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<title>Top Progressive Metal Artists on Rhapsody Online</title>
<dateCreated>Sun Nov 29 04:56:20 PST 2009</dateCreated>
<dateModified>Sun Nov 29 04:56:20 PST 2009</dateModified>
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<outline type="include" text="Apocalyptica" description="If there's anything that proves Metallica has become a pop culture institution on par with Led Zeppelin and hula hoops, it's the existence of Finland's Apocalyptica. Coming together in the mid '90s, the cello quartet specialized in the Metallica songbook, including head-banging chestnuts like &quot;Enter Sandman,&quot; &quot;Creeping Death&quot; and &quot;Harvester of Sorrow.&quot; In 1996, the band released its debut album &lt;i&gt;Plays Metallica by Four Cellos&lt;/i&gt;. By its second record, however, Apocalyptica started reworking selections from Faith No More, Sepultura and Pantera. Then something strange happened. What started out as really nothing more than a novelty act (a Trans-Siberian Orchestra for real metal heads) evolved into a bona fide experiment in neo-classical heavy metal (a move which makes sense considering both genres worship symphonic grandeur). In addition to featuring all original compositions, 2003's &lt;i&gt;Reflections&lt;/i&gt; saw the group collaborate with Slayer drummer Dave Lambardo. Since then the band has also hosted such guests as HIM's Ville Valo, the Rasmus' Lauri Ylonen and vocalist Till Lindemann of Rammstein. Apocalyptica even employ smoke and fancy light shows when they perform live.
- Justin Farrar" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/apocalyptica/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Dream Theater" description="While actual scientific data has yet to be collected on the subject, it's possible that Dream Theater's audience holds the highest musician to non-musician ratio of any rock band in operation today. The Berklee-bred quintet have fashioned a style that feeds off remnants of Rush, Speed Metal, and arena-ready prog rock (think Styx), all mixed in with a not-so-small dose of 1980s hair-band perfumery. Most commonly referred to as &quot;Progressive Metal,&quot; Dream Theater's music isn't the sort that inspires headbanging. Marveling at the band's clinically precise execution, basking in the stadium-wide grandeur, and extracting pearls of wisdom from the fantasy-fueled lyrics are what really define the Dream Theater experience. It's an experience that countless bands seek to emulate; whether it makes you want to jump for joy or reach for a barf bag, there's no denying its singular power.
- Will York" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/dream-theater/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Queensryche" description="One might say that Queensryche came along as a culmination of '80s music and a transition into the '90s. Their emphasis on almost operatic vocals and symphonic rock arrangement, in conjunction with guitar-based art rock, nabbed them a huge audience, just as many other '80s Metal bands were beginning to look for new jobs. The strength of &quot;Silent Lucidity&quot; and its subsequent MTV promotion showcased this Seattle band's dramatic songwriting and multifaceted guitar playing, adding to the the band's future success.
- Jessy Terry" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/queensryche/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Within Temptation" description="Dutch goth/symphonic metal band Within Temptation formed in the Netherlands in the mid '90s, released a debut (&lt;i&gt;Enter&lt;/i&gt;) in 1997 and promptly commenced gathering a rabid cult following. By 2001's &lt;i&gt;Mother Earth&lt;/i&gt; they had broken through to the mainstream and their next two albums debuted at No.1 (&lt;i&gt;Silent Force&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;/i&gt;The Heart of Everything&lt;/i&gt;, respectively). Led by the alternately operatic and darkly melodic vocals of singer Sharon den Adel, the band successfully combines the power of Opeth (albeit watered down just a tiny bit) with the accessibility of Lacuna Coil. A talent for serious hooks at the chorus don't hurt. After winning several awards, countless appearances at festivals and perennial spots in the European metal charts, the band finally started gaining recognition in the States with &lt;i&gt;The Heart of Everything&lt;/i&gt; in 2007 and their earlier albums began seeing US re-release. A CD/DVD release, &lt;i&gt;Black Symphony&lt;/i&gt; appeared in 2008.
