Prog is back in the music scene, and it's here to stay.
Evolution of Prog-Rock shows strong musical development, from Rush to Dream Theatre and Chiodos.
Since rock n' roll hit the ground running in the 1950's, listeners have experienced many branches of rock spiralling off into many different directions; some more popular than other. However one genre that was the most hidden from the masses seemed to be progressive rock, a genre that took the bucking bronco of rock and took it for a ride. However it is a genre to which music critics would often view the music as "pretentious", "excessive" and "overblown", due to the length of albums released by prog-bands.
Prog rock had humble beginnings when it emerged in the 1960's, originating in the UK. The UK's first prime example of prog rock came with Jethro Tull, a blues band with a twist. Ian Anderson fronted the band utilising his strong vocals with the ambience of his flute and guitar playing. With many songs featuring Anderson's acoustic sound leaking through the song, the guitars return loud with their sound firmly driven by the pure tenacity of overdrive on the amplifier. Jethro Tull's track that has gained most of the fans' adoration has been "Aqualung" off the album of the self-title. Kicking in with a deep guitar line, the band quickly identifies themselves as a force to be reckoned with. With beginnings in the progressive rock culture quickly catching popularity, many new bands started to quit the day jobs, grab their instruments and take to the roads in search of fame and fortune (and maybe a littl
e LSD along the way).
e LSD along the way).
Spawning from UK's early prog scene, the revolutionary music styled jumped the pond and hit the shores of America with Blue Oyster Cult emerging in 1972 with the debut self-titled record. The band is most famous though for their prog-psychedelia influenced song "Don't Fear The Reaper", from the 1976 album "Agents of Fortune". Starting off as a mellow rock song, the song erupts into a echo induced bridge, with a matching guitar and drum solo too. Prog was breaking boundaries and it's influence went further afield hitting Canadian soil most famously for the band Rush.
Rush forming in August 1968 have been acclaimed as one of the most influential prog-rock groups, with their music spanning 42 years, they have achieved massive praise for their revolution of the genre. This is due to their predominant bass lines and technical drum playing - a winning combination in the form of Geddy Lee and Neil Peart. Whilst Rush may have received criticism due to Lee's vocals, their music went on to inspire further generations with his bass style, along with his virtuosity of music. This can be seen most apparent in live performances on songs such as "Tom Sawyer" where Lee will multi-task playing bass, keyboard, utilise effect pedals and sing. As a whole the band seem to be most famous for their albums "Moving Pictures" , "Hemispheres", "Permanent Waves" and of course the jaw-dropping "2112". If you want to get a taste of Rush's genius, grab your headphones and immerse yourself in "YYZ", an instrumental riff-fest that leaves your ears deafened and your mind blown; a truly wonderful band.
Back in the mother land prog rock was standing tall and proud with many bands striking up across the UK.
The 1970's soon became the definitive decade for prog, also referred to as the first wave of progressive rock. Whether it was the keyboard solo skills of Yes throughout Roundabout on their 1971 album "Fragile", or the powerful kick from Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" , even to Rainbow's 1975 début album "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow". It was a rich and prosperous time for prog bands in the 1970's.
Lyrically, many songs had very abstract plots and this was heavily influenced by the drugs the bands were taking at the times. Artists were frequently noted to communally take LSD and write music in their induced state of mind, sometimes even placing meanings in their song titles - a highly recognisable one being "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - note Lucy Sky Diamonds. One notable reflection of this can also be seen in the use of lighting within live performances by these bands, Pink Floyd have a notable reputation for their use of extreme lighting in performance, simulating the effects of drugs to gig-goers.
With the decline of prog rock in the late 1970's, we saw key significant bands of the genre disbanding, the one to hit the hardest to followers of prog-rock is often viewed as Robert Fripp disbanding King Crimson in 1974, which had repercussions affecting other bands, in which they either suffered members leaving, or all together band closure. This can be seen with bands such as Yes, Van der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant and U.K. These were hard times for prog-artists, with bands having to step their game up if they were to retain their pride and glory.
