[Prog Rock Man]

This thread is for the appreciation of modern prog rock. Not the giants of 1970s prog such as Yes, Pink Floyd and Genesis, nor the neo prog of the 1980s with Marillion or IQ. I am talking about now, bands and artists who are flying the prog flag at the moment and where progressive rock is today. I would include members of the original prog bands who are still making music today as solo musicians. I would also define progressive rock at its widest as found on the superb site ProgArchives.com
 
http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive-rock.asp#genre
 
I would say that the most famous and best selling modern prog band is Radiohead who have King Crimson firmly sighted as a major influence. If anything their out put is become more prog and experimental with each album.

Most recently I have come across the music of Buckethead and his conceptual albums and superbly inventive guitar playing. At the other end are those modern bands whose sound is firmly rooted in traditional English prog, such as The Flower Kings and Spocks Beard.

Prog rock mixes with some many other genres, from post rock to jazz to electronica to metal and even pop. Other examples of modern prog and this genre bending/crossover would be The Flaming Lips, The Beta Band, Opeth and Ozric Tentacles.

Original prog artists still on the go include Tony Levin, Trey Gunn and Steve Hackett and they are not just recycling 1970s prog either.

Finally, I would give a big nod to the Nordic prog rock scene where prog flourished after it had been surmounted by punk and new wave in the late 1970s in the UK and became a dirty word. Bands and artists such as Anekdoten,  Jaga Jazzist, Bjork, Mum and Efterklang are prime examples.

 

[eric0531]

I'll toss out a few:
 
Unitopia - their 2010 release "Artificial" was one of my favorite albums of the past few years, it's a 50 minute song suite that covers a fair amount of ground musically.  They are what I would call melodic/symphonic prog. 
 
Sky Architect - a young band out of Rotterdam, their 2010 debut "Excavations of the Mind" has me eagerly anticipating their follow up due this summer.  Lots of shifting time signatures, nice guitar work, lengthy tracks - good stuff!
 
Big Big Train - these guys just recently popped up on my radar, but their Genesis influenced music is quite good.  "The Underfall Yard" from 2009 is superb, and their 2010 EP "Far Skies Deep Time" is excellent as well.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Very much at the leading edge of modern prog and getting better with each album
 
       
 
which if you like that and 'In Rainbows' you should try the very last of King Crimson's albums 'The Power to Believe' from 2003.

 

[blitzace50]

Here's a few great bands from the metal end of the spectrum of prog
 
Unexpect - http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search?q=Unexpect%20In%20A%20Flesh%20Aquarium%20Chromatic%20Chimera
 
This isn't the weirdest album I have ever listened to, but it is very intricate, every instrument is given a distinct voice, and there are more instruments then one would normally expect here, but hey I guess that's why the band is called Unexpect. They even have 3, count them, 3 vocalists, and have a habit of finishing each others sentences in the songs. My favorite album of theirs is In A Flesh Aquarium. These guys are more avant-garde than prog.
 
Protest the Hero - http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search?q=Protest%20the%20hero%20fortress
 
These guys are absolutely amazing, however I don't care much for their vocals style, just seems like it disrupts the flow of the music, feels like it doesn't belong, eh whatever, your call. I usually stick to the instrumental versions of their songs, and let me tell you they are tight instrumentally, I don't think there is a moment on the Fortress album where I have ever been bored.
 
Into Eternity - http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search?q=into%20eternity%20beginning%20of%20the%20end
 
A bit more straightforward in nature than the other bands mentioned here, but nonetheless packing a hefty punch with all their catchy riffs, is Into Eternity, particularly their Buried in Oblivion album. This was actually the first prog-metal band I ever listened to, so I guess you could say I have a special place in my heart for them.
 
Kalisia - http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search?q=kalisia%20tower%20of%20vanities
 
This song hails from the 2nd disc of their album Cybion, the first disc being a several hour long concept album that tells a cohesive sci-fi story, while the 2nd disc is a collection of singles performed by the band, some original, some covers of other bands such as Cynic. The track linked is one of the originals from that disc, the band employs mainly harsh vocals with a little bit of clean vocals here and there. That being said these guys sure can write a great song.
 