- Mike McGuirk" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/within-temptation/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Faith No More" description="From the looks of it, San Francisco's Faith No More lived to mix it up -- their 1985 contribution to the nascent Alternative Nation, a tangle of metal and white-boy rap called &quot;We Care a Lot,&quot; satirized the hunger relief compilations that filled record store bins like a case of dysentery. By 1990, they introduced mainstream to &lt;i&gt;The Real Thing&lt;/i&gt; and new singer Mike Patton. Patton's strident singing and in-your-face persona won the band wider acceptance. Subsequent records thwarted fairweather fans as FNM's sound morphed and gravitated away from the rapidly popular sound of commercial alternative radio. Though best known for &quot;Epic,&quot; and other hit singles off &lt;i&gt;The Real Thing&lt;/i&gt;, FNM also had a significant mad scientist streak. How else to explain their dry remake of the Commodores' &quot;Easy&quot; on their 1993 EP &lt;i&gt;Songs to Make Love To&lt;/i&gt;? Their experimentation isn't so much Dr. Demento as it is Dr. Frankenstein. That said, FNM recast the Dead Kennedys' &quot;Let's Lynch the Landlord&quot; in the image of Klezmer-meets-Rockabilly." category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/faith-no-more/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Mastodon" description="Formed by drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Keliher after meeting at a High On Fire show in 1999, Mastodon have turned heads, damaged eardrums, resurrected the twin guitar sorcery of Thin Lizzy and gotten themselves nominated for a Grammy while putting out records that perennially crack the top 10 in critics' year-end best-of polls. Following a nine-song demo in 2000 and an EP in 2001, the quartet released a full-length called &lt;i&gt;Remission&lt;/i&gt; in 2002. But it was the &lt;i&gt;Moby Dick&lt;/i&gt;-themed &lt;i&gt;Leviathan&lt;/i&gt; (2004) that gained them national recognition, and after their third record (&lt;i&gt;Call of the Mastodon&lt;/i&gt;, a compilation of early material) appeared in 2006, the band switched from Relapse Records to Warner Bros. and released &lt;i&gt;Blood Mountain&lt;/i&gt; later that year. &lt;i&gt;Blood Mountain&lt;/i&gt; garnered Mastodon a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. With appearances in video-game soundtracks, on late-night TV shows and at countless festivals -- not to mention the well-deserved respect they have in metal circles -- Mastodon represent one of the very high points of the extreme music genre.
- Mike McGuirk" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/mastodon/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Dragonforce" description="Britain's power metal powerhouse DragonForce formed in 1999 from the remnants of various extreme metal bands in and around London. Named after their favorite video game, Dragon Quest, these fantasy-obsessed gamer enthusiasts also incorporate video game sounds into their music. Known for long, fast-paced anthems full of guitar hero antics like dual solos, quick licks and catchy riffs, DragonForce's appeal lies in their technical ability as well as their positive messages. On their first stateside release, 2006's &lt;I&gt;Inhuman Rampage&lt;/I&gt;, DragonForce -- ZP Theart (vocals), Herman Li (guitar), Sam Totman (guitar), Frederic Leclercq (bass), Vadim Pruzhanov (keyboards, and yes, keytar) and Dave Mackintosh (drums) -- shocked and awed the metal masses as well as pop-culture fanatics with the hit single &quot;Through the Fire and the Flames.&quot;
- Jen Guyre" category="New Wave of British Heavy Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/dragonforce/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Extreme" description="Best known for the 1991 No. 1 hit, &quot;More Than Words,&quot; and for the fact that the band went on hiatus after singer Gary Cherone replaced Sammy Hagar in Van Halen, Extreme formed in Malden, Mass., in 1985. Early incarnations featured fatal dosages of hair spray and spandex, but they were smart enough to tone down their pop metal stylings when grunge broke in 1991 and, along with similar-minded acts Queensryche and Tesla, managed to stay afloat despite a nationwide disinterest in metal for the first half of the 1990s. Their major breakthrough, &lt;I&gt;Pornograffitti&lt;/I&gt;, turned up in 1990. A pair of follow-ups came on its heels (&lt;I&gt;III Sides to Every Story&lt;/I&gt; in 1992 and &lt;I&gt;Waiting for the Punchline&lt;/I&gt; in 1995) before Cherone left for Van Halen and the group went on indefinite hiatus. The classic-era lineup reunited in 2004 for a series of well-received concert appearances. After another impromptu disbanding, they got their heads together in 2007 and released a fifth album, &lt;I&gt;Saudades de Rock&lt;/I&gt; in 2008.
