Early Days of Prog Music

The Influence of  Progressive Metal has been more oppressive than any other genre of Music. Progressive metal is an experimental form of heavy metal. It takes heavy metal and adds complex song structures with strange time changes, more technical musicianship, and fusions using the complexity of jazz and classical music.
Almost every sub genre of metal has used progressive elements creating sounds like progressive Black Metal, Technical Death Metal, and progressive sludge metal.

 Metal bands Fates Warning and Queensryche were the first two true progressive metal bands.  They would both use traditional metal and progressive elements on all of their albums and songs.  Fates Warning fused progressive with more of a thrash/extreme metal sound, while Queensryche went with more of a melodic metal style.

The 1990′s saw more success for progressive metal with bands like Tool and Meshuggah mixing the sound with alternative Metal and Death Metal respectively.  Meshuggah is the band most noted by extreme metal artists as a major influence in the addition of progressive elements into death metal, thrash, and Doom Metal helping to inspire artists like Opeth, Strapping Young Lad, and Tiamat.  Tool would carry the torch for progressive alternative metal influencing bands like Deftones, System of a Down, and Chevelle to experiment with progressive elements.

Steadily the popularity of progressive metal severely declined in the late 1990′s and early 2000′s  Certain bands would help to keep the sound alive, especially sludge metallers Mastodon.  With the decrease in commercial popularity of not only progressive but metal in general in the 2000′s, Mastodon was able to breakthrough onto the radio and video media creating a large loyal following of fans.  Other bands would increase the reach of progressive metal in the 21st century helping to create some new fusion genres.  This coupled with the increased concentration on technical shred guitar becoming prevalent in present day metal has helped to revive progressive metal.  Recently the popularity of bands like Dream Theater has increased again and the revival has given big pushes to new bands like Coheed and Cambria.  Progressive metal continues to thrive as one of the most popular forms of underground heavy metal.