The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by venidominefan » Thu Aug 02, 2018 1:38 pm

The Barstool Philosophers - Sparrows (2009)

Fantastic debut from this Dutch band, then they just disappeared for years. They did have a second release with a variety of vocalists but I just couldn't bring myself to get it after the original vocalist, Leon Brouwer, left the band. Maybe someone's heard the second album and can convince me that it's worth getting?

"Sparrows" was a completely original sound to my ears though not without some influences such as David Bowie/Geoff Tate for the vocalist and some modern sounding guitar riffs with the music being moody, sensitive and heavy crunchy guitar at times. Killer drumming and bass propelled the music along. And a great sound production. They showed so much promise as a band.

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by T'ski » Thu Aug 02, 2018 3:07 pm

the closing solo on Madsword's "Time in the Ice" is one of my favorite solo's of all time.

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Chris R » Thu Aug 02, 2018 4:07 pm

What an incredible thread..
I kinda came on board at the tail end of the classic era of prog in 2000 and had a lot of catching up to do
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Packgrog » Thu Aug 02, 2018 4:31 pm

Chris R wrote:What an incredible thread..
I kinda came on board at the tail end of the classic era of prog in 2000 and had a lot of catching up to do
That's fortunate for you. You managed to dodge the real stinkers that slipped in there, like Altura and Arkhe. :P

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by GaetanL » Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:12 pm

venidominefan wrote:The Barstool Philosophers - Sparrows (2009)

Fantastic debut from this Dutch band, then they just disappeared for years. They did have a second release with a variety of vocalists but I just couldn't bring myself to get it after the original vocalist, Leon Brouwer, left the band. Maybe someone's heard the second album and can convince me that it's worth getting?

"Sparrows" was a completely original sound to my ears though not without some influences such as David Bowie/Geoff Tate for the vocalist and some modern sounding guitar riffs with the music being moody, sensitive and heavy crunchy guitar at times. Killer drumming and bass propelled the music along. And a great sound production. They showed so much promise as a band.
My rating for "Sparrows" is 4 out of 5. I did not include it in my list because it was less than 10 years old.
I do have the second album and I'm disapointed by this album. "Sparrows" is much better!
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by AllMediaReviews » Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:30 pm

Sorry, but I always found Superior's greatest record to be Younique. I love the various influences they brought in.

Behind is still great, and even though I found the concept a bit melodramatic, I still enjoy a lot of Ultima Ratio.

I wrote something in my blog about Superior about 10 years ago, which it's funny how time flies. It's too bad about that album "New World Order" never coming out as they wrote and recorded it.

http://allmediareviews.blogspot.com/201 ... ntial.html

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by introclaus » Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:26 am

Packgrog wrote:
Chris R wrote:What an incredible thread..
I kinda came on board at the tail end of the classic era of prog in 2000 and had a lot of catching up to do
That's fortunate for you. You managed to dodge the real stinkers that slipped in there, like Altura and Arkhe. :P
LOL Now that was a funny (and somewhat true) statement :)

Image

ALTURA - Mercy

I was actually listening to Altura the other day and while "Mercy" wasn't a great album in any way whatsoever, it at least introduced us all to Rain who later became the vocalist of While Heaven Wept. Such an awesome vocalist. I think the keyboardist also ended up in WHW later on, right? Musically the "Mercy" disc was pretty weak though, I'll give you that.

Image

ARKHE - Arkhe

Now, Arkhe was not quite as big a stinker, although it was marred by bad production, complete Dream Theater worship and a singer with an atrocious Italian accent. The interesting part about that though is the vocalist, Pino Tozzi, 4 years went to Time Machine and delivered an amazing vocal performance on the incredible "Evil" album almost devoid of that overly strong accent (well ... you can't completely hide it, but ...).
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by LASERCD » Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:05 am

I have to admit I’m a little bummed out. When I saw the title of the thread and that Claus started it I assumed it was all about me. :(

OK I’ll play. My fav is Gone “Weakness Within Living Memory”.

