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March 9, 2006
Mixing metal, punk, psychedelic and more, today's prog-rockers are finding new directions for the genre
GRAMMY.com
Bryan Reesman
To misquote Bauhaus, progressive rock is dead, undead. Like goth, "prog-rock" is the genre that refuses to die, continually spurred on by its impassioned devotees and occasionally resurfacing above mainstream waters before diving down into the underground once more. Right now the genre is again sailing the choppy seas of popular music and drawing renewed attention with an eclectic bunch of bands, many of which have been around for years, including the Mars Volta, Coheed And Cambria, Porcupine Tree and A Perfect Circle. They are allowing audiences to rethink the concept of progressive music.
"The fact that these bands are once again valuing musicianship and ambition and are not afraid to be teetering on the edge of folly or pretentiousness, and the fact that ambition, experiment and guitar solo are not dirty words anymore, in some respects is part of the natural evolution of music," muses Steven Wilson, frontman for Porcupine Tree. "We've had 10 years of grunge and nu-metal where those kinds of things were actively discouraged — solos and indulgence and musicianship. As we've seen with the history of rock music, there's always an equal and opposite reaction when there's a big swing. It's funny to me that it took so long to happen, but finally it is."
What are the sounds of the current progressive movement? They vary wildly. On their new album, the amorphous Mars Volta sound like a psychedelic '60s rock band with a frequent Santana influence. Tool and its offshoot A Perfect Circle make ominous metal in odd time signatures. Coheed And Cambria integrate '80s metal, pop and modern rock sensibilities. Opeth combine elements of dark rock, extreme metal and folk music. Porcupine Tree sound like a more traditional prog-rock band with an updated sound. The Dillinger Escape Plan is a cacophonous metalcore band that can spontaneously mellow out into a jazz break.
This all sounds like a far cry from the symphonic sounds of the '70s or the melodic AOR of the '80s, but it may not be. Ken Golden, director of operations for prog-rock distribution service The Laser's Edge, hears a lot of Led Zeppelin, King Crimson and old Santana in Mars Volta's music. "Everybody's reluctant to call it what it is," he states. "I hear people comparing Coheed And Cambria to Rush. You have these old-school prog fans looking for something new, and they're willing to try a Mars Volta or Tool or Coheed And Cambria. At the same time you have younger guys who are picking it up just because it's something a little different and a little deeper than what they're hearing on the radio."
"I think people are finding these bands progressive for the reasons that we used to call Emerson, Lake And Palmer and Genesis progressive back in those days — because they're pushing the envelope further," remarks Jim Pitulski, president of InsideOut Music America. "There's still a lot of retro in their sounds, but I think that they've taken it someplace else. It's pretty fresh in that respect."
"It's quite encouraging to see bands who have less regard for the old-school way of marketing themselves, which is basically radio and MTV, and it's encouraging to see artists who are being encouraged by their fans and having so much success," says Derek Schulman, co-principal of DRT Records and former frontman for Gentle Giant, who recently reissued their catalog to commemorate the 35th anniversary of their formation.
Martin Popoff, noted author and rock historian, sees progressive metal keeping the old traditions alive with a slightly more modern twist. He also sees newer metal bands fitting the genre's characteristics. "[The] mathcore [genre] is very progressive and heavy duty that way, even going into the grindcore field," remarks Popoff. "But when people start calling Radiohead and Coldplay progressive, it's almost like you've diluted it way too far to even make sense." System Of A Down is infrequently called prog-rock because of their multi-faceted approach to metal music, particularly on their recent albums Mesmerize and Hypnotize.
Progressive metal bands are energetically maintaining the old-school tradition of neoclassical compositions with epic arrangements and stunning chops. Dream Theater, co-headliners of this past summer's Gigantour package with Megadeth, combine classic rock, fusion and orchestral sounds and continue to draw large crowds to shows. Symphony X, Royal Hunt and Shadow Gallery are among the best bands taking classical-flavored prog-rock in new directions. Braindance combines the best elements of metal, goth and ambient atmospheres into an original neo-progressive sound. Pain Of Salvation and Evergrey imbue older prog ideas with newer metal sounds, while Chroma Key recently delved into ambient territory. Then there are Polish rockers Indutki, whom Golden calls "a cross between King Crimson, Tool and Neurosis."
By far the biggest prog-rock surprise in recent history is the success of the Mars Volta. "I would never in a million years have imagined that a band that sounded like that would be that popular," declares Greg Puciato, frontman for the Dillinger Escape Plan, one of the Gigantour bands. "It's refreshing in a way but bewildering at the same time."
But it does not mean that progressive music has cemented itself again into mainstream consciousness. Some would argue that the Mars Volta debuting at No. 4 on Billboard's Top 200 with Frances The Mute is such a sign, but Wilson disagrees: "Tool hit No. 1, but I wouldn't say Tool are in the mainstream. I think there's a difference between selling a lot of records and somehow being in the public consciousness in the way that Coldplay or Elton John are. I think most people still wouldn't know who the Mars Volta are."
Many of these bands are not tied in to trends or fashion, and ultimately their careers evolve and thrive based on their musicianship and their vision. When the mainstream does take notice, it certainly boosts their careers and draws renewed attention to a continually maligned genre of music. "When you have a band like Tool or Mars Volta that is doing 12-minute songs and getting embraced by the mainstream media, it's encouraging," says Mike Portnoy, drummer for Dream Theater. "It also makes me wonder why we get completely slammed for doing 12-minute songs, which are probably more commercial than what Mars Volta does, but I'm happy for them and for the genre in general, just for the sake of daring musicianship."
At the end of the day, labels aside, the word progressive has become a simple catch-all phrase referring to new bands that don't fit a category as much as old-school bands maintaining certain traditions. "To me progressive means that you progress as a band," asserts Peter Lindgren, guitarist for Opeth, whose acclaimed album Ghost Reveries recently came out via Roadrunner. "I think progressive has been misunderstood as being technical music with long songs. In my opinion, that is not progressive. I think progressive is changing your sound or getting new ideas and always developing your sound."
Lindgren also points out that many progressive bands can have stellar musicians and not always be the best songwriters; some are all chops and no heart. As Puciato notes, "Ideally you would have the ability to do whatever you want and use it in a way that you could write good songs."
Most of these bands do both, and that may go a long way toward explaining why the progressive rock genre is blossoming once again.
(Bryan Reesman is a New York-based freelance writer.) | |