Progressive Metal

Dream Theater - Strange Deja Vu (Live From The Boston Opera House) - YouTube
Photo Credit: YouTube

Origin: Late 1980’s USA

Characteristics: Emphasis on expanded, artistically-inclined songwriting, and instrumental technicality

Typical Live Hand Gesture: Really depends on the band

What is the appeal?: Cerebral, left-field songwriting keeping listeners interested; extreme, awe-inspiring technicality on each instrument

Progressive metal came to be in the late 1980’s, when bands such as Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, and Dream Theater (formerly Majesty) infused classic, melodic, fist-pumping heavy metal with expanded songwriting and an emphasis on technicality, earlier seen in progressive rock bands such as Canada’s Rush.

Masters of their instruments, Dream Theater were one of the first bands to bring progressive metal into the mainstream’s attention. Like many of their songs, “Metropolis Part I” is an absolutely dazzling instrumental performance.
Fates Warning were one of the earliest successful bands to bring progressive songwriting into classic heavy metal.

Progressive metal would get more and more technical as time went on, with instrumentalists utilizing frequent time signature changes, dramatic changes of timbre, and unconventional song structures in their songwriting.

Fates Warning’s two classic songwriters, John Arch and Jim Matheos, are still working together as Arch/Matheos. Their 2011 album Sympathetic Resonance is an example of the maturation of progressive metal, its lengthy songs filled with uncommon time signatures that demonstrate the talents of drummer Bobby Jarzombek.
Devin Townsend is one of the most active modern progressive metal musicians. His work spans a variety of moods and styles, with Deconstruction being one of his wackiest and most theatrical progressive metal albums.
Tool are one of the most well-known modern progressive metal bands, though the band have distanced themselves from the “metal” tag. Tool’s music features elaborate compositions, masterful drumming, and psychedelic themes.

Progressive Extreme Metal

Opeth.The.Roundhouse.Tapes. (HQ) (Part 1) - YouTube
Photo Credit: YouTube

Origin: Late 1980’s USA; More present internationally from the late 1990’s

Characteristics: Harsh, aggressive, and dark extreme metal genres infused with progressive songwriting

What is the appeal?: Progressive metal for fans of extreme metal, or extreme metal for fans of progressive metal; masterful technicality; explosive changes in timbre

Progressive extreme metal isn’t so much of a genre itself as it is a movement seen across different genres of extreme metal. Extreme metal bands have been expanding their songwriting techniques going back to Metallica’s 1988 album …And Justice for All, and progressive songwriting has become more widely applied since then, even being something of a mainstream trend in the 2010’s.

…And Justice for All saw Metallica’s songwriting expand into progressive territory. “Blackened” is over six and a half minutes long and features changing time signatures.

Death’s utilization of progressive and technical songwriting in their last four albums was hugely influential on death metal as a whole, steering parts of the genre in a progressive direction. The USA would have bands such as Cynic and Atheist follow, incorporating elements of jazz into their technical and progressive songwriting. In the 1990’s, across the Atlantic, Swedish bands such as Opeth and Edge of Sanity would similarly come unto themselves as progressive death metal bands, even citing 1970’s progressive rock bands as major influences. Opeth’s success, in particular, would carry into the 2000’s and beyond, when they would be joined in the progressive style by bands such as Britain’s controversial blackened death band Akercocke, and Norway’s Enslaved, who formerly played classic Norweigan black metal.

“Deliverance,” like many Opeth songs, clocks in at over ten minutes long, and shifts through a number of styles, timbres, and time signatures. This song, at times a live staple for Opeth, closes with a four minute section that repeats one percussive riff over and over.
Though they formerly played genuine Norweigan black metal, Enslaved have evolved into a unique progressive black metal band. “Forsaken” is also over ten minutes long and prominently features a mellotron.
Britain’s Akercocke fuse thrash, death, and black metal with Rush-inspired progressive influences. “Verdelet” transitions through a number of timbres and vocal styles before reaching an explosive black metal climax.
Nevermore were another powerhouse of progressive extreme metal in the 2010’s. They had a fairly unique sound as well; ferocious death metal instrumentation, elaborate progressive songwriting, and majestic, operatic vocals that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in power metal. Jeff Loomis’s lead guitar playing has earned particular praise.

Come the 2010’s, progressive extreme metal was perhaps the closest thing to a universal trend within extreme metal. Bands from all over extreme metal and metalcore would add progressive influences into their songwriting, and bands such as Ne Obliviscaris, Beyond Creation, Fallujah, Ulcerate, Black Crown Initiate, and many more would flood the internet metal underground.

Ne Obliviscaris deliver absolutely explosive progressive compositions, famously accented by a lead violin.
Another band with occult themes, Schammasch infuse savage, modernized blackened death metal with progressive song structures.

Djent

Meshuggah live review - The Forum, London | Louder
Photo Credit: loudersound.com

Origin: Late 90’s Sweden; popularized early 2010’s USA

Characteristics: Emphasis on rhythmic, percussive “chugging”

What started as a “drunk misunderstanding” between Meshuggah’s Fredrik Thordendal and an “old-school fan” came to be a label for a subgenre of progressive metal that would become something of a metal trend in the early 2010’s, that label being djent. Many musicians deny the existence of djent as a subgenre; however, if melodic death metal can be called a subgenre of death metal for its distinctive guitar style, djent ought to be considered its own subgenre of progressive metal, as well. After all, it’s a fairly clearly defined guitar style, that has spawned dozens of bands all connected within this scene.

Both the label and the sound of djent originated with Sweden’s Meshuggah. Thordendal is often cited as the main creator of the djent guitar style, consisting of down-tuned, rhythmic, percussive, start-stop riffing, making heavy use of palm-mutes. Djent bands push the rhythmic technicality of progressive metal to an extreme, often incorporating complex poly-rhythms and rhythmic riff patterns that don’t repeat themselves.

The djent sound would evolve and become modernized over time, but the emphasis on percussive rhythmic riffing began with Meshuggah’s Destroy Erase Improve. Meshuggah’s early work was particularly thrashy, as well.
Years later, Meshuggah are one of the most well-regarded progressive extreme metal bands, whether or not looking just at the djent guitar style. While they now use eight-string guitars, their frantic thrash metal influence remains intact, as do their absolutely crushing grooves. Meshuggah put on an impressive live show – their lighting technicians deserve particular praise for all of the lights synchronized with Meshuggah’s complex rhythms.
Yeah, here’s another Meshuggah song. Their 21-minute epic “I” feels like a black hole consuming all mass in its path, mechanically, indiscriminately. Moments of “I” range from apocalyptic to what feels like pure chaos.
In the height of djent’s popularity, in the 2010’s, a number of bands used the djent guitar style in more atmospheric metal. Uneven Structure use three guitars, alternating between semi-ambient soundscapes and crushing, groovy riffs.
Another atmospheric djent band, Vildhjarta create a bleak and dark atmosphere with gnarly downtuned djent riffs and eerie synths.

Works Cited

Camp, Zoe. “Meshuggah Apologize for Djent: It Was ‘Drunk Misunderstanding.’” Revolver, Project M Group LLC, 24 July 2018, http://www.revolvermag.com/music/meshuggah-apologize-djent-it-was-drunk-misunderstanding.