The 1980's saw the return of prog-rock and the introduction of new bands, predominantly influenced by their predecessors. A key band to have formed under the second wave of prog is Dream Theatre, a Boston based prog metal group. The band took direct influence from artists including Rush, Yes (a band they would later go on to tour with), and Pink Floyd. This influence is reflected in bassist John Myung's intense bass playing style, which is greatly demonstrated throughout the album "Octavarium" , evident greatly in the song "Panic Attack".The use of symphonic keyboards and high reverb within their playing style mirrors the sound of initial prog-rock to the aspect of Jethro Tull. However Dream Theatre's key musical style is shown through the speed metal that John Petrucci employs into the band's songs. Guitar solo's are therefore a prominent element of most Dream Theatre songs, my personal favourites being that of "Constant Motion" and "Panic Attack".
In the past 20 years though we have seen an emergence in new age prog-rock and prog-metal, mainly bands originating from the UK. One of the best examples to come out of new age prog-metal is Porcupine Tree. The band started out with guitarist and lead vocalist Steven Wilson as a joke with friend Malcolm Stock regarding the band's origins. The band gained recognition when Wilson sent out copies of his initial 80 minute long cassette "Tarquin's Seaweed Farm" to the magazine "Encyclopaedia Pyschedelica" which gave the band positive reviews. The initial album "On The Sunday of Life" was a highly psychedelic-influenced album featuring music that many described as "trippy as fuck".
With tracks on it such as "Linton Samuel Dawson" (note the title's reference to drugs), Porcupine Tree was basing itself around psychedelic and ambient rock.
It was with their 1996 album "Signify" where the band started taking the music towards more structured prog-metal songs and evolving into increasingly heavy music. A stand out album for me personally was "Deadwing" and "Fear of a Blank Planet". Wilson started making tracks heavier, with tracks such as "Open Car", "Fear of a Blank Planet" and "Anaesthetize" displaying the level of music complexity that the bands wish to demonstrate throughout the tracks. Each track opens with a humble beginning before escalating into a punchy guitar riff and strong drum beat. Coming from a musician's point of view, the thing that distinguishes Porcupine Tree from other prog-rock groups is that of the conflicting time signatures that the band plays in during songs. A prime example of this is shown in "Fear of a Blank Planet" in which the drum beat stays in 4/4 whereas during the chorus, the guitar shifts to 3/4, producing an eerie, lingering effect with the sound.
The band is currently at a crossroads, with Wilson pursuing a solo project of his own, with Porcupine Tree on hiatus for the time being.
As for recent prog-metal, there have been a number of bands to emerge into the local hardcore scene, with the likes of Between The Buried and Me, 30 Seconds to Mars, Opeth, Buckethead and Chiodos. Chiodos are a personal favourite of mine, having formed in 2001, gaining popularity with their first and second album "All's Well That Ends Well" & "Bone Palace Ballet" as it incorporated many aspects of post-hardcore into the mix. Craig Owens' diverse vocal range with low and high screams accompanied by his high vocal range, combined with Bradley Bell's piano and keyboard playing skills, they breached into new musical territory. In "Bone Palace Ballet" where for a number of songs including "Two Birds Stoned at Once", "Is It Progression If a Cannibal Uses a Fork?" and "I Didn't Say I Was Powerful, I Said I Was a Wizard" an orchestra is included adding a level of tension to the atmosphere presented on the record.
Many critics are referring to as bands such as Chiodos as new-age prog, prog-hardcore or electricore and increasing number of bands are experimenting with concept albums in recent years (like 30 Seconds to Mars' "Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams") and progressive rock is starting to make an emergence back into popular rock music. Is this the third wave of prog? Where does prog go from here? Is there a safe future for prog? Who knows, all we can say is that it will keep evolving, if it is unsuccessful it will rise back up from the ashes in a new form.
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