10. Between The Buried And Me
Emerging at the turn of the century, Between The Buried And Me were ambitious from the start. With a blend of progressive metal, left-field hardcore, math rock and full-bore prog indulgence, they stood out as a maverick force on their self-titled debut in 2002 and have been steadily evolving ever since.
On immersive concept albums like 2015’s Coma Ecliptic and 2018’s two-part Automata, the North Carolina quintet continued to expand their sound, but thunderous, virtuoso metal is still a fundamental part of what they do, and last year’s re-recording of early classic Colors confirmed that BTBAM are still as heavy as ever. DL
Greatest prog metal moment: Memory Palace (2015)
9. Devin Townsend/Devin Townsend Project
Prolific, versatile and quite possibly a bit mad, Devin Townsend has been straddling the divide between progressive ideas and massive riffs for the last 30 years. Both as a solo artist and with the Devin Townsend Project, he has routinely pushed the boundaries.
With projects ranging from the seminal psych-metal of 1997’s Ocean Machine: Biomech to the euphoric grandeur of 2012’s Epicloud, he has covered an absurd amount of musical ground, and is just as likely to be playing ghostly country music (Casualties Of Cool, 2014) as he is to be ripping people’s bewildered faces off (Deconstruction, 2011). Everybody loves Devin. Fact. DL
Greatest prog metal moment: The Mighty Masturbator (2011)
8. Queensryche
Steeped in the power of traditional metal and the finessed depths of prog, Queensryche emerged in the mid-‘80s as the ferociously intelligent antidote to knuckleheaded glam rock.
In 1988, they released their third album, Operation:Mindcrime: a sprawling, hit-packed concept album that told a tale of corruption, conspiracy and murder across an hour of artful, dextrous and utterly ripping melodic metal. It was a huge success and cemented the Seattle band’s reputation as a formidable creative force. 24 years on, Queensryche have weathered the loss of original frontman Geoff Tate, and have returned to top form with Todd LaTorre on vocal duties. Legends never die. DL
Greatest prog metal moment: Suite Sister Mary (1988)
7. Meshuggah
Pioneers of the crushing polyrhythm, Meshuggah have had a huge influence on every djent and tech-metal band that has ever existed, not to mention countless other bands that have been enchanted by the sheer audacity of the Swedes’ music. From the revolutionary madness of 1995’s Destroy Erase Improve onwards, they have been a singular presence in the metal world, with a sound that is as instantly recognisable as it is unfathomable.
Notorious for whipping up unstoppable, hypnotic grooves that you need a calculator to dance to, Meshuggah have been frequently mimicked, but never bettered. Metal really doesn’t get more progressive than this. DL
Greatest prog metal moment: In Death – Is Life/In Death – Is Death (2005)
6. Mastodon
From the mires of sludge to the cosmic expanse of space, the evolution in Mastodon's craft and sound across their first five records saw them go from downtuned caveman to intergalactic prog masters, finding a sense of breakout accessibility whilst never letting up on the intensity that made them an incendiary force in the first place.
Whether building a concept album around literary classic Moby-Dick (Leviathan) or transforming personal grief into a cathartic epic (descriptions which variously fit Crack The Skye, Emperor Of Sand and Hushed And Grim), Mastodon changed the landscape for metal concepts, the likes of Blood And Thunder, Curl Of The Burl, Show Yourself and Oblivion show they didn’t slack in churning out massive anthems either. RH
Greatest prog metal moment: The Czar (2009)
5. Voivod
Thrash metal was excellent fun, but perhaps a little one-dimensional. Enter Voivod: intrepid adventurers and sworn advocates of the progressive code. After a couple of deeply weird thrash records, the Quebec quartet embarked on a wild evolutionary journey, conjuring wonky masterpieces like 1988’s Dimension Hätross and its sublime follow-up, 1989’s Nothingface. The latter featured a cover of Pink Floyd’s Astronomy Domine that somehow trumped the original for sheer, space cadet charisma.
Despite the death of founding guitarist and resident genius Denis “Piggy” D’Amour in 2005, Voivod have maintained both their momentum and their reputation as one of the most unique and consistent bands in all of prog and metal. DL
Greatest prog metal moment: Jack Luminous (1993)
4. Porcupine Tree
Emerging in the dark, prog-phobic days of the early ‘90s, Porcupine Tree began as a psychedelic bedroom project and steadily evolved over the subsequent decade, becomingstandard bearers for a new breed of progressive music. By the time they released In Absentia in 2002, Steven Wilson’s band had fully incorporated monstrous metal riffs into their artful sound, and songs like Blackest Eyes and Wedding Nails were rightly heralded as benchmarks for a new era of nostalgia-free prog.
They hit a peak of heaviness on 2007’s Fear Of A Blank Planet, which featured Anesthetize: 18 minutes of intricate and brooding prog metal, with a bonus cameo from Rush’s Alex Lifeson. Nicely done. DL
Greatest prog metal moment: Anesthetize (2007)
3. Rush
Although not a metal band in the traditional sense, Canada’s greatest ever prog band are fundamentally important to the evolution of the genre’s progressive wing. Truly hitting their stride in 1975, upon the arrival of drummer Neil Peart and the subsequent release of second album Fly By Night, Rush’s take on adventurous but resolutely heavy rock hit harder than the majority of their prog peers.
A three-man blueprint for the prog metal scene that would follow in their wake, Peart, guitarist Alex Lifeson and singer/bassist Geddy Lee went through many disparate phases but they were always at their most effective when jamming at full blast, and singing about deep philosophical conundrums. Their influence can be heard in any forward-thinking band with some fire in their bellies. Pleasingly, Rush’s final album, Clockwork Angels (2012), was the heaviest of their long career, and a fitting conclusion to a 40-year reign of excellence. DL
Greatest prog metal moment: The Anarchist (2012)
2. Tool
Long before they were building riffs around the Fibonacci sequence, Tool were just arty alt-metal agitators from Los Angeles. Even in those early L. Ron Hubbard baiting days, Tool had mastery of eye-popping aesthetics and otherworldly vibes that made them an entity unto themselves.
Each new Tool album since the dawn of the 21 st Century – which is to say all three of them – has felt like a new epoch in their artistry, from the metronomic compositions of Lateralus to the shamanic notes of 10,000 Days and utterly mesmerising Fear Inoculum. RH
Greatest prog metal moment: Lateralus (2001)
1. Dream Theater
Formed at Boston’s legendary Berklee College Of Music in 1985, Dream Theater were the band that took prog metal’s virtuosity to new levels. Armed with a sound that married heavy metal’s power with progressive rock’s complexity, they scored a deserved breakthrough with 1992’s Images And Words, reaching a level of success and popularity that far exceeded expectations. It soon became clear that they were in it for the long haul, too.
Over the last 30 years, Dream Theater have marched inexorably on, routinely filling arenas around the world and amassing an extraordinary catalogue of recorded music. From unashamedly heavy records like Awake and Train Of Thought, to wildly indulgent conceptual efforts like 1999’s Metropolis Pt.2: Scenes From A Memory and 2016’s bewildering fantasy piece The Astonishing, they have consistently set a high standard for both musicianship and songwriting.
Most importantly, every last member of the band is an absolute badass and a revered role model for generations of like-minded musicians. In recent times, Dream Theater have been in particularly fine and thunderous form, with 2021's A View From The Top Of The World being widely hailed as yet another career highlight. After inspiring thousands to aim for perfection, they’re still out there proving who the daddies are. DL
Greatest prog metal moment: The Glass Prison (2002)
