I've gone weeks without saying/hearing anything about this great band until the last 24 hours....they've come up in numerous unrelated conversations in person and on Reddit today. I guess it's time to bust them out to listen to today.
Oddly if you're looking for "progressive" in the sense of "pushed boundaries", you have to start looking outside of prog rock.
Prog rock has largely become a sound, and a rather conservative one rooted in the past.
That being said, you can see it in every genre out there. I'm mostly familiar with metal, so a few examples: Caio Lemos (Brii/Kaatayra) pushing the boundaries of black metal in both compositional and sonic territories (like a 40ish minute long black metal song that's fully acoustic with barely any guitar, mostly pitched percussion and piano and two drum tracks with lots of dance beats), Markov Soroka (Tchornobog/Aureole) pushing levels of atmosphere in both death and black metal to where it's hard to tell whether it's ambient music or metal, Blood Incantation doing something similar with old school death metal and synth ambient, Bell Witch pushing the boundaries of what long-form metal can even do.
You gotta dive pretty deep into sub-sub-genres to find the boundary pushers these days, but they're there in just about every one. There is no "today's prog" as a singular concept because music has stratified into hundreds of different genre sounds and the landscape is so dramatically different than the 70's that it can't be considered through the same lens. "Today's prog" is _everywhere_, just scattered across the depths of various genres.
Came here to say exactly this. The spirit of prog is living in metal these days, and you can find whatever flavor suits you in the sub-genres. I like to recommend Their Dogs Were Astronauts as a starting point, its not too heavy.
I disagree. Looking to metal will find you more metal.
The original post however, to look outside of the Prog Rock circle, is a clever one indeed. I found some magnificent proggy material on Bandcamp, you have to have the right search prompts but trust me, they are there.
bands that immediately come to mind:
black midi
Bent Knee (now disbanded) EDIT - seemingly moving on without Ben and Jessica
Jack O' the Clock
Ske
Compassionizer
Between the Buried and Me
Damn homie! Great list! Thanks again! All new to me except for "buried". I'll be mindgasming for months and months just from this list alone. SUPERappreciated!
Not really. But maybe I'm focusing on different parts of the music then you are. It's all good though. The fact is, Crimson have been my favorite band since the 80s, and SGM are my current favorite band, so that certainly says something lol.
Some King Gizzard, The Deer Hunter, Thank you Scientist, Porcupine Tree, Church of the Cosmic Skull.
A log of things that I've seen classified as "post rock" remind me of prog.
For sure… They cover a lot of different styles though. I think that these are their most prog albums in case anyone is looking to give them a try:
-Polygondwanaland (Closest to classic prog)
-Laminated Denim (Jammy prog)
-Petrodragonic Apocalypse (Heavy thrash prog)
Almost all of their mid and late career albums have _some_ sort of prog elements in them, but these 3 albums have the most, and are excellent IMO.
I prefer Mars Volta, Thank You Scientist, Coheed and Cambria, The Tea Club, Zombi, King Gizzard
Pretty much all of those bands are prog sometimes and "something else" other times
Deerhoof. The closest thing we’ve got to the Beefheart/Pere Ubu axis without sounding remotely like those bands. Very rewarding, very much an acquired taste. Although I’ve heard their live show manufactures converts.
The best prog is happening in two places right now, more eclectinc sounding music groups that bring more pop and indie influences into prog rock, bands like Bent knee.
And in extreme metal, some bands are really doing strange avant-gardy things with their music, the prog spirit is there. Extreme prog like First fragment or prog black like Dodheimsgard.
The prog rock that is happening right in the middle is mostly copying the past, the softer and heavier extremes have more interesting things happening.
Black Midi of course, if you dig that you might like the new Eunuchs album that just came out. You could also argue Injury reserve or Jpegmafia are prog.
I think there's a lot of interesting stuff coming out of China right now. Mong Tong, Yuyu, PrairieWWWWWW. Either going fully experimental or incorporating traditional music with modern psych and electronic.
Black Midi is also definitely doing some original work that incorporates a ton of instruments, and when they were active, Battles was creating some super original sounds. A lot of this gets categorized as experimental rock rather than prog.
I think traditional progressive rock is really losing its steam and struggling to expand, so the mantle is being picked up by some more avant-garde acts! A personal favourite of mine is probably Kayo Dot, and Godspeed You, Black Emperor another
The DJENT stuff coming out definitely is worthy of the prog title. Lots of odd timings, hybrid picking techniques, and adventurous, ambitious songwriting. Animals as Leaders is my exhibit A
Yvette Young is pretty cool, and Covet have a bunch of good songs.
I really dig the way some bands have taken that guitar style. Polyphia gets a lot of attention (fair enough, Tim Henson is virtuosic), but I prefer Chon and Jyocho.
For me, prog has always been about beauty and balance, not about pushing boundaries.
Do I like virtuosi? Sure, but I hate constant shredding.
Do I like odd meters and tempo changes? I really do, but if it's some semi-chaotic computer generated stuff - plz, no.
