love to get into a bit of discussion - but, first, tell me what this whole "80's sound" is.....i mean, i was 2 at the most back then....... Is it like Pink Floyd - rock with effects and the like? lots of soundscape stuff (like sigur ros?)? Simply bombastic (like some DT )? Thanx in advance.

Vij, I'm from '83 myself

I don't know Pink Floyd too well (yeah I should, but it's lower on my list than some other bands), so I can't compare.

yes it's rock that sometimes uses soundeffects. Marillion did it a lot, and you'll bump into some samples here and there. specially with DT, who sometimes use pieces of dialog from movies ("6:00" on Awake is a good example).

they use soundscapes sometimes, but synths are mostly used to paint a background for guitars and vocals.

Arena and Marillion (talking Fish-era Marillion here) tend to get bombastic and dramatic a lot

 

[davidcotton]

Hi Braver

Just had this e-mail sent to me by Clive Nolan not sure if you are on the mailing list or not so thought I'd print it below for you!


"Hello and welcome to the ninth ‘Verglas Newsletter’, where we keep you up to date with events relevant to all those Verglas artists and bands.

1. Happy New Year,and very best wishes for the future from Verglas Music.

2. 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is now here. It will be officially released on February 4rth, but if you can't wait, why not go straight to the Verglas store and get it now?! For more info on the album just press www.verglas.com

3. Arena are now about to go into the studio to record their fifth studio album, 'Contagion'. They will be making the album at 'Arena Studios' (just a coincidence!) in London. Mike Stobbie (ex Pallas) will be producing with Clive Nolan choosing to take an assisting role. Clive said "it's always good to shake up the making of an Arena album each time we make one, and I'm looking forward to working with Mike again. After all, that's how it all began".

4. We heard rumours that some meetings had taken place regarding the possible completion of a new Strangers on a Train album. Yes, it's hard to believe, but there you are. However, they are just rumours, and we reckon it's unlikely anything would happen until the end of the year.

5. David Wyatt is the artist for the new Arena album. Apparantly the cover artwork is pretty much finished. He will also be advising the band on any ideas for a stage show they may have when they go on tour. "

Typical, just pre-booked it with GFT tonight and then get this! Oh well a quick phone call will cancel and I hope to get it before the 4th !! (hound that is!)

I know how you feel about the Marked for Madness cd being back ordered, I ordered the Mostly Autumn dvd from classic rock legends (instead of gft naughty boy, slap wrist!) and had to wait 3 MONTHS for it

They also charged my cc before they sent it out as well

However I did'nt get the nice spangly limited edition version I ordered, oh no instead I got the plain vanilla one and a free t-shirt chucked in, not going to use those muppets again. The last straw was not hearing anything about the progress until a day after they'd put it in the flippin post!

Oh well I'm off to order Hounds now, if this doesnt arrive before the 4th I am going to be one p***ed off progger.........

 

[Braver]

I believe I signed up for the mailing list, buy don't recall get anything yet...maybe try again.

sooo...they're actually thining about working on the new Strangers On A Train ey

goody goody

fine with me if it takes another year, as long as it's coming!

I'm not sure how to get my hands on the 'Hounds', no CC so I can't order from Verglas directly. I'm not counting on finding it in any stores 4feb either... I'll shoot some mails to some people.

thanks for the update

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

I've so far avoided it because some hard core Therion fan (or past fan, I should say) said Theli was their apex....and I didn't like Theli samples.....he didn't like Vovin...and, if I remember right, he used the word "suck" to describe Secret. shoulda came to head-fi first after all

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????
I can't believe this "expert" would say such things, nothing can be further from the truth, although close call I now believe "runes" surpasses "theli" as best Therion CD, both are excellent and similar sounding......no way you could love one and say the other sucked! Vovin is almost as good as above two CDs.

If Lord Chimp loves Opeth, he is one smart monkey. BTW there are no tame Opeth CDs, that would be a sellout

 

[coolvij]

DarkAngel: I share the view of tool when people call bands "sell-outs" - listen to the song Hooker With A Penis on the Aenima album....lol....(nothing to do with the title)

yea..i had a feeling the reviewer was wacked out...but, ya kno - that was a month ago. I know better now

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by coolvij Lord Chimp loves Opeth - anyone familiar with those guys? If any of ya are, could you tell me what there tamest, least dark album is?

I agree with DA that all Opeth albums are (deliciously) hard, but their latest, Blackwater Park, is easily their overall most accessible. Probably the best place for a beginner to start (no offense -- I like you that way, too).

 

[Demetrio]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xevion Tempest - I don't have any of their CDs but I wouldn't mind owning one, they are more folky and have a laid back sound.

Forgot to mention the band TEMPEST on my previous posts. Their music is very very like JETHRO TULL, just in the folk vein mentioned by Xevion.