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Packgrog » Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:31 am

introclaus wrote:
Packgrog wrote:
Chris R wrote:What an incredible thread..
I kinda came on board at the tail end of the classic era of prog in 2000 and had a lot of catching up to do
That's fortunate for you. You managed to dodge the real stinkers that slipped in there, like Altura and Arkhe. :P
LOL Now that was a funny (and somewhat true) statement :)

I was actually listening to Altura the other day and while "Mercy" wasn't a great album in any way whatsoever, it at least introduced us all to Rain who later became the vocalist of While Heaven Wept. Such an awesome vocalist. I think the keyboardist also ended up in WHW later on, right? Musically the "Mercy" disc was pretty weak though, I'll give you that.

Now, Arkhe was not quite as big a stinker, although it was marred by bad production, complete Dream Theater worship and a singer with an atrocious Italian accent. The interesting part about that though is the vocalist, Pino Tozzi, 4 years went to Time Machine and delivered an amazing vocal performance on the incredible "Evil" album almost devoid of that overly strong accent (well ... you can't completely hide it, but ...).
I didn't ever listen to Time Machine, so I didn't know about the connection to Arkhe. I do sort of have the opposite opinion to yours on these two albums. Altura was just dull. Arkhe was horrifically bad, IMO, largely because of the vocal. It went beyond just the accent into a total lack of control, if memory serves. It reminds me of Andy Franck's performance on Ivanhoe - Symbols of Time or Nils K. Rue's earlier performances (though his control seemed much better by Heavenly Ecstasy, which I actually quite enjoy). Arkhe is the butt of many of my jokes about the worst of the early DT worshippers. Altura was just offensive from being a snooze-inducing waste of time.

On the flip side of all of this, there's one band and album that most people disliked but which somehow managed to hook me: Behind the Curtain - Till Birth Do Us Part. Really weird vocal that kept prompting me to reach for the stop button... right before something beautiful stayed my hand. Woefully under-appreciated album.

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Packgrog » Fri Aug 03, 2018 9:36 am

Here's another one that sadly slipped into obscurity: Lemur Voice - Divided. I mean, everyone here knows Marcel, but when was the last time you listened to Lemur Voice?

I never listened to the first album (or if I did, it was just a sample that didn't hook me), but I loved Divided. Their take on Beat It was wonderfully inventive. Good stuff!

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by introclaus » Fri Aug 03, 2018 4:41 pm

GaetanL wrote: Power Of Omens - Eyes Of The Oracle
Image

POWER OF OMENS - Eyes of the Oracle

I loved this disc when it came out - I think I rated it 9.5 / 10 in Metalized Magazine back in the day. Good times spent with this disc over the years.
The technical level on this album is through the roof, yet the melodies are still at the forefront, and that's what makes it such a great disc. It's like if Queensryche decided to play Dream Theater styles prog and then add a layer of Watchtower quirkiness on top. Chris Salinas obviously were a bit of a dark horse back then with his vocals not always in a "comfortable range", but man, when he hit those super high notes it was freakin' awesome. I've heard a lot of people complain about Alex' drums sounding like they were recorded for a different song/album than where they ended up, but I think that's part of the charm, that he just does exactly what he feels the music needs, and not just be one of those drummers that plays straight ahead simple patterns ... it's super challenging to listen to, and I can only imagine (and admire) how difficult it must have been to record. I gave the album another couple of spins this week and it still holds up nicely. Perhaps the production is a bit on the thin side (after all, it was a band on a tiny independent label), but overall it still packs a great punch, and to be honest, not many bands have reached these levels of complexity in music since then while retaining the melodic side of the song writing.
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by introclaus » Fri Aug 03, 2018 4:44 pm

