I seem to be getting irrevocably drawn back to progressive music. I think its the pay off for more and more lack lustre bands piling onto the local supermaket shelving.
When I say progressive. I mean modern progressive, otherwise its not progressive at all.............going back to listening to Genesis, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes etc is REgressive.
So, what about todays prog rock bands that are in the limelight......Tool, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater.....are they really progressive.
I have been trying to work out why I just dont get Dream Theater at all, but I like Tool. Why ? But I have eventually worked it out, these bands are really not progressive at all, they simply feast on the innards of bands that have gone before and then they go and mix it all with metal.
This is why I struggle with some bands over others.
For instance, Tool remind me of Metallica and Sabbath, big pounding riffs that appeal to my brain and added to a King Crimsonesque prog sound. But Dream Theatre carry out a similar trick but seem to add the Van Halen element to the mix.
Two types of metal sound.....one I like and one I don't.
It started me looking around the internet, surely there must be some pure progressive music around ? I found several articles on the same subject and then some gentle pointers........
Well most prog bands back in the 70s had little to use as a reference for their style of music. Mostly, they looked at Classical and Jazz composers for inspiration, thats why the bands were so different from one another despite all being broadly labelled 'prog'. Yes didn't sound like Genesis, Floyd didn't sound like Van Der graaf Generator, ELP didn't sound like King Crimson.
The modern bands just mix from those original pallets and mix it up with 80/90s metal and in several cases they add the horrible vocal style.Virtually all the bands performing now add the twin bass drum assaults which get on my wick and either the well formatted doom metal guitar riff or the Van Halen mega tapping high speed widdle fest.
Where are the pure prog bands.........and no Spocks Beard

well I came across a few pearls, so I thought I should at least share the meagre haul
I found five bands in an obscure article and went and had a listen. Im not saying these are the ultimate bands, but they do follow the old 'prog' ideals while adding their own twist...........now remember what I said about prog bands being widely different, well these dont quite range that far from each other, but neither are they clones. Strangely, listening to at least two of the bands gave me the distinct impression that I was somehow finding the end of a big knot of rope that I had discarded in about 1982.........
I have not posted links, if your interested go and do a serch as there are plenty of downloads and streaming media from each bands official sites.
Try:
Anglagard
Anekdoten
Hoyry Kone
Deus Ex Machina
Echolyn
I promise you a PURE prog experience that will take you right back to your roots........no Van halen, no Metallica and definitely no monster vocals.