[itay]

Classic Prog

Camel ( Mirage , the snow goose )
King Crimson
Yes ( Fragile )
Pink Floyd

Modern Prog

Ayreon ( Into the electric castle , the human equasion )
Porcupine Tree (In Absentia)
Stream Of Passion
Tool (lateralus )

Modern PM

Dream Theater ( Scene from a memory , a change of seasons )
Opeth ( Blackwater park , still life )
Pain Of Salvation ( The Perfect Element )
Orphaned Land (Mabool , metal and progressive elements with eastren music this album is a must )
Therion ( Lemurie )

most of them are known but all of them are Treffic .

 

[NaOH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwitel you know, although I have tremendous respect for Mashuggah and their android like accuracy, I just cant take too much of it. Granted I only have Chaosphere, but from what ive heard-its just too brutal. I can listen to Pantera, Ministry and other heavy faves all day but I dont think I really know whats going on when im listening to Mashuggah. Probably have to give it some more time.

Meshuggah is fundamentally different from every other band you've ever heard.

Polymetrics and polyrhythms, my friend.

 

[asmox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaOH Meshuggah is fundamentally different from every other band you've ever heard. Polymetrics and polyrhythms, my friend.

Many bands live and breath polymetrics and polyrhythms, so Meshuggah aren't really fundamentally different in that way.

However, they are one of the few bands that stuff every damn second of their songs with polymetrics.. though again, not the only band. Groups like Coprofago, TesseracT, and Textures (to a degree) have all adopted Meshuggah's approach.

 

[Floodedstatue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwitel you know, although I have tremendous respect for Mashuggah and their android like accuracy, I just cant take too much of it. Granted I only have Chaosphere, but from what ive heard-its just too brutal. I can listen to Pantera, Ministry and other heavy faves all day but I dont think I really know whats going on when im listening to Mashuggah. Probably have to give it some more time.

I think, as NaOH suggested, the 'I' EP would be a good way to get into the band as it is only 20 minutes. It is IMO one of their best works and once you've got used to it and let it sink in, you can then move on to one of their LPs. 'Catch 33' (their newest) is excellent, and if you go back a bit 'Destroy, Erase, Improve' is very listenable (but still brutal!)

 

[Doc Sarvis]

I have always separated prog into three categories (good starter albums listed in parentheses:

1. First Wave (70s) - Favorite Bands

Yes (the three-album run of The Yes Album, Fragile and Close to the Edge)

King Crimson (to diverse to list a particular favorite, although I like their 80s period starting with Discipline - thus they are a 2nd wave band in my book, but I list them here becasue they were so influential in the 70s)

Genesis (all PG, plus Phil up to Duke)

ELP (everything up to Works V.1)

Pink Floyd (DSoTM, WWYH and The Wall)

Kansas (up to Monolith)

...many, many others, too numerous to list in this particular post

2. Second Wave (early 80s) - Favorite Bands

Marillion (Misplaced Chilkdhood is my fave)

3. Third Wave (mid-90s to present) - Favorite Bands

Spocks Beard (plus Neal Morse) - Everything is good (Neal's solo albums have Christian themed lyrics)

Flower Kings (my fave is Unfold the Future)

Dream Theater (My personal fave is Six Degrees)

Porcupine Tree (although I don't find them to have a "prog" sound)

(Transatlantic - an amalgam of the three bands listed here, plus Marillion from the 2nd wave)

Lots of era-mixing can also be outlined, but these are the prog basics.

As for bands that are really pushing boundaries (not a "prog" sound but actually progressing):

Radiohead
Tool

 

[fante7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaOH Meshuggah is fundamentally different from every other band you've ever heard. Polymetrics and polyrhythms, my friend.

Have you ever heard of a little thing called jazz?

 

[kwitel]

what exactly are polyrhythms and polymetrics?

 

[NaOH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fante7 Have you ever heard of a little thing called jazz?

Jazz may do it, but they don't do it brutally, do they?

I also think the vocals throw people.

Oh, and I just can't respect Meshuggah for Catch-33. Programmed drums. Why write songs that a human being can't reproduce?

 

[fante7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaOH Oh, and I just can't respect Meshuggah for Catch-33. Programmed drums. Why write songs that a human being can't reproduce?

Although I agree with you on their use of programmed drums, the blanket statement that I italicized bothers me. By that logic, you would condemn most of the psychedelic-era Beatles songs, not to mention the entire genre of electronic music. This is getting a bit tangential to the thread though, sorry about that.

 

[lmilhan]

Just discovered a band named "Circus Maximus" CD name is 'First Chapter'. Very impressive indeed. Dream Theater fans - check Circus Maximus out, you are guaranteed to enjoy them.

 

[asmox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaOH Oh, and I just can't respect Meshuggah for Catch-33. Programmed drums. Why write songs that a human being can't reproduce?

Do you honestly believe that Haake can't reproduce the drum tracks on Catch 33?

Who cares, anyway? They have already said that they did it to save time and get the album out, and that Catch 33 is not a live album. Also, from what I understand, Haake's drums were recorded individually and then programmed.

Also, none of their albums are very "proggy". They are all inhuman assaults of labyrinthine precision. I is very good, but IMO Chaosphere is their crowning achievement as a band, which is why I recommended it.

 

[asmox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwitel what exactly are polyrhythms and polymetrics?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyrhythm
http://vai.com/LittleBlackDots/tempomental.html

Good luck getting a solid grasp on the difference between a polyrhythm and a polymeter if you aren't a musician.

edit: also, this thread may be of interest to some of you.

edit edit: if you listen to the intro of 'New Millenium Cyanide Christ' off of Chaosphere, that's a pretty good example of a polyrhythm (or maybe it's just a polymeter, i honestly have no idea.. i no longer play any instruments and i've given up trying to figure out the difference). Tomas is playing standard 4/4 with the snare and cymbals to keep time (as in, you can count from 1 to 4 based on the cymbal hits inbetween the snare hits), while following the rhythm of the guitars with the bass drums. Two or more contrasting rhythms played simultaneously = polyrhythm.. but the rhythms have to have a specific relationship. Or something.

Somebody that's an actual musician could explain it way better.

 

[Akathriel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrymx garden wall (none of your have heard them)

Garden Wall is an italian prog metal band. I hav an album by them called Forget the Colors dunno if they have anyothers. It is pure dissonance but I love it.

Favorite Classic:
Crimson
Comus
Univers Zero
Thinking Plague
Spock's Beard
Camel
Arzachel

Modern:
Melvins
Tool
POS
Aggaloch
Opeth
Cynic
Collide
(the list goes on and on)

 

[steel102]

oh damn how did i forget comus. i have "first utterance" and its a great/weird in an interesting way (and evil

) album IMO.

 

[Akathriel]

first utterance is better than to keep from crying. I got to pick up the boxed set with both albums and new bonus tracks

EDIT: And I forgot Arzachel lol!