LASERCD wrote:I have to admit I’m a little bummed out. When I saw the title of the thread and that Claus started it I assumed it was all about me. :(
Nah, that would assume that you had been forgotten ... as much as I try you still creep up in my mind like a bad dream :mrgreen:
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by introclaus » Fri Aug 03, 2018 4:59 pm

Packgrog wrote:On the flip side of all of this, there's one band and album that most people disliked but which somehow managed to hook me: Behind the Curtain - Till Birth Do Us Part. Really weird vocal that kept prompting me to reach for the stop button... right before something beautiful stayed my hand. Woefully under-appreciated album.
Image

BEHIND THE CURTAIN - Till Birth Do Us Part

Man, now you're talking ... ;)

That album was, and still is, one of my absolute favorite prog metal albums of all time. Such an incredible disc.

I remember the band sending me their demo back in the day, and I knew immediately I had to work with them. I signed them to Intromental Management and we started looking for a record deal. Ken Golden took the bait and joined forces with us, releasing the album through Sensory Records. I still recall the heated conversations we had back then regarding the cover artwork - you remember those Ken?

The album came out, got very mixed reviews, mostly because of the vocals (which I to this day will never understand, as I loved his voice and thought it was incredibly unique, yet controlled enough to never be bothersome), but the band did a couple of awesome shows around Denmark, including a support gig for Stratovarius where they basically stole the show. Again, as so often happened back in the day, things came to a stop because the band couldn't afford buying on to the bigger tours, and that obviously didn't help the album sales. I'm pretty sure Ken counts it as one of his big failures commercially speaking. Such a shame though. That album was incredible. Musically it was sitting between Psychotic Waltz and Dream Theater, with perhaps some slight Symphony X inspirations in the keyboards (Morten went on to play in Mercenary later on). Their demo a few years later had more of a Pain of Salvation sound to it, and honestly didn't move me nearly as much as "Till Birth Do Us Part".
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by LarryD » Fri Aug 03, 2018 5:11 pm

introclaus wrote:
LASERCD wrote:I have to admit I’m a little bummed out. When I saw the title of the thread and that Claus started it I assumed it was all about me. :(
Nah, that would assume that you had been forgotten ... as much as I try you still creep up in my mind like a bad dream :mrgreen:

***How does he do that ? :wink: I was going to ask you to include Ken in on the post, but he beat me to it .......... :wink:

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by LarryD » Fri Aug 03, 2018 5:12 pm

venidominefan wrote:The Barstool Philosophers - Sparrows (2009)

Fantastic debut from this Dutch band, then they just disappeared for years. They did have a second release with a variety of vocalists but I just couldn't bring myself to get it after the original vocalist, Leon Brouwer, left the band. Maybe someone's heard the second album and can convince me that it's worth getting?

"Sparrows" was a completely original sound to my ears though not without some influences such as David Bowie/Geoff Tate for the vocalist and some modern sounding guitar riffs with the music being moody, sensitive and heavy crunchy guitar at times. Killer drumming and bass propelled the music along. And a great sound production. They showed so much promise as a band.
*** + 1 on the Barstools ...... I love that disc. I didn't even check out the next one after Ken told me the original singer was gone .......

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by elendil » Fri Aug 03, 2018 5:21 pm

Ah, Behind the Curtain... I remember liking them, though not quite enough to buy the album in my days of poverty. Listening again. A bit similar to Poverty's No Crime, whom I also would consider underrated, at least for their album The Chemical Chaos, which is excellent.

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by LASERCD » Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:14 pm

introclaus wrote:
Packgrog wrote:On the flip side of all of this, there's one band and album that most people disliked but which somehow managed to hook me: Behind the Curtain - Till Birth Do Us Part. Really weird vocal that kept prompting me to reach for the stop button... right before something beautiful stayed my hand. Woefully under-appreciated album.
Man, now you're talking ... ;)

That album was, and still is, one of my absolute favorite prog metal albums of all time. Such an incredible disc.

