What's your opinion of the modern progressive bands?

Question

This is especially directed towards classic progheads. What is your opinion of the new progressive rock (ie Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Riverside)? Like em? Hate em? Apathy?

Fonzie T: Yay :0)
Blackest Eyes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx2el4_KU_g
Piano Lessons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CvxoeasJ2E
The Sound of Muzak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdZNpLMer0E

If you like those, try their album Stupid Dream or Lightbulb Sun (those are the two easiest to like) and If you want a heavier sound, try Deadwing or if you like more of a "trip" try The Sky Moves Sideways

You just made my day. :0)

Darth Maul OS : Can you PLEASE explain how Porcupine Tree is not progressive rock? What songs did you hear by them that led you to believe this?

Darth Maul OS :
Buying New Soul:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-R-AVeAB_o&mode=related&search=
Radioactive Toy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37TY88zM8Tw

Answer 1

I was a prog head back in The Day, in the 1970s. To me, absolutely none of the bands you named compare. Dream Theater is more of a metal band than anything else, with an aggressively irritating lead guitarist who seems to think that the faster you play, the better you are. (For proof to the contrary: David Gilmour.) Porcupine Tree's last 400 albums seem to be rewrites of Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." Opeth is, again, a metal band with prog pretensions, and again we deal with the lead guitarist who overplays ridiculously.

All of the newer prog bands I have heard don't know how to produce their albums. There's too much slickness. The most depressing thing about newer prog rock bands is that there is no sense of danger and no sense that everything is not completely under control. Yes, for example, could go so far out there improvising that you would think, "Man, this is going to fly apart at any second!" Keith Emerson looked like a madman on stage, jamming knives into his keyboard and tilting it up on its side to make it howl uncontrollably. King Crimson's searing aggressiveness was something to see in their prime. In their music, there was a constant tension between a severe intelligence and a darker savage power, especially in their 1973-1975 configuration as a power trio. Van Der Graaf Generator balanced Peter Hammill's psychotic lyrics and singing against nightmarish music. I don't find any of that intensity in the new prog bands at all.

The new prog bands are incredibly safe and tidy. Everything begins and ends where they want it to and nothing is ever out of control. It's all tame and tidy. Worst of all the newer prog bands often are happy to rehash the most twee elements of prog; the fussy arrangements and mannered attitude, without embracing the sense of danger and experimentation that made prog work.

Answer 2

Dream Theater- Easily the best GROUP of musicians in the world. These guys are essentially a supergroup. They write great songs and they are extremely musically talented.

Porcupine Tree- "The New Pink Floyd?" Yes, but better. Steven Wilson, along with the great Steve Vai, is the greatest musical genius alive today. All of their music is brillaint.

Opeth- I am growing to like these guys. Alkerfeldt's (Got it wrong, I know) voice brilliantly switches between growl and clean. "The Drapery Falls" is one of my all-time favorite songs.

Devin Townsend- Another top 5 musical genius. This guy is amazingly muscially talented and has a great section of metal vocals.

Prog is the best genre out there today, no doubt. It's music with originality and TALENT, something modern bands lack.

Answer 3

Dream Theater..Prog Metal
Technically they are solid as granite and uber talented, but their music is a bit souless for My taste
Porcupine Tree
Not Prog, not at all, a pop band pretending to be Prog.
Opeth and Riverside I have never heard.
I will confess to having a serious distaste of modern music.
Honestly say what You all will, and I am not saying they are Prog because they're not, but the closest band I have heard to having a prog sound since 2000 is Coldplay.
Think about it, tons of keyboards and echoing repetitive chiming guitar lines, who does THAT sound like?

Sorry Sarah but I've been listening to and loving Prog since 1980 and what I have heard of Porcupinre Tree is pure modern pop drivel, Blackest Eyes is a good example....pop drivel.
Trains..maybe a slight Prog tinge. You want Me to say they are Prog, you are gonna have to try a LOT harder than that.
Feel free to Email me and send me links to songs by them You think are more Prog than that.