- Mike McGuirk" category="Pop Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/extreme/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Cold" description="It was Limp Bizkit who first stumbled upon fellow Jacksonville, Fla. band Cold, and it's easy to hear why Fred Durst was interested in producing the new discovery: the two bands share a penchant for harsh, aggressive Alt Metal delivered in a menacing fashion. But it's singer Scooter Ward's way with a Post-Grunge power ballad that opens up a world of possibilities for Cold. The potential for mainstream radio airplay looms large.
- Linda Ryan" category="Alt Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/cold/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Buckethead" description="Avant-garde guitar legend Buckethead is known for his lanky stature, bewilderingly advanced chops, and insistence on wearing a bucket on his head and a mask onstage. Those who associate him with blistering runs of thirty-second notes will be shocked to find him moving in the direction of dark ambient and trip-hop on his latest recordings. Layers of vocal samples intertwine atop minimalist, atonal guitar riffs and downtempo breakbeats; oceans of Ambient noise give birth to ethereal wah-wah guitar stabs. It's a far cry from &lt;i&gt;Transmutation&lt;/i&gt; or &lt;i&gt;Sacrifist&lt;/i&gt;.
- Noah Enelow" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/buckethead/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Blind Guardian" description="Inspired by sci-fi, fantasy and horror novels, and Progressive Rock, Blind Guardian create epic tales with acoustic and electric instuments and elaborate vocal harmonies." category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/blind-guardian/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Rainbow" description="" category="Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/rainbow/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="King's X" description="Vocal harmonies unroll in thick layers of perfection. Heavy riffs strike hard, tempered with pop sweetness and Prog complexity." category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/kings-x/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Opeth" description="Sweden's Opeth specialize in doom-laden, downtrodden epics that combine elements of '70s Progressive Rock, melodic Death Metal, and Scandinavian folk music. Their songs move through blazing Metal sections, somber acoustic guitar picking, classical piano interludes, and majestic dual guitar harmonizing -- often without revealing any discernible underlying theme until, say, the tenth listen. Songs run in the ten minute range (though twenty isn't out of the question), with very little repetition. Listening takes patience, for one thing, as well as a fondness for the cold, dark gray atmosphere and borderline self-pitying sense they exude. Then there are the vocals, which alternate between deep growls that could send a bear cowering back into his cave, and clean, melodic singing that could put a crying baby to sleep within seconds. Clearly, this band isn't for everyone, but they haven't become one of the most talked about underground Metal bands of the last five or ten years for nothing.
- Will York" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/opeth/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Uriah Heep" description="With Uriah Heep's deep grinding Hammond, glittery falsetto vocal harmonies, Prog flirtations, bell-bottom guitar solos, and a whole lot of rock 'n' roll, it's easy to see why this band was such an underrated influence on the many bands that followed in their platform bootsteps.