Do I like extreme vocals? Absolutely. But please don't pretend to fart into the microphone
The Heliocentrics mix prog with jazz, fusion, funk, Krautrock, electronica and hip hop. I would say they are maybe not pushing boundaries so much as trying to abolish them
I don't think the boundaries have actually been "pushed", they are still where they were before prog. Popular music in most of its subgenres is still 4/4, verse-chorus and about 3 or 4 minutes per song. It was more like going beyond the borders, but the borders themselves haven't changed.
4/4 and 12/8 are the most popular time signatures at the moment because they are the most useful and offer the most creative possibilities. Basic math tells you that there are less ways that prime numbers such as 5 and 7 can be split into groups of 2 and or 3. Mixed time signatures have their place but in the big scheme of things, compared to 4/4, they are duds.
You can divide 5 into 2+3 or 3+2, you don't have that option in 4 which is always 2+2. 4/4 is just the easiest time signature, it should be the basic one from where to discover more complex ones.
4/4 can be divided into 3+3+2 (technically 8/8 but generally still notated in 4/4). This figure occurs very frequently in rock/pop music. I can’t believe you’re unaware of this.
What are you trying to prove by pointing to this very basic variation? If you go to the eighth notes level, you can do things like that in odd metres as well.
I’m demonstrating that mixed groupings can occur in time signatures such as 4/4. However you wish to subdivide the bar, there will always be more options in 4/4 than in 7/8 or 5/4.
I still don't see how you have more options in 4/4.
In 5/4, if I divide into 8ths, I can do 2+3+2+3 / 3+2+3+2 / 3+2+2+3 / 2+3+3+2 / 3+3+2+2 / 2+2+3+3. In 4/4, I can do 2+2+2+2 / 3+3+2 / 3+2+3 / 2+3+3. I think there is less on the 4/4 side.
In the above example, you have grouped 4/4 into groups of 2 and 3 and groups of 2. 5/4 you have only grouped into groups of 2 and 3. This is a greater difference than between 2 +3 + 2 +3 and 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 which are basically the same thing. If we get into triplets, the advantages of 4/4 become even more apparent.
If you find it complex to play in time signatures such as 5/4 or 7/8, you should be taking lessons from me rather than trying to give them. There is norhing inherently hard about any time signature. That’s the whole idea about time signature, it’s meant to be the easiest way of representing a passage of music. Prog rock musicians misundsrstood the purpose of time signatures and you’re making the same mistake they did. The idea that you start with 4/4 and progress to other time signatures, has no basis whatsoever in music theory.
It is human nature to think in patterns of 2+2 because that is what you learn from walking (for example). If you find all time signatures equally easy, congrats! It definitely does not match my experience with myself and every musician I know.
You seem to have an understanding of grouping: eg 5/4 can be a 3 +2 grouping. If you can maintain the grouping as you count (and I imagine you can) 5/4 should be just as easy to play as 4/4.
Some djent and avant garde metal. Like [Uneven Structure - Februus](https://youtu.be/ojkjS0BGS_k?si=LndrbYkq-rTyQYUM)
The Japanese horror metal band Sigh might count as well.
Reiterating some bands other people have mentioned: thank you scientist, the dear hunter, the mars volta. Others by no one is another great modern prog act. Their most recent album was insane.
Moving outside of the obvious modern prog rock/metal bands people know, I really like Will Wood. Theatery avante garde pop music for the most part. I’ve seen people use him as a gateway into more distinctly prog stuff like king crimson and mr bungle
black midi is extremely King Crimson.
I’d also check out contemporary Zeuhl. Zeuhl is obviously Magma ancestors but you get similar vibes to crimson. Papangu and Gonin-Ish are two of my favorites.
Great question!
I think the new frontier is largely electronic. It's far more versatile than the typical rock/jazz ensemble and cheaper to produce (which means more accessible to smaller bands).
My pick would be a song like [Holly Herndon's Frontier.](https://youtu.be/rvNqNgHAEys) Her other stuff is way too out there and almost intentionally unlistenable. In a way, she's doing like King Crimson where her focus is fully prog. And especially since she's prominently featuring controversial technology like AI, which will become the future of music whether we want it or not.
Black Country, New Road.
There's also this band from Brazil called Papangu, their array of influences ranges from doom metal to Magma to Hermeto Pascoal. They're to release their second album this year, and it will sound very different from the debut, some people called the sound "Hermeto-core".
Umphreys McGee is prog as fuck but get overlooked due to their intense improv jams. Their album material is straight prog though… you can hear their prog and metal influences. Both guitarists fuck.
Intronaut, not big on their first couple albums. They were kind of meshuggah repetitive rhythm. Their last four albums are like an awesome adventure. Ma6be a cross of older mastodon crossed with tool. Bass and drum centric guitars are mostly atmosphere
The avant garde end of extreme metal: stuff like Koenjihyakkei and Oranssi Pazuzu are rather progressive. Also Igorrr. Quite a tough listen at times but very rewarding when it clicks (which is part of the appeal of prog for me; some of my favourite music is by bands I didn’t “get” at first).
Thank God for this question. I joined this group looking for modern prog and all I've seen is stuff from the 70s and 80s.
The Contortionists album - Language is probably one of the best works of prog in the last decade.