I remember the band sending me their demo back in the day, and I knew immediately I had to work with them. I signed them to Intromental Management and we started looking for a record deal. Ken Golden took the bait and joined forces with us, releasing the album through Sensory Records. I still recall the heated conversations we had back then regarding the cover artwork - you remember those Ken?

The album came out, got very mixed reviews, mostly because of the vocals (which I to this day will never understand, as I loved his voice and thought it was incredibly unique, yet controlled enough to never be bothersome), but the band did a couple of awesome shows around Denmark, including a support gig for Stratovarius where they basically stole the show. Again, as so often happened back in the day, things came to a stop because the band couldn't afford buying on to the bigger tours, and that obviously didn't help the album sales. I'm pretty sure Ken counts it as one of his big failures commercially speaking. Such a shame though. That album was incredible. Musically it was sitting between Psychotic Waltz and Dream Theater, with perhaps some slight Symphony X inspirations in the keyboards (Morten went on to play in Mercenary later on). Their demo a few years later had more of a Pain of Salvation sound to it, and honestly didn't move me nearly as much as "Till Birth Do Us Part".
It is a great album and the question was - would anyone buy it. While it was a commercial failure if you put it in perspective compared to sales these days it wasn't quite that bad.

We are still blowing them out - now at a measly $2.40.

https://www.lasercd.com/cd/til-birth-do-us-part

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by MitchG » Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:11 pm

Fun thread. I did love me some Time Machine back in the day. This thread reminded me of a side project from one or two of the TM guys (don't recall the specifics, I just know there was a TM connection):

Khali - s/t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqYh7kHfOIM

I didn't care for the singer quite as much as Time Machine, but it had a similar melodic sensibility and some really good tunes.
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by introclaus » Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:34 pm

MitchG wrote:Fun thread. I did love me some Time Machine back in the day. This thread reminded me of a side project from one or two of the TM guys (don't recall the specifics, I just know there was a TM connection):

Khali - s/t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqYh7kHfOIM

I didn't care for the singer quite as much as Time Machine, but it had a similar melodic sensibility and some really good tunes.
Image

KHALI - Khali

Yeah, this was a side-project that Lorenzo Deho (the bass player and songwriter for Time Machine) did, which basically was him getting his Queensryche-side out of his system, haha :) Great melodic semi-prog album. The singer was Folco, who sang with Time Machine on "Act II Galileo" (which is still my favorite TM disc).

Funny side note: Larry D and I actually wrote the liner-notes for the KHALI album together :) Talk about fan-boys :D
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by outprogged42 » Tue Aug 07, 2018 7:19 pm

GaetanL wrote: Power Of Omens - Eyes Of The Oracle

All Too Human - Entropy

Balance Of Power - Perfect Balance

Darkwater - Calling The Earth To Witness

Dreamscape - End Of Silence

Fragile Vastness - A Tribute To Life

Power Of Omens - Rooms Of Anguish

Veni Domine - Fall Babylon Fall
1. Pretty original and experimental disc, but the poor production and the very wild and unpolished songwriting definitely makes it extremely difficult to get into. It also really could benefit from a bit more punch. I love this band but this isn't one I listen to particularly often.

2. It's honestly been years since I heard this and I remember it being pretty fantastic. Derek Sherinian on keys is a real treat and the instrumental track is downright sick. They didn't put anything else out until 2012 and ATH became a modern metal band with slight prog influences, and then just disappeared completely.

3. I quite like this disc, although Shelter Me is clearly head and shoulders above the other songs. I have it still, signed by Lance too, but something was wrong with the audio and it would briefly skip every 5-10 seconds. Sad.

4. This actually seems to be fairly popular and I used to listen to this disc a lot, particularly in cold weather due to the very dark and frigid atmosphere. The production is particularly outstanding despite being mashed to bits in the mastering. Unfortunately the lyrical content has become really sensitive for me and so I've pretty much put the disc away.