- Eric Shea" category="Hard Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/uriah-heep/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Iced Earth" description="Classic metal riffing as tight as a cinched c-clamp. British metal from Florida with flowing guitar melodies and vocal harmonies." category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/iced-earth/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Protest The Hero" description="Canadian prog metal upstarts Protest the Hero -- Rody Walker (lead vocals), Tim Millar (guitar, backup vocals), Luke Hoskin (lead guitar, piano, backup vocals), Morgan &quot;Moe&quot; Carlson (drums) and Arif Mirabdolbaghi (bass guitar, backup screaming) -- are critically commended for their remarkable talent in song arrangement, guitar virtuosity and vocal prowess. After forming in high school in 1999 as a hardcore/punk outfit called Happy Go Lucky, P.T.H. experimented with a heavier sound and mathematical time signatures post-graduation. They put out an EP that sounded somewhere in between in 2003, ultimately landing them at grindcore with their 2006 debut album, &lt;i&gt;Kezia&lt;/i&gt;. From there they landed a deal with Vagrant in the U.S. and garnered acclaim as one of the next big things in extreme music. With 2008's prog-inspired &lt;i&gt;Fortress&lt;/i&gt; landing at No. 1 on the Canadian charts and No. 95 on the American charts, P.T.H. are almost there.
- Jen Guyre" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/protest-the-hero/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Stratovarius" description="Throughout the '80s and '90s, Finland's Stratovarious has created highly composed metal anthems with Western Classical music references as obvious as their name. With technical guitar playing, keyboard melodies and choruses of vocals, they create a sound of grandeur.
- Marc Kate" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/stratovarius/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Tool" description="Employing dark, violent images and an abstract sonic palette, Tool pummels its listeners with a primal sound as distinct as it is disturbing. With a fixed, fiery glare, vocalist Maynard James Keenan assaults the audience with bone-chilling whispers and blistering hollers of unparalleled hatred and loathing. Behind him, heavy, ominous music swells and gives, building uncomfortable tension that makes your hair stand on end, then releasing that tension in frantic bursts of intensity.
- Doug Russell" category="Alt Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/tool/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Symphony X" description="As the name would imply, this band's music is symphonic, employing a minor orchestra to top out the melodic surges of their epic, fantasy-inspired, conceptual heavy metal. Listen in wonder as the vocals soar heavenward like Icarus while the band quickly builds a Minotaur's labyrinth of guitar fancywork.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/symphony-x/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Overkill" description="Surly, brutal Thrash from these well established spinal-chord demolishers. They're fast and heavy, with consistently impressive musicianship that knocks the wind out of you while shredding your eardrums.
- Jessy Terry" category="Thrash/Speed Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/overkill/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Dark Tranquillity" description="Dark Tranquillity's vocalist swings in a wide emotional pendulum during each performance. Sometimes he grunts with the voice of an ogre, but he can also croon with the dejected intensity of a suicidal torch singer. Such diversity is essential to the band's wide-ranging music, which integrates technical metal into operatic structures.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Doom Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/dark-tranquillity/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Meshuggah" description="Imagine if scientists were to hybridize the DNA of late-1980s Metallica and &lt;I&gt;Chaos A.D.&lt;/I&gt;-era Sepultura, splice it into the genome of a superhuman cyborg, then send it on a mission to destroy all weak Metal bands in its path. That cyborg would be Meshuggah. Building their stuttering jackhammer riffs atop constantly shifting odd-time rhythms, they execute with frightening, machine-like precision and cement-crushing heaviness. Vocalist Jens Kidman barks out sci-fi-damaged lyrics in an unyielding roar; guitarist Fredrik Thordendal chimes in now and then with Fusion-derived solos that would probably sound horrible on a jazz record, but fit right in with what Meshuggah does. The biggest criticism here would be a lack of outward variation -- the fast tempos, melody-free vocals and densely packed guitars lend a similar surface to each song. Within that limited framework, though, the variations are fast-paced and seemingly endless.