Watchtower - http://www.myspace.com/officialwatchtower
 
Pure thrash prog goodness, these guys reunited recently and recorded a new single The Size of Matter, and had planned to write a album titled Mathematics, however their vocalist left a year ago or so, and they still haven't made any public notice that they have found a new one, or even gave any indication that they are still looking for one, so unfortunately their career is probably over. This was one of the progressive thrash metals back from the early 90s that, like the others, just didn't seem to catch on to a substantial fanbase.
 
Vektor - http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search?q=vektor%20oblivion
 
Yet another progressive thrash metal band, these guys aren't from the old 90s era though, they are a more recent upstart, formed in 2002. Their Black Future album is quite the sonic assault, as any thrash metal album should rightly be. They have a stated desire to create sounds with their instruments that sound otherworldly, which they succeed at in certain instrumental sections of their songs and certainly with their rather unorthodox shrieked vocals.
 
 
Well that's about it I suppose, surprised I didn't hit a word cap or something, hah. Thumbs up to Sky Architect's album mentioned earlier in this thread, listened to that a while back, it was enjoyable.
 
 
 

 

[baka1969]

I have to add Tool. I believe the best prog metal group today. I use "Third Eye" off Aenima as a reference to test equpiment. The Lateralus album is a masterpiece.

 

[agentgreen]

Porcupine Tree for sure. I recommend In Absentia
 
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/album/In+Absentia/125157?src=5
 
Fear of a Blank Planet
 
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/album/Fear+Of+A+Blank+Planet/2734547?src=5
 
And also The Incident, their latest.
 
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/album/The+Incident/3468051?src=5
 
In the Prog Metal category, I'd recommend Mastodon and Meshuggah.
 
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search?q=mastodon
 
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search?q=meshuggah
 
 

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Metal prog crossover has probably been the most dominant part of modern prog. A more traditional band are Phideaux from the US. Their's is a symphonic anthemic prog closer to the traditional styles. I would recommend Doomsday Afternoon from 2007.
 
      

 

[SoupRKnowva]

another entry from the Prog-Metal category, the Human Abstract's new cd is one of the best of the year so far
 

 
and another rec for Protest the Hero, though unlike blitzace i love Rody's vocals!

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Australian band The Cosmic Nomads, rooted in the heavy prog of ELP.
 
  

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Whilst disowning the prog label, Tinyfish from the UK is very much prog influenced, crossover and this album 'Big Red Spark' is excellent
 
    

 

[Skylab]

I love Porcupine Tree and Opeth.  Also, for those who like Opeth and like their modern prog on the metal-ish side, Mastodon's most recent album "Crack the Skye" is very much prog-metal.  I also like Dream Theater in the prog-metal group.
 
I came to modern prog from classic prog, being a huge lover of King Crimson, Yes, Rush, PF, etc etc.  Some modern prog, like Spock's Beard, hasn't grabbed me.  But I could listen to PT and Opeth (who is really sometimes metal and sometimes prog, and sometimes prog-metal) all day.
 
I have a lot to learn about modern prog yet, but am slowly getting deeper into it.

 

[BmWr75]

Not sure OSI - Office of Strategic Influence qualifies as Prog Rock.  But, I'm a Prog Rock fan and OSI is my new favorite band.

 

[logwed]

 
Quote:

Not sure OSI - Office of Strategic Influence qualifies as Prog Rock.  But, I'm a Prog Rock fan and OSI is my new favorite band.

OSI is definitely prog metal/rock. Free is my favorite album by them song by song, but I feel that Blood is a much more cohesive effort. I haven't spent much time with their first album.
 

 

[Prog Rock Man]

I really like the lighter end of modern prog, in other worlds it does not have a basis in metal, as well as Tiny Fish try Mansum and Mercury Rev
 
            
 
who confused many by managing to have chart hits with the singles 'Wide Open Space' and 'Holes' yet their albums are far removed from mainstream pop. I like it when music challenges the mainstream and it is sad both bands are seen as flash in the pan groups, yet have great music and have brought out numerous albums.
 
 

 

[Prog Rock Man]

From Pittsburgh, Black Moth Super Rainbow and their psychedellic, folk, electronica that has its roots in the likes of Gong