5. I only heard this a couple of times and I remember it being really good, with the concept behind it quite emotional and relatable (what would you do with ~7 months to live?) The singer is now in InnerWish and he's definitely the star of the disc, but you also pretty much don't hear bands incorporating this many kinds of folk and world music into prog albums nowadays. I haven't listened to it for a long time, though.

6. Now THIS is more like it - the songs are more straight to the point with more melodies, a lot heavier and much better produced, and yet perhaps even more technical, with the drummer in particular completely going off the rails. Basically corrects every flaw with the first disc and takes its strengths even further. One of my favorite prog-metal albums out there, actually.

7. I happen to have this CD along with a few of their others. It's clear this is a young band developing their talent, compared to the astute musicianship of their final album, and this kind of dark, ponderous prog, especially as doom-influenced as this, really doesn't appeal to me nowadays. However, the vocalist is incredibly talented and the 21-minute track at the end is quite enormously epic.

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by MitchG » Tue Aug 07, 2018 7:22 pm

introclaus wrote:
MitchG wrote:Fun thread. I did love me some Time Machine back in the day. This thread reminded me of a side project from one or two of the TM guys (don't recall the specifics, I just know there was a TM connection):

Khali - s/t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqYh7kHfOIM

I didn't care for the singer quite as much as Time Machine, but it had a similar melodic sensibility and some really good tunes.
Yeah, this was a side-project that Lorenzo Deho (the bass player and songwriter for Time Machine) did, which basically was him getting his Queensryche-side out of his system, haha :) Great melodic semi-prog album. The singer was Folco, who sang with Time Machine on "Act II Galileo" (which is still my favorite TM disc).

Funny side note: Larry D and I actually wrote the liner-notes for the KHALI album together :) Talk about fan-boys :D
Ha, I didn't realize that was the singer from Act II...I guess I didn't know Time Machine had cycled through that many singers. When I think of TM music, Eternity Ends (which is my favorite) is the one that I think of....it's been years since I've listened to any of them, though. I think I need to remedy that.
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by elendil » Tue Aug 07, 2018 11:26 pm

I have so many of these in my back pocket that I'm curious to see reactions to. Let's go with...

Dreams of Sanity - The Game

Started out as light 90s femme gothic metal on Lacrimosa's Hall of Sermon label. But The Game is straight-up melodic prog metal with their strong female lead singer (Sandra Schleret, now of missable epic metal band Siegfried). Plenty of keyboard & guitar leads; this is toward the melodic, less technical end of prog, but still with lots of variation and some toying with tempo and key. If you like early After Forever, I don't see any way you don't like this album (I say it's even better). Here is one of my two favorite tracks from the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKRXrGkT-T4 .

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by LarryD » Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:58 am

elendil wrote:I have so many of these in my back pocket that I'm curious to see reactions to. Let's go with...

Dreams of Sanity - The Game

Started out as light 90s femme gothic metal on Lacrimosa's Hall of Sermon label. But The Game is straight-up melodic prog metal with their strong female lead singer (Sandra Schleret, now of missable epic metal band Siegfried). Plenty of keyboard & guitar leads; this is toward the melodic, less technical end of prog, but still with lots of variation and some toying with tempo and key. If you like early After Forever, I don't see any way you don't like this album (I say it's even better). Here is one of my two favorite tracks from the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKRXrGkT-T4 .
*** I've had this on my " to sell " pile so many times it's not funny .... I always pull it out though before I sell it.......then I play it, I love it, it feels dated, and then I try to sell it again ...... but it's so rare, and I do love most of the disc ....... I can't part with it. This is a REAL blast from the past.........

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by LarryD » Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:12 am

Yeah, this was a side-project that Lorenzo Deho (the bass player and songwriter for Time Machine) did, which basically was him getting his Queensryche-side out of his system, haha :) Great melodic semi-prog album. The singer was Folco, who sang with Time Machine on "Act II Galileo" (which is still my favorite TM disc).