- Will York" category="Thrash/Speed Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/meshuggah/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Metal Church" description="Metal Church's craggy vocals are sounding more and more like AC/DC's Brian Johnson. Over the course of their two-decade career, they have established themselves as one of Metal's most powerful oligarchs. Having mastered the vocabularies of Thrash and melodic Prog, this well-oiled machine maneuvers through a maze of tempo shifts to keep heavy metal Minotaurs lost in reverie.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Thrash/Speed Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/metal-church/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Gojira" description="Formed in 1996 in Bayonne, France, this progressive death/doom metal band didn't make its U.S. debut until 2006 when Prosthetic Records released the acclaimed third full-length &lt;i&gt;From Mars To Sirius&lt;/i&gt;. Originally called Godzilla, vocalist/guitarist Joe Duplantier, guitarist Christian Andreu, bassist Jean-Michel Labadie and drummer Mario Duplantier were legally forced to change their name due to copyright infringement. They decided on Gojira, the Latin translation of the Japanese title for &lt;i&gt;Godzilla&lt;/i&gt;. Rooted in death metal, the band also utilizes sludge and doom metal undertones for a progressive, technically advanced sound that lyrically tackles socio-political issues like global warming and spiritual theories like Impermanence.
- Jen Guyre" category="Death Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/gojira/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Savatage" description="Getting their start in 1978, Florida's Savatage were one of the earliest stateside acts to adapt the NWOBHM sound. Seminal Thrash label Combat quickly snapped them up before Savatage moved to Atlantic, gradually fleshing out their sound with slicker production and more ambitious song structures. As the century grew to a close, they soldiered on with the 1998 release of &lt;I&gt;Wake of Magellan&lt;/I&gt; -- a stylistically and thematically elaborate wild card in the post-Queensryche realm of Progressive Metal.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/savatage/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Between The Buried And Me" description="Formed in 2000 in North Carolina, Between the Buried and Me play extremely technical and varied death metal with super-growly Cookie Monster-esque vocals. The songs have many components, ranging from obliterating grind-core, to messing with signature signatures like the Gorguts on lithium, to moments of sheer ethereal beauty. But it's these passages with light guitars and sung vocals that really set Between the Buried apart from other folks playing death metal today.
- Mike McGuirk" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/between-the-buried-and-me/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Amorphis" description="Throughout the '90s, Amorphis have moved from violent, vitriolic aggression to high-Gothic atmospheres. Inspired by the progressive side of Metal, they intertwine their macabre sounds with elaborate orchestrations and create spacious epics of clear instrumentation and vocals.
- Marc Kate" category="Doom Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/amorphis/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Priestess" description="" category="Hard Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/priestess/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Dir En Grey" description="" category="Alt Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/dir-en-grey/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Kamelot" description="" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/kamelot/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Arsis" description="" category="Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/arsis/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Black Tide" description="In the months leading up to the release of their debut album, 2008's &lt;I&gt;Light from Above&lt;/i&gt;, vocalist/guitarist Gabriel Garcia, guitarist Alex Nunez, bassist Zachary Sandler and drummer Steven Spence of Black Tide found themselves on a major world tour with Avenged Sevenfold, and they already had a stint on Ozzfest under their collective belts. Not too shabby for a band ranging in age from 15 to 19, huh? As audiences stay in hot pursuit of these young guns, their heavy, amalgamated brand of '80s revival thrash and power metal is poised to cause a &quot;Shockwave.&quot;
- Jen Guyre" category="Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/black-tide/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Liquid Tension Experiment" description="" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/liquid-tension-experiment/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Korpiklaani" description="" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/korpiklaani/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Agalloch" description="While Agalloch's gothic, melancholy moods take hold from the first instant, their subtly crafted melodies take a little longer to seep in. That's okay, as the songs stretch into the eight or ten minute range, the understated, clean-toned guitar figures have time to leave their mark. Spacious production and evil vocal whispers enhance the feeling of sorrowful majesty.