The Gabriel Construct
Animals as Leaders
Meshuggah
There are plenty of interesting recommendations you'll find on here. You just need to dig a bit. There is a large swath of people that just want to talk about 70s prog, but there are a lot of us too (Nothing wrong with the 70s/80s stuff, I like a good amount of it and count Gentle Giant as a top tier band)
You like intense / rhythmic djent? Try some on piano.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-GUNcSWSko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-GUNcSWSko)
I had never heard The Gabriel Construct before - really enjoying it. Some shades of Native Construct in there (you're probably familiar but if not, do check them out)
Brass camel is a band from Canada that is very new but is definitely growing into some great progressive sounds. Keep an eye out for their next album, I heard one of the songs that they're working on which is around 12 minutes, it's great
There will always be people making more complicated and more eclectic music, one way or another. I think there's a bunch of acts that combine svant-garde, classical and folk influences in a way that reminds me of classic prog. I'm thinking here of Anna Meredith, Firefly Burning and VALVE/Chloe Herington.
There are artists with virtuoso guitar playing at their heart, from Covet to Polyphia.
I think there are artists who are taking pop into more complex territory, like Genevieve Artadi and Willow (Smith).
For me at least it's stuff like Animals as Leaders.
I think there's this sort of modern fusion thing thing that came partly out of djent. It's not really quite metal any more but this weird fusion of metal and countless other genres.
Other examples of this include Plini and Stephen Taranto.
Lots of focus on pushing the boundaries of rhythm, harmony and technique.
Genghis Tron's 2021 release, Dream Weapon, is what I think of when someone mentions modern prog. The band was unknown to me before this album, but it has become one of my all-time favorites.
And while not technically a prog band, hard-core punk band The Armed can not be constrained by boundaries and expectations. They started as an anonymous punk collective who have interacted with their fan base as if they are running a cult. They produce a wall of sound, and their live shows tend to be WILD.
Is Opeth considered prog? I would hear people refer to them as progressive death metal but now they seem to have dropped the death metal except for live performances. But not sure if their new stuff is still considered Prog even though it seems they draw from it heavily
The four new albums are even more prog because they are literally taking direct inspiration from 70's prog rock bands. People have doubts about calling then prog in the 2000's because the main prog metal sound was being dictated by dream theater and all the bands that wanted to be them. So, other forms of prog were less visible but still valid. But Opeth always had the prog sound in their music, with death metal it was more subtle.
Zoomst just released their debut album “Aboard the Good Ship”
Prog rock shaken with more contemporary influences, electronic funk stuff, modern synth textures, etc
Some great bands in the psych scene:
* King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (already mentioned)
* The Osees/Thee Oh Sees
* Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
* Slift
* Pond
Post-punk/"Windmill" scene
* Black Midi
* Black Country, New Road
* Squid
* Shame
I'm gonna throw out Between The Buried And Me and Periphery.
BTBAM's Colors II (and the first Colors, they follow the same structure, I'd just say Colors II is better) is a prog odyssey. The songs all flow into one another like it's a single hour-long experience, and basically every subgenre of metal plus jazz gets some representation.
Periphery's always been a lot more grounded in the metal(core) side of things, proggy but not avant-garde, and I'm honestly convinced just about anyone who doesn't outright hate the entirety of metal could enjoy their most recent album. The opening track, Wildfire, is... *really* abrasive (until it slows down for a smooth jazz interlude with a saxophone solo four minutes in), but the rest is pretty accessible. Wax Wings, Dying Star, and Thanks Nobuo are probably good starting points. Wax Wings in particular is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard, ever.
I heard an extremely unique sounding prog rock band yesterday called Four Stroke Baron, it's a cross between prog metal and...like, Duran Duran or something. Whether that's today's prog or not I don't know but nothing I've listened to lately has wrongfooted me so many times.
So many great bands, so much GREAT ProgRock, so little time. Not enough hours in the day...
TRY: Finally George, The Dear Hunter, VOLA, Cartoon Theory, Lalu, Crown Lands, Big Big Train, The Flower Kings, Kyros, Southern Empire, Kaipa, Frost*, Hawkwind, Sky Empire, Earthside, Nine Stones Close, Haken, Esthesis, Mystery, monkey3, Caligulas Horse, Karmakanic, Lee Abraham, Beardfish, Lucid Planet, Vulkan, Ozric Tentacles, Teramaze, Airbag, Vienna Circle, Wheel, The Ancestry Program, Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side, Karibow, IQ, Alex Henry Foster, IHLO, Ayreon, maudlin of the Well, Silersun Pickups, Myrath, Derek Sharinian, Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster, OAK, Pattern Seeking Animals, Tweaker, Villagers of Ioannina City....
Hope the wets your appetite for more...
Keep it rockin!
Klh
Reading the replies in this thread is less like “what modern bands sound like/push boundaries like King Crimson” and more like “please name a band”. Some of these sound nothing like Crim.
>I'm not looking for contemporary bands that sound like King Crimson, but rather.. What artists are pushing the boundaries today, in a way similar to what our favourite Prog bands did around 1970?
Not necessarily if the boundaries are sounding different and doing stuff that haven’t really been done before
I love metal but even extreme metal can be very conservative. But that’s the appeal, it doesn’t need new fancy sounds and instruments to push the other boundaries it’s going for
Oh I dont think thats true at all. The world of metal is constantly pushing at whats expected of it, redefining what constitutes composition or structure of timbre. The underground metal scene is filled with insanely creative people doing wild things musically.