Funny side note: Larry D and I actually wrote the liner-notes for the KHALI album together :) Talk about fan-boys :D
*** This was not only a fun time for us -- it was a special time in discovering Prog music - and Time Machine was at the top of the heap for me as well....... I don't think too many people know this, but Time Machine released more discs, EPs, special discs, than most bands at the time ...... I think I've got something like 20 TM discs thanks to fellow fans like Claus and Lorenzo Deho himself........ I was thoroughly entrenched in Italian Prog at the time, and TIme Machine was definitely at the top of my list....

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Sir Exar Kun » Wed Aug 08, 2018 2:30 pm

I've been offline for pretty much ten days, so was thrilled to hear this thread was running and had 50+ responses!!! So many good bands already called out....

Although, I must say, it pains me every time I see Altura and Arkhe ragged on, as I still love both discs! Even moreso when I see Behind the Curtain being praised, as I found that disc to be 100% unlistenable! Crazy world....

Anywho....

Here's one I have not seen mentioned yet in this thread.

Mercury Rising - "Upon Deaf Ears"

Debut album from 1994, blending a mix of early 'Ryche, with a slightly thrashier and more technical base like Toxik or even a bit of Watchtower. Second album had a bit more of a modern edge to it (think Quiet Room / Digital Ruin) but still was solid. Can't remember if I found this one on Laser's Edge or The End Records, but either way it remains a mainstay of that era for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewm5ZPVvO8o
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by elendil » Wed Aug 08, 2018 3:19 pm

Yeah, that Mercury Rising debut was great, though I didn't care for their second. I recall MR getting tons of play on the old board when it came out, but you don't hear about it much these days.

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by introclaus » Thu Aug 09, 2018 8:30 am

elendil wrote:I have so many of these in my back pocket that I'm curious to see reactions to. Let's go with...

Dreams of Sanity - The Game

Started out as light 90s femme gothic metal on Lacrimosa's Hall of Sermon label. But The Game is straight-up melodic prog metal with their strong female lead singer (Sandra Schleret, now of missable epic metal band Siegfried). Plenty of keyboard & guitar leads; this is toward the melodic, less technical end of prog, but still with lots of variation and some toying with tempo and key. If you like early After Forever, I don't see any way you don't like this album (I say it's even better). Here is one of my two favorite tracks from the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKRXrGkT-T4 .
Image

DREAMS OF SANITY - The Game

I liked the first Dreams of Sanity album (Komodia), but when the other vocalist left the quality, for me at least, dropped, and I didn't care much for the second album. I never listened to their third one (The Game) until now, but it has the same problem that made me loose interest in the band back then; the vocalist has a super-overused annoying vibrato to her voice (second only to Tobias Sammett, LOL) that makes it impossible for me to listen for longer periods of time.
Last edited by introclaus on Sat Aug 10, 2019 9:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
Claus Jensen

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elendil
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by elendil » Thu Aug 09, 2018 8:36 am

LarryD wrote:
elendil wrote:I have so many of these in my back pocket that I'm curious to see reactions to. Let's go with...

Dreams of Sanity - The Game

Started out as light 90s femme gothic metal on Lacrimosa's Hall of Sermon label. But The Game is straight-up melodic prog metal with their strong female lead singer (Sandra Schleret, now of missable epic metal band Siegfried). Plenty of keyboard & guitar leads; this is toward the melodic, less technical end of prog, but still with lots of variation and some toying with tempo and key. If you like early After Forever, I don't see any way you don't like this album (I say it's even better). Here is one of my two favorite tracks from the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKRXrGkT-T4 .
*** I've had this on my " to sell " pile so many times it's not funny .... I always pull it out though before I sell it.......then I play it, I love it, it feels dated, and then I try to sell it again ...... but it's so rare, and I do love most of the disc ....... I can't part with it. This is a REAL blast from the past.........
If you do sell it, someone should snap it up, because it's a classic! I don't mind "dated" myself. I enjoy this thread because I'm always exploring music from all decades.