- Will York" category="Doom Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/agalloch/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Therion" description="The career trajectory of the Swedish art-thrash band Therion exemplifies the path taken by a certain brainy strain of metal over the '90s and '00s. Born in 1987, they started out making the kind of simple, straightforward, speedy noise their original name Blitzkrieg implied -- think Venom, or very early Metallica; one song was even called &quot;Rock 'n' Roll Jam.&quot; Already weathering the personnel turmoil that would keep their lineup permanently fluid, Blitzkrieg rematerialized as Megatherion, their new moniker paying homage to &lt;I&gt;To Mega Therion&lt;/I&gt;, the brutish 1986 album on which Celtic Frost had veered toward strange no-wavish nuke-rock. Eventually, the band shortened its name to Therion, and soon their own death-metal followed Celtic Frost's artistic lead by evolving into a morose and ungodly ornate music that incorporates opera divas, classical orchestras, Middle Eastern melodies, open space, Abba and Carl Orff covers and ancient pagan rituals. Album titles revolve around words like Kaballah and runes and vovin (which translates to &quot;dragon&quot; in 16th century magical alphabet Enochian). Only frontman Christofer Johnsson remains from the Blitzkrieg days.
- Chuck Eddy" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/therion/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="The Faceless" description="" category="Death Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/the-faceless/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Daath" description="" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/daath/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Spindrift" description="These guys sound like they broke into Negativland's studio and burned a CD-R of their own. Progressivemetalcyberexperimentalindustrial sounds that could only come from hands that once held 20-sided dice and lead figurines.
- Eric Shea" category="Plunderphonic" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/spindrift/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Diamond Head" description="Diamond Head never achieved the éclat of noteworthies Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, but in their own way they were equally influential on Metal's development in the 1980s. No other band so impacted Metallica, for instance, whose &lt;I&gt;Garage, Inc.&lt;/I&gt; contains not one but four Diamond Head covers. That admiration is well deserved -- Diamond Head's 1981 debut is an indispensable document in Metal history. From the approach-to-the-Death-Star opening beat of &quot;Am I Evil&quot; to epic-spinning in &quot;The Prince,&quot; this album is the &lt;I&gt;ne plus ultra&lt;/I&gt; of compact riffs and masterful soloing. Few Metal guitarists don't owe a debt to Brian Tatler -- it's just unfortunate that more singers don't owe the same debt to vocalist Sean Harris. He is a singer with incredible range who never sounded strained or forced, even when pushing his voice to its limit. Due to record label interference, the band only sporadically recaptured the glory of their debut. Indeed, it was a tough act to follow.
- Chad Driscoll" category="New Wave of British Heavy Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/diamond-head/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Grim Reaper" description="Although Grim Reaper were forever tagged as a joke after one of their videos was lambasted by Beavis and Butthead on MTV, their reputation has been somewhat salvaged by the more discriminating Metal fans of today. On closer inspection, the three records they put out between 1984 and 1987 prove the band to be a competent and solid power/fantasy metal act, covering similar Iron Maiden-seeded ground as Helloween during a time when the hair metal band was king and the genre was unfashionable to say the least. Even better, if you listen back to that Warrant/Cinderella/Bon Jovi dreck today, you get a dated crapload of MTV product, whereas Grim Reaper's at times admittedly goofy gore/devil metal is a genre that is still thriving on the scene. And they were good at it." category="New Wave of British Heavy Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/grim-reaper/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Wolves In The Throne Room" description="Formed in Olympia, Wash., in 2002, this ambient black metal quartet mixes the transcendental mindset of their Olympic Mountains hometown with pagan ideology and the primitive sound of '90s Norwegian black metal. Brothers Nathan (guitarist, vocalist) and Aaron Weaver (drummer), along with Will Lindsay (guitarist) and Ross Sewage (bassist), create atmospheric soundscapes that are emotional, pointed and heavy both in sound and statement. Wolves in the Throne Room often perform outdoors and are radical environmentalists. But sociopolitics aside, the band garnered mainstream attention for the lengthy epics and squalling sounds featured on its debut album, &lt;i&gt;Diadem of 12 Stars&lt;/i&gt;. After signing with Southern Lord, WITTR released &lt;i&gt;Two Hunters&lt;/i&gt; to critical acclaim in 2007, returning in 2009 with &lt;i&gt;Black Cascade&lt;/i&gt;.
