Good prog/power metal?
 

What are some good prog/power/fantasy/New Wave of British Invasion/decent thrash stuff? I don't listen to that much metal, basically it consists of Iron Maiden, Rhapsody, Iced Earth, Dream Theater and that's it. I guess an occasional Metallica, - black album and later. I also heard this prog Italian band Asgard which were decent on College radio once. It was pretty decent. So what can you recommend. I just hate death and black metal, incomprehensible screaming (Cannibal Corpse etc).

Hm...

If you listen to Dream Theater, I would suggest checking out

Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime
Liquid Tension Experiment (instrumental project, keys, guitar and drums from DT, bass from King Crimson)


Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane, or The Perfect Element, Part I (where the following samples are from)

http://www.painofsalvation.com/samples/used.mp3
http://www.painofsalvation.com/samples/flesh.mp3
http://www.painofsalvation.com/samples/ashes.mp3
http://www.painofsalvation.com/samples/morning.mp3

Here are a few you might like:

Nightwish (clicky) - finnish operatic power metal
Fates Warning (clicky) - prog metal
Blind Guardian (clicky) - german operatic power metal
Gamma Ray (clicky) - german power metal
Spock's Beard (clicky) - prog metal

Cool thanks for the advice.

Ancient Wisdom - And the Physical Shape of Light Bled

thats good shit

Ayreon - The Human Equation is (IMO) one of the best power/prog discs of 2004

http://www.ayreon.com/

Some other highly recommends are:

Avantasia
Symphony X
Majestic
Adiago
Enchant
Vanden Plas
Angra
Poverty's No Crime
Kamelot
Artension
Magnitude 9
Balance of Power


Hope that helps you in your prog/power metal quest. :thumbsup:

Do Iron Maiden and Judas Priest count? If so, those are my first choices.

EDIT: ok, i don't read so well.

I suggest Dream Theater as well. Both discs of "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" are top notch.

:D Excellent suggestion.

I'll second on Nightwish and Liquid Tension Experiment.

Got some more on my tounge, but no names.

I found out about Nightwish thanks to this board, and I can also recommend them. They make good songs, but I also have a laugh at their expense. It's hard to take a band seriously when they sing about elves and goblins and shit, and have LoTR references. If you play games (video, computer, tabletop, pen and paper, whatever), try listening to them as you do so.

If you like Avantasia you should also check out Edguy. Their new album is pretty good.

Some other good bands are:

Judas Priest - Good 70/80's heavy metal
Helloween - Great 80's power metal
Blind Guardian - Very good power metal, brilliant Live album

Check out http://metal-archives.com for more info on any of these bands

Some variations on the theme:

I know that black metal (whatever that is) was not asked for, but you have to listen to Tool, they're the best prog-metal ever...EVER!!! Also, if you're looking for something a little more industrial-ish, try out The Machines of Loving Grace ('Suicide Kings' is one of the hardest-riffed songs i've heard in a long time). Faith No More is a little more alt-metally, but kick-ass. A Perfect Circle (some say a bastard child of Tool, but great in their own right) is slower and a little spooky sometimes, but they have some awesome songs.

All of these may seem a little inaccessible at first, but stick with 'em 'cause the payoff is worth it. I may also suggest discarding all Metallica CD's after the Black album and listening to the first ones.

Have fun!

the good dr bindujeet introduced me to a fine metal band recently--more black metal--immortal.
what i like about them is the extent to which they kind of fly at the sun. the recordings i heard were made when they were quite young--they were both obsessed with technqieu/speed, could generate amazing stuff but did not seem to realize how good they were, or thought about it solely in terms of speed, not in terms of the space that opens up on top of speed, the one that moves more slowly, that speed can be seen as a way to get to. so if i understood the story correctly (single malt scotch is all tangled up in what i remember of this) , the players started to damage themselves, then switched instruments, recorded some more stuff, then dissipated.

it is rare to hear a band fly at the sun (hardcore aside, which seems like a carpal tunnel breeding ground)....
it is only something you can do when you are 19 or something, and are not concerned with playing over the long term: you just go as far as fast as you can, dont look, just go.

Other power bands not mentioned yet you might want to try would be Hammerfall (very martial lyrics, remind me a bit of Maiden), Rhapsody, Gravedigger and Stratovarius. If you think Nightwish's tolkienesque lyrics were bad, Rhapsody are mindblowingly cheesy. :D

Another one I've been liking recently are Running Wild, an older band with pirate-obsessed lyrics. If you want to branch out a little more, I would recommend Skyclad (English folk-metal), Later Therion ('Classical death metal'. This is no Napalm Death however. Full orchestra and choir on a lot of their later stuff. Their earlier efforts are heavier, and in my opinion still very good, though they may not suit your tastes) and Bathory's 'Viking' albums (Hammerheart, Blood on Ice, Nordland and Nordland II. Their other stuff is mainly black metal)

Hope I've been of some help ^_^

Edit:
@ Roachboy: Indeed, Demonaz, Immortal's guitarist (most black metal artists use stage names) developed arthritis in his left hand in the mid 90's. He stayed on as a songwriter, but the band broke up last year. A pity in my mind, they were one of the all time great black metal bands.