Some others only managed to release one album or even just a handful of singles before they disbanded. The prog-rock bug became so widespread in Italy that some experts say every artist and band in Italy produced at least one progressive album during this time. A number of well-known mainstream artists started their career with a prog album, like singer-songwriters Riccardo Cocciante with Mu and Ivano Fossati with the first Delirium album, Dolce acqua.
During the peak years of the RPI movement in the early 70s, countless bands showcased their talent in the many pop festivals organized throughout Italy. The festivals were often free of charge and boasted a level artistic freedom and competition seldom seen in popular music. Fans witnessed bands rise from obscurity to compete on the same stage as the heavy hitters. This musical competition created something of an upward spiral; everyone tried to outdo each other, producing unique sounds and incorporating disparate influences into their music.
The variety of the music went through the roof, with every band sharing the same aspirations, though seldom the same sound. It must also be made clear that despite the beliefs of those who write off Italian prog as simply a British counterfeit, many of these bands were creating music that was phenomenally original, experimental, free-spirited, and creatively successful. While bands from abroad helped influence and inspire Italian bands, Italy's young bands quickly took the ball and ran with it.
It is ludicrous to suggest the scene a mere imitation. The upward spiral also meant an over saturated market, in which many bands only managed to put out one or two releases with minimal budget and intense recording.
The New Sounds hadn't arrived yet, there was no music for the young people, there was nothing, you had to invent and build up your space. Perhaps this was the mainspring that unchained such a creative strength. Ironically this success often meant a detour from the roots of the RPI sounds, making these albums more aligned to the British scene than the bulk of the artists and albums in the archives.
Look beneath the surface in order to discover hidden or not so hidden gems. While the oft-mentioned big 3 of Italian prog PFM, Banco, and Le Orme are conveniently considered the peak by those casually mentioning this scene, RPI enthusiasts know the river runs so much deeper, and many of our personal favourites are found outside of these popular groups.
Those who search beyond the surface will discover that the most daring and provocative works were often made by more obscure groups who released one fantastic album and then vanished into thin air. This common syndrome of Italian "one-shot" bands became the bane of many RPI fans.
Since so many different musicians experimented with the progressive format, you will also find a broad musical scope within RPI, something which has kept the subgenre fresh and vital over time. Examples include Franco Battiato still a very successful artist in Italy , Picchio dal Pozzo, Opus Avantra, Stormy Six and Area, who each in their own individual way, show a more cosmopolitan flavour and range of influences than most other acts.
After its explosive development in the early 70s, the movement followed the same path as other progressive musical movements around the world as the 80s approached. Some influential artists continued to release new albums though never with the same success as in the halcyon days. Others changed with the times and became highly successful mainstream artists both in Italy and internationally.
As elsewhere in the prog universe the quantity and quality of RPI began to dry up a bit in the late 70s and early 80s, although there were some quality releases from that period.
These titles tended to be more melodic and less brashly avant-garde than the classic period but were respectable nonetheless. Musical features of RPI Italian symphonic prog is notable for the prominence of classical influences, often providing the driving force behind the music.
The new listener will discover that this particular branch of RPI feels more like classical music in a rock setting as opposed to occasional classical influences on top of the rock format. Furthermore, the rich, diverse musical traditions of Italy permeate the albums, creating a strong national and even regional character. The "textbook" RPI groups can usually be identified by a pervasive sense of romantic melancholy and earthy flair, sometimes enhanced by baroque elements, sometimes by more ethnic ones.
Other distinctive features include overt opera and operetta influences, wild and uncontrolled storytelling, and as a general rule, bold and highly emotional vocals. There is extroverted, operatic gallantry and panache or mellow balladry; exciting use of all sorts of keyboards, with sounds heard nowhere else but in this particular scene; exotic instruments such as aggeggi, ottavino, mandoloncello, clavicembalo - names that tickle the imagination and leave their distinct mark on the music.
There is a uniquely magical marriage of the traditional to the modern, of the warm to the wild. The combination of flute, piano and violin is often encountered, and the interplay between the first two instruments in particular supplies the subgenre with a fair share of its identity and flavour. Though the symphonic element is indeed the most common in RPI, the genre would be better characterized as eclectic.
Even more amazing, these differences in style can often be found to varying degrees on one album, and still feel natural in the distinct stylistic framework mentioned above. No overview of RPI would be complete without mentioning the use of the Italian language, by many considered one of the most musical languages in the world. It could be safely stated that the use of Italian is inherent to the soul of RPI, a critical component to the full appreciation of the subgenre.