- Jen Guyre" category="Experimental Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/wolves-in-the-throne-room/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Ensiferum" description="" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/ensiferum/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Kylesa" description="" category="Doom Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/kylesa/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Paradise Lost" description="Few bands have emerged from the dark/Doom/Death Metal scene and shown such a willingness to experiment and evolve. Paradise Lost's earlier recordings are monochromatically brutal -- puissant platters of tomahawking guitars and grunted vocals. Recent efforts have shown the band branching into Prog and Industrial directions, trading in guitar violence for icy keyboards and gruff tones for melodic singing.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Doom Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/paradise-lost/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Cynic" description="As metal became more technical and influenced by the talents and proficiencies of Prog musicians, Cynic rose out of their Thrash roots to create some of the most complex metal to date. Classical influences have always been a staple of the music, but Cynic were also inspired by Fusion, and let it show. They joust between light, introverted instrumental noodling and violent Death Metal outbursts.
- Marc Kate" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/cynic/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Ian Gillan" description="As lead singer for both Deep Purple and late-period Black Sabbath, Ian Gillan stands tall among Metal vocalists, with only Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne as true rivals/colleagues. He has always been something of a cross between the two, with a voice that's more refined and masculine than Robert Plant's grave-robbing blues squeal and capable of operatic heights. Yet Gillan's voice inhabits the outer fringes of Ozzy territory -- conflicted, beefy and evil. His solo records have traditionally covered the same ground as Deep Purple, with a couple of poorly received transgressions into Jazz Rock. But Deep Purple most recent albums -- particularly &lt;i&gt;Abandon&lt;/i&gt; in 1998 and &lt;i&gt;Bananas&lt;/i&gt; in 2003 -- have been gratifyingly songful and idiosyncratic. And Gillan's 2009 solo album &lt;i&gt;One Eye To Morocco&lt;/i&gt; follows suit, working Afro-Caribbean rhythms and Middle Eastern ideas into surprisingly tuneful, if not especially heavy, rock.
- Mike McGuirk" category="Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/ian-gillan/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Jeff Loomis" description="Originally hailing from Wisconsin, guitarist Jeff Loomis took to his preferred instrument at a young age. Self-taught and serious, 16-year-old Loomis left his home state in 1987 to try out for Megadeth when Jeff Young left the band. Though he didn't get the gig because of his young age, he astounded Dave Mustaine. Loomis first played in Sanctuary, and though that group was short-lived, from there he and vocalist Warrel Dane went on to form Seattle-based prog metal band Nevermore. In Nevermore, Loomis' complex progressive-thrash hybrid style garnered the attention of many guitar fans, landing him a monthly column in &lt;i&gt;Guitar World&lt;/i&gt; magazine -- where he would explain how to play his intense riffs -- and later landing him his own signature Schecter. Mustaine also included Nevermore in his travelling metalfest Gigantour. In 2005, Loomis announced his wish to do a solo album in the vein of his personal guitar heroes, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman. In 2008, Loomis' solo album, &lt;i&gt;Zero Order Phase&lt;/i&gt;, was released on Century Media.
- Jen Guyre" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/jeff-loomis/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Voivod" description="In moderate proximity to '80s Thrash, Montreal's Voivod brought forth a violent, complex sound with roots closer to bands like King Crimson, Alice Cooper and Pink Floyd than any of their contemporaries (note their legendary cover of &quot;Astronomy Domine&quot;). Somewhere between the violent Thrash attacks and the twisting textures of Psychedelia, Piggy's guitar grinds with absurd intricacy. Away's frantic percussion and Blacky's roaring, low-end ferocity generate time signatures that shift like the paranoid strategies of guerrilla warfare. The war is decidedly against a nihilistic future: Snakes' vocals echo with harrowing speculations, investigating the chaotic divisions between technology and humanity with cyberpunk cynicism.
- Marc Kate" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/voivod/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fmetal%2Fprogressive-metal%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
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