Testofwills
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Testofwills » Thu Aug 09, 2018 5:13 pm

T'ski wrote:Digital Ruin - Listen
I rememeber being at the first Powermad in 97 and they were playing this all weekend over the PA...What a cd...and for the most part was a demo as well,,,,Still have my copy..

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Testofwills » Thu Aug 09, 2018 5:18 pm

introclaus wrote:
GaetanL wrote: Power Of Omens - Eyes Of The Oracle
I loved this disc when it came out - I think I rated it 9.5 / 10 in Metalized Magazine back in the day. Good times spent with this disc over the years.
The technical level on this album is through the roof, yet the melodies are still at the forefront, and that's what makes it such a great disc. It's like if Queensryche decided to play Dream Theater styles prog and then add a layer of Watchtower quirkiness on top. Chris Salinas obviously were a bit of a dark horse back then with his vocals not always in a "comfortable range", but man, when he hit those super high notes it was freakin' awesome. I've heard a lot of people complain about Alex' drums sounding like they were recorded for a different song/album than where they ended up, but I think that's part of the charm, that he just does exactly what he feels the music needs, and not just be one of those drummers that plays straight ahead simple patterns ... it's super challenging to listen to, and I can only imagine (and admire) how difficult it must have been to record. I gave the album another couple of spins this week and it still holds up nicely. Perhaps the production is a bit on the thin side (after all, it was a band on a tiny independent label), but overall it still packs a great punch, and to be honest, not many bands have reached these levels of complexity in music since then while retaining the melodic side of the song writing.
yes this cd was special to me as well.Luved the offbeat melodies that just did it for me....testofwills is a bonafide classic...I remember this along with Zero hour and Vauxville as well...Chris gave me a Pepsi workshirt(where he was working at the time)with power of omens on the pocket haha..

Remember his short lived stint with Zerohour...Wasent a big fan of that disc

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Locust0311 » Sun Aug 12, 2018 11:23 pm

Here's something I recently discovered and quite like. Though I have no memory of it being discussed back when it came out in 1999, I'm sure it was. That said, its a nice slice of late 90s prog metal and I'm sure I haven't seen it mentioned at all recently. Its a rare treat to find something like this that I haven't heard before because I was pretty thorough back then. Though the summer of 1999 I spent 9 weeks studying abroad in Europe so I suppose it could have slipped past me. Singer has a bit of a accent but it doesn't bother me.

Brayndance - Peace of Work

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by MidKnight » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:10 am

WOW....thx for this Brayndance!! I had never heard anything from them but that is changing now :)
I never got a hotdog! (or that Mini 5 track DTM cd )

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by MJ Brady » Mon Aug 13, 2018 6:15 pm

So what the OP is hoping to see is not necessarily every possible obscurity, but the GEMS of the past, and in some sort of easy couple or a few at a time, rather than the ambitious monster list?

My first offering:
Italy - Mind Key - Journey Of A Rough Diamond 2004
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDoVz9CAwbk
Reviewed by MJBrady on 15 Aug 2004
Yet another upstart progressive metal band from Italy, this band aims to blend the better side of most of the genres best artists into one product. Italy has been producing a lot of prog music for years, and in the case of progressive metal, they have had more than a few really impressive releases, though few bands are able to have the staying power to exist as a band long enough to really release that one cd that will solidify their status with the fickle progressive metal community.

In the case for Mind Key, I can hear the huge influences of Dream Theater, something that really cannot be easily side stepped when playing this kind of music, for some that is an instant turn off, for others it is somewhat of a essential ingredient to why they like this style of music. Count me in the latter, providing the music has it's own identity and is played and written well. Mind Key sound very polished for a debut cd. The singer is even good, not great, but very complimentary to the bands' direction. They are also a very skilled bunch of musicians, drums and guitar stand out, with the bass and keys providing solid performances, that don't get lost in the mix.