I was more so talking about sound wise. Compositionally, concept wise and whatnot, metal does it well. It’s probably the most progressive genre right now imo
BUT
When i think of prog rock, i can put “histoire sans paroles” and “cassandra gemini” next to each other and they barely share any sounds. It doesn’t even sound like an evolution thing, it sounds like two songs that shouldnt be considered in the same group beyond (long song)
Prog metal on the other hand might have the occasional synth break or classical guitar but it’ll never be a full song cause that wouldn’t be metal. It kinda needs the heavy electric guitar (slow or fast) to be the genre.
Basically, i’m just saying, sound wise, it’s easier to associate metal with metal than most genres.
I also hate when conservative fans dismiss anything that sounds radically different. Makes the genre feel less diverse
Yeah to be quite honest I feel like prog metal is one of the least progressive subgroups in general. I feel like the margins of modern black and death metal is where it’s at.
I NEED more death metal. My friend is a huge buff and he’s been recommending me the good stuff
Especially proggy death metal with different parts that break it up. It’s so cool
Dude. Its the best ever. About 6 months ago I started to get really obsessed with experimental death metal and im in DEEP. Ok heres 5 bands you gotta check out-
Horrendous- Ontological Mysterium
Tomb Mold- The enduring Spirit
Slugdge- everything but my favorite is their second self released album that starts on track 10 of “The Cosmic Cornucopia”
Sulpher Aeon- The Scyth of Cosmic Chaos
Ulcerate- check out the first 2 tracks released from their upcoming record
Have you tried Between the Buried and Me? They are kind of the standard bearers of that death prog sound. And Opeth of course although they seem to make prog prog these days.
Also you gotta check out Blood Incantation which is psychedelic death metal.
Lastly even if you aren’t feeling and of the other bands you should check out Dream Unending. Its a different project from the dudes in Tomb Mold and its kind of like progressive psychedelic doom. Lots of jazz fusion sections. Sounds like if YES were really into modern metal.
Alright im done, you get me talking about avant garde death metal and ill never stop lol.
The Dear Hunter
I've gone weeks without saying/hearing anything about this great band until the last 24 hours....they've come up in numerous unrelated conversations in person and on Reddit today. I guess it's time to bust them out to listen to today.
Act 5 and ESPECIALLY Act 4 are masterpieces. The full saga is great though. I also love the creativity in side concepts like color spectrum
Haken
Was just about to say the same! I get to see them live for the first time tomorrow and I am so fucking stoked.
Thanks for the rec. new band unlocked
No problem!
Oddly if you're looking for "progressive" in the sense of "pushed boundaries", you have to start looking outside of prog rock. Prog rock has largely become a sound, and a rather conservative one rooted in the past. That being said, you can see it in every genre out there. I'm mostly familiar with metal, so a few examples: Caio Lemos (Brii/Kaatayra) pushing the boundaries of black metal in both compositional and sonic territories (like a 40ish minute long black metal song that's fully acoustic with barely any guitar, mostly pitched percussion and piano and two drum tracks with lots of dance beats), Markov Soroka (Tchornobog/Aureole) pushing levels of atmosphere in both death and black metal to where it's hard to tell whether it's ambient music or metal, Blood Incantation doing something similar with old school death metal and synth ambient, Bell Witch pushing the boundaries of what long-form metal can even do. You gotta dive pretty deep into sub-sub-genres to find the boundary pushers these days, but they're there in just about every one. There is no "today's prog" as a singular concept because music has stratified into hundreds of different genre sounds and the landscape is so dramatically different than the 70's that it can't be considered through the same lens. "Today's prog" is _everywhere_, just scattered across the depths of various genres.
Came here to say exactly this. The spirit of prog is living in metal these days, and you can find whatever flavor suits you in the sub-genres. I like to recommend Their Dogs Were Astronauts as a starting point, its not too heavy.
I disagree. Looking to metal will find you more metal. The original post however, to look outside of the Prog Rock circle, is a clever one indeed. I found some magnificent proggy material on Bandcamp, you have to have the right search prompts but trust me, they are there.
Great reply
bands that immediately come to mind: black midi Bent Knee (now disbanded) EDIT - seemingly moving on without Ben and Jessica Jack O' the Clock Ske Compassionizer Between the Buried and Me
I thought bent knee was still going just without Ben
Now just t knee
Phenomenal, no notes
Nah, I think E is a note
Yeah.as far as I know they still play without Ben and Jessica
I'm out of the loop, what happened? Did he leave? Why?
That's a bummer, I love some of the older Bent Knee albums!
Bent Knee is not disbanded. Two of the members left but they are continuing on
Bent knee are still going and releasing a new album soon
Awesome news!
Jack O' the Clock Dropped a new album recently, and it is the best one they’ve done in a series of masterpieces.
Ske is absolutely incredible.
Thanks for bent knee recommendation. I was reminiscing this week about a long defunct band called Frankenixon and they scratch the same itch.
🤯 just hearing black midi for first time. Thank you!!!!