In fact, even if some key RPI albums were translated into English in an attempt to gain international recognition, most of them fail to impress. They feel as if one of the basic ingredients of what makes RPI such a successful concoction is missing.
While most serious RPI fans consider Italian vocals essential to their listening experience, it is fair to say that some believe English lyrics are not so detrimental-even if in most cases the odd phrasing, incorrect emphasis, and heavy Italian accent of the singers detract significantly from an authentic overall effect. While some prog fans can find the gregarious Italian vocal style challenging at first, newbies are encouraged to simply stick with it for a while. With only a modest effort any RPI newbie will soon find they cannot imagine this music without traditional Italian vocals-they truly are the icing on the cake.
One common misconception that must be addressed is the belief that any prog band from Italy is an RPI band. There are bands from Italy more appropriate for other genres. As an example, a pure and obvious post-rock band who just happen to be from Rome are going to be in the post-rock sub, not RPI. The RPI team will work hard to evaluate bands that fit the characteristics and the feel of the subgenre, and those whose primary sound is more suited for another sub are recommended to them.
This cocktail is interpreted in different ways in every country: in England, for instance, Celtic, rock and blues influences prevail. In Italy we have to cope with our classical tradition: the melodramma, Respighi, Puccini, Mascagni but also all the contemporary classical composers.
It's in this legacy, in my opinion, that the specificity of the Italian Progressive Rock is concealed. Scores of the classic albums were re-pressed in Japan, then specialized independent labels such as BTF, Mellow and Black Widow the latter responsible for rescuing the likes of Jacula and Antonius Rex from oblivion started to re-issue many of the classic albums.
As a consequence RPI has not only reached a new generation of fans, but the increased interest and appreciation have led to new material being released. Artists whose recordings have never been in circulation, bands that are as new to our ears as they are to many of those who were there when it happened, now have a new-found audience creating an ironic worm-hole effect: brand new music straight from prog's golden years.
With the revival clearly under way the 90s produced some stellar Italian albums and the beginning of CD reissue fever. In the s the trend has continued to a much more successful degree. Italian progressive rock today covers a wide range of styles and influences, but many of the bands ground a portion of their sound in the RPI tradition. Moreover, this first decade of the 21st century has seen a new round of publications both in print and in electronic format covering various aspects of Italian prog, as well as the creation of a number of excellent websites dedicated to the subgenre, which are extremely influential as regards the promotion of new bands and artists.
The commercial success of RPI has always been modest compared to the big bands from other countries. However, the quality of the music past and present, from its unique compositions to fiercely independent spirit, has earned the RPI subgenre some of prog's most loyal followers.
Complex time signatures. Lush keyboards. Explorative and intelligent lyrics, in some cases close to fantasy literature, Sci Fi and even political issues. Non commercial approach Longer format of songs In this specific case the main characteristic is the influence of Classical music understood as Orchestral works created from the late Gothic to Modern Classical using normally more complex structure than other related sub-genres like Neo Progressive That's why sometimes the borderline that divides Symphonic from Neo is so unclear being that is based mostly in a degree of complexity rather than in an evident structural difference..
This category lists technical Progressive Metal bands that have roots in Extreme Metal or that are strongly influenced by it. The style developed by the end of the 80s in the Thrash Metal scene when a number of bands stretched the boundaries of their sound by including elements from Progressive Rock.
Death Metal followed a similar path in the 90s and by the s, also Black Metal and Metalcore saw an increasing amount of bands taking in Prog influences. These bands are listed under Experimental Metal. Progressive Thrash Metal By the end of the 80s Thrash Metal had diversified its sound significantly to an extent where the originally very direct and uncompromisingly aggressive style had become more sophisticated, boasting challenging technical skills and ambitious song structures frequently surpassing the 6 minute mark.
Next to the brutal sound, blast beat drumming, complex song structures and multiple tempo changes, the most notorious feature of the style is probably the growled vocals. Death Metal is generally highly technical, making the dividing line between Technical Death Metal and Progressive Death Metal sometimes rather faint. A different flavour of Progressive Death Metal came from the European continent, when half-way into the 90s leading death and doom-death bands started expanding their basic metal sound.
In typical Scandinavian fashion, their epic approach wasn't fusion oriented but less technical and more melodic, introducing the now typical alteration between brutal Death sections and more melodic breaks with clean vocals; an approach perfected in the next decade by OPETH.