As writers, this group can improve, a few of the songs have the kind of hooks that stay fresh in your mind well after getting aquainted with them. Yet on the high side, they are great at putting together ideas for instrumentation, with the chops to add to the effect. They are a band that stays the way of progressive music, with quite a few long songs, I do have to compliment the band for their instrumental prowess, when they are playing outside the singing parts, they have a very cohesive sound, with great drumming and guitar.
========================================================================

Mind Key - 2009 - Pulse for a Graveheart
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLFa5D8d_SA
Reviewed by MJBrady on 22 Jan 2010
There appears to be some very impressive competition for the progressive metal crown in the musical boot shaped country we know as Italy. For quite some time now, many bands have come and gone, many showed great potential, recorded one release and went into obscurity. Others have taken on many new formations and have seen releases that are varied and diverse, having the sound of entirely different bands one cd to the next. Mind Key came onto the scene with their 2000 demo - Welcome to another Reality, and after that in 2004, they released their first full length cd - Journey of a Rough Diamond, which made some great impressions around certain progressive metal circles with their creation of Dream Theater styled progmetal.

A band with all the tools to be a force in the genre, they seemingly had all the necessary ingredients to push towards the upper echelons of the competitive genre. Like so many of these bands, the weakness always seemed to be a solid front singer. And just when it appeared that the band was no more, they release this solid cd here in 2009 with a new vocalist - Aurelio Fierro Jr , who has a voice from the Jorn, Coverdale style, very smooth and powerful. Most everything else on this release is of the highest quality, whether it be the guitars of Emanuele Colella the frenetic drumming of Andrea Stipa and the lush keyboards of Dario De Cicco this band shows great improvement over what was an already solid product.

In a year that progmetal was showing some signs of lag for newcomers and the lesser known bands, it was a pleasure to hear this band not only continue from where they had left off in 2004, but far surpass their previous efforts with such an altogether impressive recording. The songs have a lasting impact, with smart melodic accompaniment to cleverly assembled classic progmetal riffs. I like how the band was able to create a trademark sound by having a fine tuned blend of progressive moves, and melodic metal catchiness. No question that the band has created the cd that will define them as a band for the future, let's hope that they have not peaked, as this is a very positive step in the right direction for them.
MJ

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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by Sir Exar Kun » Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:06 am

Mind Key - I know I have that first one, but I'll be darned if I remember anything about it. Italian Dream Theater influenced, it certainly sounds like the sort of thing I would blind buy. Will have to pull this back out.

(Edit: OK, I remember these guys now that I'm listening to it. Very well composed music, especially the keyboards, with a singer who sounds like a dead ringer for Mark Boals. I seem to recall that it was very well done, but lacked in memorable melodies?)

I'm currently playing Andromeda's "Immunity Zone" at work today, and while I would not consider Andromeda in any way "forgotten", they certainly are a benchmark band for this place..... It blows me away that their last album was 7 years ago now. I checked out their FB page, and as of May 2017 they said they were recording their followup, but there has been nothing new posted since. Would love to see more material from them!
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Re: The Forgotten Heroes of Prog Metal Thread

Post by MJ Brady » Wed Aug 15, 2018 2:39 pm

Sir Exar Kun wrote:I'm currently playing Andromeda's "Immunity Zone" at work today, and while I would not consider Andromeda in any way "forgotten", they certainly are a benchmark band for this place..... It blows me away that their last album was 7 years ago now. I checked out their FB page, and as of May 2017 they said they were recording their followup, but there has been nothing new posted since. Would love to see more material from them!
I check with their FB page and website occasionally, hoping to hear some new news, hopeful they are going to release some new stuff. The last thing I had heard from them, was an EP Andromeda - 2013 - Crash сourse (EP), with remastered older songs, the sound was much improved from their previous studio work, so that was reason to be optimistic.
MJ

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