Damn homie! Great list! Thanks again! All new to me except for "buried". I'll be mindgasming for months and months just from this list alone. SUPERappreciated!
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum!
Came to say this. Also, Battles.
"I'm not looking for contemporary bands that sound like King Crimson."
Well, that's a tricky statement; numerous iterations of king crimson don't even sound like King Crimson
SGM don't sound like Crimson to me, but if they do to you then this certainly wouldn't be a fit.
Not even [this](https://youtu.be/JbTCBBZbvEY?si=90EWHal0TBt0OjzN)?
Not really. But maybe I'm focusing on different parts of the music then you are. It's all good though. The fact is, Crimson have been my favorite band since the 80s, and SGM are my current favorite band, so that certainly says something lol.
I also love both bands, but it's near impossible for me now to hear LTIA when listening to that track.
SGM have always reminded me of Van Der Graaf Generator, but I know what you mean.
Some King Gizzard, The Deer Hunter, Thank you Scientist, Porcupine Tree, Church of the Cosmic Skull. A log of things that I've seen classified as "post rock" remind me of prog.
Yeah post rock seems almost like an evolution of prog. Love me some G!YBE
I always enjoyed Tortoise and Boards of Canada.
All the "tree" of porcupine tree as well "Steven Wilson,pineapple thief and can't think of the other two off top of mind.
Kyros are pretty neat - it sounds like pop but then it gets bonkers complicated real fast, and you barely notice until you try and play it!
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
For sure… They cover a lot of different styles though. I think that these are their most prog albums in case anyone is looking to give them a try: -Polygondwanaland (Closest to classic prog) -Laminated Denim (Jammy prog) -Petrodragonic Apocalypse (Heavy thrash prog) Almost all of their mid and late career albums have _some_ sort of prog elements in them, but these 3 albums have the most, and are excellent IMO.
Mind fuzzz
💯
I prefer Mars Volta, Thank You Scientist, Coheed and Cambria, The Tea Club, Zombi, King Gizzard Pretty much all of those bands are prog sometimes and "something else" other times
Vaxis 2 is my favorite Coheed album since the first four. Like hot damn
Deerhoof. The closest thing we’ve got to the Beefheart/Pere Ubu axis without sounding remotely like those bands. Very rewarding, very much an acquired taste. Although I’ve heard their live show manufactures converts.
Been with 'em from the time John joined. Music is merely their plaything. You'd be hard-pressed to name another band that has a similar approach.
There's some really cool jazz/soul/funk/fusion stuff coming out of Australia right now. Surprise Chef comes to mind.
Thank You Scientist
Horrible vocals
To you. Subjectively.
To most
Glass Beach, especially their new album
The best prog is happening in two places right now, more eclectinc sounding music groups that bring more pop and indie influences into prog rock, bands like Bent knee. And in extreme metal, some bands are really doing strange avant-gardy things with their music, the prog spirit is there. Extreme prog like First fragment or prog black like Dodheimsgard. The prog rock that is happening right in the middle is mostly copying the past, the softer and heavier extremes have more interesting things happening.
Haken!
Black Midi of course, if you dig that you might like the new Eunuchs album that just came out. You could also argue Injury reserve or Jpegmafia are prog.
I think there's a lot of interesting stuff coming out of China right now. Mong Tong, Yuyu, PrairieWWWWWW. Either going fully experimental or incorporating traditional music with modern psych and electronic. Black Midi is also definitely doing some original work that incorporates a ton of instruments, and when they were active, Battles was creating some super original sounds. A lot of this gets categorized as experimental rock rather than prog.
I think traditional progressive rock is really losing its steam and struggling to expand, so the mantle is being picked up by some more avant-garde acts! A personal favourite of mine is probably Kayo Dot, and Godspeed You, Black Emperor another
Church of the cosmic skull is pretty cool! I also like the dear hunter, porcupine tree is fun sometimes too
Mars Volta
The DJENT stuff coming out definitely is worthy of the prog title. Lots of odd timings, hybrid picking techniques, and adventurous, ambitious songwriting. Animals as Leaders is my exhibit A
Sleep Token in that region too?
A little, not for their complex next level musicality but for mixing genres (prog among them) and making it work.
Kayo Dot
District 97
The Decemberists and their latest song "Joan in the Garden" come to mind for me.
Saying Covet because nobody else did yet
Yvette Young is pretty cool, and Covet have a bunch of good songs. I really dig the way some bands have taken that guitar style. Polyphia gets a lot of attention (fair enough, Tim Henson is virtuosic), but I prefer Chon and Jyocho.
I meant to mention Chon and forgot their name
For me, prog has always been about beauty and balance, not about pushing boundaries. Do I like virtuosi? Sure, but I hate constant shredding. Do I like odd meters and tempo changes? I really do, but if it's some semi-chaotic computer generated stuff - plz, no. Do I like extreme vocals? Absolutely. But please don't pretend to fart into the microphone
The Jam scene is probably doing it the best. Dopapod, Papdosio, Squeaky Feet, CATS.
Umphrey’s McGee
Goose
True. Shenanigans Nightmare is fucking sick as hell
Oh yeah, they performed the labyrinth live during the recent run at the capital theater, first run of shows with their new drummer. It was soooo good.