Originally it was even purposely non-technical and low-fi. By the end of the 90s the genre had developed into various sub-styles, of which some incorporated elements from progressive music. The bands listed in this section are Black Metal bands that traded the minimalism of Black Metal for a more progressive, technical or experimental approach.
Most artists in this section are Symphonic Black Metal-oriented bands with progressive and experimental influences, but without fully crossing over to either Prog or Avant Metal as they remain oppressively dark, harsh, often dissonant and inaccessible. Modern Phase In the s trends became more diffuse, introducing bands that had some of their stylistic features in common with the extreme metal genres without fully belonging in any of them.
At the end of the 90s their eclectic mix of Death, Thrash, Avant, Fusion and Prog laid down the groundrules of Extreme Metal for the next decade. Their music is inherently technical and complex and has quite a number of formal features in common with Progressive Metal such as odd time signatures and non-standard song formats. Prog Archives only lists these bands that go beyond the default expectations of the genre and bring in distinct non-extreme Prog influences.
Pronunciation: zEU h l, while the EU are like a French E with a slight U, and the h is a semi-silent letter which is an integrated part of the EU, totaling in a "syllable and a half". The word means celestial, although many times it is misunderstood as meaning "celestial music", since the members of Magma describe the genre of their music as Zeuhl.
Zeuhl Wortz, though, means Music of the universal might. The genre is a mixture of musical genres like Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Modernism and Fusion. Common elements: oppressive or discipline-conveying feel, marching themes, throbbing bass, an ethereal piano or Rhodes piano, and brass instruments.
Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. Please consider supporting us by giving monthly PayPal donations and help keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever. From Progarchives. Far out, man! Is it all about the music - really? What makes Progressive Metal progressive? One of my introverted essays The Progress Report: Give us your ideas! Dream Theater and T. The trials and tribulations of selling prog rock.. Musical characteristics Form: Progressive rock songs either avoid common popular music song structures of verse-chorus-bridge, or blur the formal distinctions by extending sections or inserting musical interludes, often with exaggerated dynamics to heighten contrast between sections.
Other characteristics Technology: To aid timbral exploration, progressive rock bands were often early adopters of new electronic musical instruments and technologies. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Progressive rock".
YES were playing symphonic rock, so called because of the use of a symphonic orchestra. GENESIS were already recording at the end of the sixties but their links to the progressive rock were not yet defined. These two countries were the most prolific as far as progressive rock is concerned. Let's go back to England to focus on another sub-genre that comes from the Canterbury country.
These groups were playing a simpler music than in the other prog sub-genre. A minimalistic form of the "electronic" music appeared also in the seventies : ambient. They were called pomp prog as the intros and outros of some of their songs are "pompous".
So, at the end of the seventies you have 10 new sub-genres in the progressive rock : art rock, folk prog, classical prog, RIO, jazz-fusion, Zeuhl, ambient, electronic, krautrock, pomp prog The 80s The progressive rock was supplanted by the "punk movement" at the end of the seventies, a "music" which aim was to prove that everyone could play music.
Apart from metal prog. Thus, in the nineties you have a revival of the prog scene not only with the appearance of a new sub-genre : metal prog but also with bands playing the styles developed in the seventies. I hope these informations will help you in your investigation. This genre music is a catalyst to raise considerably the level of musicanship among rock bands and bring a new level of depth and sophistication to rock. If you're not familiar with Prog Rock, it's a rather adventure some style of music.
Nowadays its more underground but with a very loyal following. One of the most defining characteristics of prog is the classification of bands and artists. There are various sub-genres of progressive rock or "prog", as it is sometimes abbreviated.
Such a statement positively invites such a comparison, as ridiculous as the comparison itself may seem - which points out the fundamental flaw in the statement itself. What is happening is not a blending, rather it is a simple acquisition of some of the basic elements. A fair point, on the surface, but one would really expect a few similarities to leap out, rather than have them pointed out to you and often, still be none the wiser. Here is where our friend will reel off a list of elements that bear a superficial resemblance, such as time signatures, complex structures and virtuosic musicianship - which vaguaries are trotted out without any substatiation on an all-too frequent basis.
A few things immediately stand out as being fatally flawed with these lists. So what makes Progressive Metal progressive? Prog Metal exhibits many of the trademarks of Prog Rock Now, you might want to scream "foul play! I think it's a completely different kind of music. It's an offspring and obviously related to Prog Rock, but it's not like it's just Prog Rock with heavier guitars.
Which is a good thing, since - as I mentioned above - the genres are not that closely related. There are however moments when you can hear the influences quite well. An obvious example would be Dream Theater's epic "Octavarium", which is clearly influenced by Pink Floyd.