I will also say this compared to songs like "Starship Trooper" or "21st Century Schitzoid Man" or "Lucky Man" most Porcupine Tree songs sound like they were written by 10 year olds

Answer 4

In my view Progressive Rock/Metal/Electronic = progressive thinking. If your just into the "classic" progressive that's fine but it's not really being into the progressive frame of mind. I love hearing new and newer music, it's my life and has been for the last 40 some odd years. Even though I like the bands you have listed, progressive moves on. Some of my more recent discoveries are Aviva, Gazpacho, Persephone's Dream and Three, all are worthy of a listen.

I commend Sarah for trying to promote newer Progressive bands to the stubborn "classics" only crowd, but in my opinion for those of you still stuck in the past your not worthy of my progressive time.

Answer 5

where should i start?
first of all what i write is my personal opinion and no offence should be taken.
i hate labels!! this is prog, this is metal, this is pop and so on.
nowadays most bands tend to overlap between one ore two of these labels. In general the mentioned groups are considered to be progressive (u can put sub labels if u like:prog-metal,prog-pop or whatever suits u). as far as i am concerned, when i say prog i mean something like musical essays with a beginning a middle and an end, not lame songs like verse chorus verse chorus end! all of the a.m.groups have this kind of songs in their repertoire, so to me they're prog!
Now to understand pt u must know who steven wilson is! pt exist since the late 80's and only nearly ten years later did the group we now know as the pt emerge. up to then it was a solo project with all instruments and arrangements performed and written and recorded by sw in his home studio noman's land. besides pt he is involved in many projects ranging from pop(no-man) to kraut-rock (i.e.m.) and electro-ambient(bass communion). the guy is a genius and he's painting!! as to this improvisations one should listen to "metanoia" some 70 minutes of studio improvisations, and if u ever listen to "the sky moves sideways" and u cannot hear floydish influence u may have a hearing problem.
Opeth! They turned to more progressive paths after they were produced by steven wilson (oops that guy again) since they started off as a death metal band. I can only say it's refreshing to hear some heavy riffs along to melodic dreamscapes.
Riverside! besides beeing obviously influenced by pt and sw i can add nothing more than that they have written some of the most beautiful and refreshing songs of the decade (together with pt and opeth)
Dream Theater! Now that's difficult. I don't like them, because they make the same mistake the classical prog-rockers did. they are to much engaged in showing off their musical talents (which they undoubtedly have) turning the whole thing in a derranged musical masturbation with their instruments. That's where i never could communicate with classical prog it always was to much. in my opinion they lost the edge and there's where the a.m. modern prog bands come in to save the day, keepin it tidy as someone said, so that i can stay with them, follow and don't loose touch with the dreamscapes they create.
so to come to an end besides dt i LOVE them!

Answer 6

I'm not a "classic proghead", but i like classic progressive rock bands... hmm.

I like the modern bands.
It's one of the only genres i like that are current... I'm living in the past for the most part.
I'm particularly fond of Porcupine Tree, very good songs.

I haven't heard much by Dream Theatre, but what i have heard, I've hated. "The Spirit Carries On" is just.. urgh. The lyrics are predictable, and cheesy and similar to a church song about conversion. I felt like ripping my ears off my head when i forced myself to listen to it from start to finish.

-waits for thumbs down-

x

Answer 7

Ok sarah. That's it. All your championing of them has gotten through to me. I have never really given PT a good listen.

Where to start for the novice like me? :)

As for what I think, I think it's fantastic SOMEone is still carrying the prog torch into the 2000s. I'm all for em!

Answer 8

all music deserves a good listen before judgement is passed.

someone out there put time into it, why not give it a shot before you burn it at the altar?

i like dream theater and opeth, haven't heard of the other two.

Answer 9

Well dream theater is not bad but i still think the classics are the best rolling stones Guns'n'roses hendrix cream etc

Answer 10

much better than the 'popular' music that's being manufactured by record companies. the past few years i've gotten fed up with most bands and have gravitated to prog