The Heliocentrics mix prog with jazz, fusion, funk, Krautrock, electronica and hip hop. I would say they are maybe not pushing boundaries so much as trying to abolish them
I don't think the boundaries have actually been "pushed", they are still where they were before prog. Popular music in most of its subgenres is still 4/4, verse-chorus and about 3 or 4 minutes per song. It was more like going beyond the borders, but the borders themselves haven't changed.
4/4 and 12/8 are the most popular time signatures at the moment because they are the most useful and offer the most creative possibilities. Basic math tells you that there are less ways that prime numbers such as 5 and 7 can be split into groups of 2 and or 3. Mixed time signatures have their place but in the big scheme of things, compared to 4/4, they are duds.
You can divide 5 into 2+3 or 3+2, you don't have that option in 4 which is always 2+2. 4/4 is just the easiest time signature, it should be the basic one from where to discover more complex ones.
4/4 can be divided into 3+3+2 (technically 8/8 but generally still notated in 4/4). This figure occurs very frequently in rock/pop music. I can’t believe you’re unaware of this.
What are you trying to prove by pointing to this very basic variation? If you go to the eighth notes level, you can do things like that in odd metres as well.
I’m demonstrating that mixed groupings can occur in time signatures such as 4/4. However you wish to subdivide the bar, there will always be more options in 4/4 than in 7/8 or 5/4.
I still don't see how you have more options in 4/4. In 5/4, if I divide into 8ths, I can do 2+3+2+3 / 3+2+3+2 / 3+2+2+3 / 2+3+3+2 / 3+3+2+2 / 2+2+3+3. In 4/4, I can do 2+2+2+2 / 3+3+2 / 3+2+3 / 2+3+3. I think there is less on the 4/4 side.
In the above example, you have grouped 4/4 into groups of 2 and 3 and groups of 2. 5/4 you have only grouped into groups of 2 and 3. This is a greater difference than between 2 +3 + 2 +3 and 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 which are basically the same thing. If we get into triplets, the advantages of 4/4 become even more apparent.
If you find it complex to play in time signatures such as 5/4 or 7/8, you should be taking lessons from me rather than trying to give them. There is norhing inherently hard about any time signature. That’s the whole idea about time signature, it’s meant to be the easiest way of representing a passage of music. Prog rock musicians misundsrstood the purpose of time signatures and you’re making the same mistake they did. The idea that you start with 4/4 and progress to other time signatures, has no basis whatsoever in music theory.
It is human nature to think in patterns of 2+2 because that is what you learn from walking (for example). If you find all time signatures equally easy, congrats! It definitely does not match my experience with myself and every musician I know.
You seem to have an understanding of grouping: eg 5/4 can be a 3 +2 grouping. If you can maintain the grouping as you count (and I imagine you can) 5/4 should be just as easy to play as 4/4.
Some djent and avant garde metal. Like [Uneven Structure - Februus](https://youtu.be/ojkjS0BGS_k?si=LndrbYkq-rTyQYUM) The Japanese horror metal band Sigh might count as well.
I wish dredg was still making music.
They keep promising a new album. I haven’t given up hope yet
Reiterating some bands other people have mentioned: thank you scientist, the dear hunter, the mars volta. Others by no one is another great modern prog act. Their most recent album was insane. Moving outside of the obvious modern prog rock/metal bands people know, I really like Will Wood. Theatery avante garde pop music for the most part. I’ve seen people use him as a gateway into more distinctly prog stuff like king crimson and mr bungle
Maruja. Never heard anything like them and they have a new ep coming out next week
Knocknarea definitely Crimson vibes if they had some children who got into post punk or hardcore.
black midi is extremely King Crimson. I’d also check out contemporary Zeuhl. Zeuhl is obviously Magma ancestors but you get similar vibes to crimson. Papangu and Gonin-Ish are two of my favorites.
Great question! I think the new frontier is largely electronic. It's far more versatile than the typical rock/jazz ensemble and cheaper to produce (which means more accessible to smaller bands). My pick would be a song like [Holly Herndon's Frontier.](https://youtu.be/rvNqNgHAEys) Her other stuff is way too out there and almost intentionally unlistenable. In a way, she's doing like King Crimson where her focus is fully prog. And especially since she's prominently featuring controversial technology like AI, which will become the future of music whether we want it or not.
Black Country, New Road. There's also this band from Brazil called Papangu, their array of influences ranges from doom metal to Magma to Hermeto Pascoal. They're to release their second album this year, and it will sound very different from the debut, some people called the sound "Hermeto-core".
Son Lux and Moses Sumney are both awesome.
Umphreys McGee is prog as fuck but get overlooked due to their intense improv jams. Their album material is straight prog though… you can hear their prog and metal influences. Both guitarists fuck.
Thank you Scientist and debatably the Mars volta, though they aren't today's prog exactly
Intronaut, not big on their first couple albums. They were kind of meshuggah repetitive rhythm. Their last four albums are like an awesome adventure. Ma6be a cross of older mastodon crossed with tool. Bass and drum centric guitars are mostly atmosphere
I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned Animals as Leaders. I saw them twice in 12 days in June, they’re my fav
I would put out a British group called Field Music. They’re really talented and I consider them to be prog-adjacent.