I know that this doesn't count for you and you'd probably say that they only "aquired the basic elements" - but who's to say which elements matter and which don't? I could mention numerous examples here - but they'd probably all be too basic for you to accept. I'm beginning to see a general pattern here Isn't this your own subjective opinion Let's keep in mind that by these standards many Prog Rock bands would also lose their prog status.
Wouldn't it make more sense to simply say that Dream Theater is much less progressive than Genesis? That would be a statement which I might agree to. What makes Progressive Rock progressive? You still haven't answered that question to begin with Most people cannot analyze music the way you do, so what makes you believe that they would adopt your definitions? People like philippe would probably not even accept Genesis as a progressive band Please consider supporting us by giving monthly PayPal donations and help keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.
New Posts. Members Profile. There aren't any others, trust me - unless you go down to an atomic level, in which case they are infinite. Even if we compare newer Prog Metal bands with the defining ones Dream Theater are commonly cited in this respect , we do not actually find progressiveness or progression.
For example, while some bands and guitarists have trumped Petrucci with soloing speed, Petrucci himself has yet to write music of a complexity comparable to the likes of Gentle Giant, Magma or King Crimson, instead, preferring the old elongated standard song technique. Very few, if any Prog Metal bands have come close to those giddying heights of compositional complexity and virtuosity. But they seem to stand alone. Man, you are by Far a musical taste very very close to my own!!!! You put in words some concepts that I am trying to for some time, in discussions with friends and musical colleagues Or that I think Eddie Van Halen boring and repetitive I hope this topic brings some controversies This is going to be fun I understand most of your "beef" with Prog Metal, but I'll need some time to come up with an elaborate answer.
Just one thing: The current definitions of the three genres were meant to be used preliminarily I'll definitely get back to that, seeing that it causes that much concern with you. Keyboards and longer songs than normal metal bands. That's about it But hey, I love the stuff - it's heavy and you can rock out to it while still being in the mood afterwards to spin some Genesis or something like that.
I think it's hard to accurately describe any one subgenre and tell about how it sounds perfectly, even artists within subgenres sound wildly different from one another.
Complexities as well. Some people hate Dream Theater for being so "pretentious", but hasn't that always been the case ever since ELP and Yes? Sure, they're trying to strut their stuff more than most metal bands, and like it or not I think that makes them progressive in a way since the genre has always been about excellent musicianship even though some people may be turned off by that. I've no idea. Personally I like to hear that kind of thing.
Let's also not forget that prog in general is very subjective. A lot of people in the 70s would have labeled Zeppelin as a prog band and yet the prog heads will not let their genre be tainted by such an act.
A few preceding bands, however, helped set the style in stone and offer brainy lessons on the elaborate nature of the category. Here are a few albums to help you understand and appreciate the multi-headed and magnificent beast that is prog-rock music:.
Prog-rock was well established by when this record dropped by the Texas band that left its massive fingerprint on the style. Like many prog productions, this album is of the concept variety, telling the tale of a coma experience induced by a cocktail of morphine and rat poison. The guitar work is scorching and there are noticeable and pacy nods to American jazz and traditional Latin music.
Like Rush and Tool, the Mars Volta reveal the many added layers a great drummer can bring to the genre. And yes, the album cover is awesome, arguably an honorable mention to the best-ever conversation. Just about every record by Yes demonstrates some key facet of prog-rock. This usually stems from songs containing less than conventional song structures that require the listener to work a little to follow along.
Within a few listens, it usually clicks. You will find some type of piano, keyboard, synthesizer, strings violins, cellos, etc. Progressive music will tend to have a more classical influence than would be your typical, blues-based rock music. There is a certain higher standard of talent set by many progressive artists. Many prog musicians could be considered virtuosos at their respective positions, usually with both passion and technical ability.
Emotional Broadway-style displays, multi-part counterpart vocal melodies, and other layered vocal arrangements and choirs not only deliver a message, but also enhance the music, and become a part of it. Prog artists sometimes undertake massive projects in developing ideas in their songs and albums. As a rule, lyrics in progressive music tend to be of a more sophisticated and intellectual nature — sometimes fantasy-based, sometimes pure original fiction, and sometimes dealing with heartfelt human emotion.
I list the following as the most commonly known sub-genres recognized in prog rock and metal. These are two major divisions of prog music from which many other categories can be sub-classified. Symphonic rock - A relatively easy one, symphonic rock lumps together those bands that seem to draw heavily from incorporating orchestral and classical influences into their music.
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