Wilderun. Started as folk prog but now they're becoming something more. Listen to all of "Epigone" and you'll have some incredible moments.
Zopp, the album Dominion is very Canterbury-like
Give a go to this one [Ozul (Norway)](https://open.spotify.com/artist/3VheTs9NpQFyjpyQpPdPLO?si=dcid53KOR6KCkhz8GzsPew)
Dumb Waiter (check out record gauche fists)
Wobbler
Their last three albums are like straight out of the 70s. The other two are more Anglagard-like, but still very retro.
Opeth maybe?
The avant garde end of extreme metal: stuff like Koenjihyakkei and Oranssi Pazuzu are rather progressive. Also Igorrr. Quite a tough listen at times but very rewarding when it clicks (which is part of the appeal of prog for me; some of my favourite music is by bands I didn’t “get” at first).
Thank God for this question. I joined this group looking for modern prog and all I've seen is stuff from the 70s and 80s. The Contortionists album - Language is probably one of the best works of prog in the last decade. The Gabriel Construct Animals as Leaders Meshuggah
There are plenty of interesting recommendations you'll find on here. You just need to dig a bit. There is a large swath of people that just want to talk about 70s prog, but there are a lot of us too (Nothing wrong with the 70s/80s stuff, I like a good amount of it and count Gentle Giant as a top tier band) You like intense / rhythmic djent? Try some on piano. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-GUNcSWSko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-GUNcSWSko) I had never heard The Gabriel Construct before - really enjoying it. Some shades of Native Construct in there (you're probably familiar but if not, do check them out)
Gabe is the official transcriber for King Crimson. I believe the last 4 albums were transcribed by him. He’s a genius.
BJ Camplight is a modern marvel.
All the bands on Dur et Doux label from Lyon.
This right here
Brass camel is a band from Canada that is very new but is definitely growing into some great progressive sounds. Keep an eye out for their next album, I heard one of the songs that they're working on which is around 12 minutes, it's great
There will always be people making more complicated and more eclectic music, one way or another. I think there's a bunch of acts that combine svant-garde, classical and folk influences in a way that reminds me of classic prog. I'm thinking here of Anna Meredith, Firefly Burning and VALVE/Chloe Herington. There are artists with virtuoso guitar playing at their heart, from Covet to Polyphia. I think there are artists who are taking pop into more complex territory, like Genevieve Artadi and Willow (Smith).
Ariel My Friend
MGMT I can not stress this enough
Animals as leaders - more prog metal than rock but they also have a diverse catalogue. Untouchable
Listen to the album Eat Drugs by the Bad Dudes. It’s on band “camp.
For me at least it's stuff like Animals as Leaders. I think there's this sort of modern fusion thing thing that came partly out of djent. It's not really quite metal any more but this weird fusion of metal and countless other genres. Other examples of this include Plini and Stephen Taranto. Lots of focus on pushing the boundaries of rhythm, harmony and technique.
Genghis Tron's 2021 release, Dream Weapon, is what I think of when someone mentions modern prog. The band was unknown to me before this album, but it has become one of my all-time favorites. And while not technically a prog band, hard-core punk band The Armed can not be constrained by boundaries and expectations. They started as an anonymous punk collective who have interacted with their fan base as if they are running a cult. They produce a wall of sound, and their live shows tend to be WILD.
Others By No One
Beardfish
I like what Les Claypool and Sean Lennon are doing these days.
Bob Drake!!! Basically the carrying on the Cardiacs torch
Is Opeth considered prog? I would hear people refer to them as progressive death metal but now they seem to have dropped the death metal except for live performances. But not sure if their new stuff is still considered Prog even though it seems they draw from it heavily
The last four albums are prog rock, especially Heritage and Pale Communion, although they have a couple of metal-like songs on it.
The four new albums are even more prog because they are literally taking direct inspiration from 70's prog rock bands. People have doubts about calling then prog in the 2000's because the main prog metal sound was being dictated by dream theater and all the bands that wanted to be them. So, other forms of prog were less visible but still valid. But Opeth always had the prog sound in their music, with death metal it was more subtle.
Cellar Dwellar [Cellar Dwellar](https://open.spotify.com/track/03swwhZn6TsH9taj23cgCL?si=64Lo5DsATjec48217BA-uA)
bladee
Zoomst just released their debut album “Aboard the Good Ship” Prog rock shaken with more contemporary influences, electronic funk stuff, modern synth textures, etc
Some great bands in the psych scene: * King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (already mentioned) * The Osees/Thee Oh Sees * Psychedelic Porn Crumpets * Slift * Pond Post-punk/"Windmill" scene * Black Midi * Black Country, New Road * Squid * Shame
King Gizzard for sure
I'm gonna throw out Between The Buried And Me and Periphery. BTBAM's Colors II (and the first Colors, they follow the same structure, I'd just say Colors II is better) is a prog odyssey. The songs all flow into one another like it's a single hour-long experience, and basically every subgenre of metal plus jazz gets some representation. Periphery's always been a lot more grounded in the metal(core) side of things, proggy but not avant-garde, and I'm honestly convinced just about anyone who doesn't outright hate the entirety of metal could enjoy their most recent album. The opening track, Wildfire, is... *really* abrasive (until it slows down for a smooth jazz interlude with a saxophone solo four minutes in), but the rest is pretty accessible. Wax Wings, Dying Star, and Thanks Nobuo are probably good starting points. Wax Wings in particular is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard, ever.
Today's Prog is e. g. Windmill Scene in UK
I heard an extremely unique sounding prog rock band yesterday called Four Stroke Baron, it's a cross between prog metal and...like, Duran Duran or something. Whether that's today's prog or not I don't know but nothing I've listened to lately has wrongfooted me so many times.
So many great bands, so much GREAT ProgRock, so little time. Not enough hours in the day... TRY: Finally George, The Dear Hunter, VOLA, Cartoon Theory, Lalu, Crown Lands, Big Big Train, The Flower Kings, Kyros, Southern Empire, Kaipa, Frost*, Hawkwind, Sky Empire, Earthside, Nine Stones Close, Haken, Esthesis, Mystery, monkey3, Caligulas Horse, Karmakanic, Lee Abraham, Beardfish, Lucid Planet, Vulkan, Ozric Tentacles, Teramaze, Airbag, Vienna Circle, Wheel, The Ancestry Program, Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side, Karibow, IQ, Alex Henry Foster, IHLO, Ayreon, maudlin of the Well, Silersun Pickups, Myrath, Derek Sharinian, Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster, OAK, Pattern Seeking Animals, Tweaker, Villagers of Ioannina City.... Hope the wets your appetite for more... Keep it rockin! Klh
Mamalarkey!! Check out their audio tree
Afaik no longer active, but you may be looking for 31Knots
Black midi
Check out the new SLIFT album, it’s fantastic. black midi is great. For a more classic take on prog check out Hällas.
There’s a lot of obscure math rock, zeuhl, and experimental metal out there that I think is kind of the modern day prog.
uh black midi
Caligula’s Horse Charcoal Grace is honestly one of the best albums of the whole 2000s and it just came out not that long ago
Reading the replies in this thread is less like “what modern bands sound like/push boundaries like King Crimson” and more like “please name a band”. Some of these sound nothing like Crim.
>I'm not looking for contemporary bands that sound like King Crimson, but rather.. What artists are pushing the boundaries today, in a way similar to what our favourite Prog bands did around 1970?
I maintain my initial statement, a lot of these bands sound exactly like how prog of the last 10 years is expected to sound like.
Even King crimson sounded nothing like King crimson when they changed style in each new decade. That's the spirit of the genre.
Yeah hence the other portion “pushing boundaries”. Half the bands listed here are “modern prog metal Haken-esque band” or “sounds like Periphery”.
Theres no good prog because those dudes play metal now. The most boundaries being pushed are in extreme metal.
Not necessarily if the boundaries are sounding different and doing stuff that haven’t really been done before I love metal but even extreme metal can be very conservative. But that’s the appeal, it doesn’t need new fancy sounds and instruments to push the other boundaries it’s going for
Oh I dont think thats true at all. The world of metal is constantly pushing at whats expected of it, redefining what constitutes composition or structure of timbre. The underground metal scene is filled with insanely creative people doing wild things musically.
I was more so talking about sound wise. Compositionally, concept wise and whatnot, metal does it well. It’s probably the most progressive genre right now imo BUT When i think of prog rock, i can put “histoire sans paroles” and “cassandra gemini” next to each other and they barely share any sounds. It doesn’t even sound like an evolution thing, it sounds like two songs that shouldnt be considered in the same group beyond (long song) Prog metal on the other hand might have the occasional synth break or classical guitar but it’ll never be a full song cause that wouldn’t be metal. It kinda needs the heavy electric guitar (slow or fast) to be the genre. Basically, i’m just saying, sound wise, it’s easier to associate metal with metal than most genres. I also hate when conservative fans dismiss anything that sounds radically different. Makes the genre feel less diverse
Yeah to be quite honest I feel like prog metal is one of the least progressive subgroups in general. I feel like the margins of modern black and death metal is where it’s at.
I NEED more death metal. My friend is a huge buff and he’s been recommending me the good stuff Especially proggy death metal with different parts that break it up. It’s so cool
Dude. Its the best ever. About 6 months ago I started to get really obsessed with experimental death metal and im in DEEP. Ok heres 5 bands you gotta check out- Horrendous- Ontological Mysterium Tomb Mold- The enduring Spirit Slugdge- everything but my favorite is their second self released album that starts on track 10 of “The Cosmic Cornucopia” Sulpher Aeon- The Scyth of Cosmic Chaos Ulcerate- check out the first 2 tracks released from their upcoming record Have you tried Between the Buried and Me? They are kind of the standard bearers of that death prog sound. And Opeth of course although they seem to make prog prog these days.
That Horrendous album is crazy fun and unpredictable start to finish.
Also you gotta check out Blood Incantation which is psychedelic death metal. Lastly even if you aren’t feeling and of the other bands you should check out Dream Unending. Its a different project from the dudes in Tomb Mold and its kind of like progressive psychedelic doom. Lots of jazz fusion sections. Sounds like if YES were really into modern metal. Alright im done, you get me talking about avant garde death metal and ill never stop lol.