At first I didn’t know what to think of his comments but over the couple years that have passed, I must admit to being perplexed at how ProgMetal has been able to make sizable in-roads into the record stores and even widely distributed magazines, while the more traditional progressive rock continues to languish on the sidelines as some kind of marginalized ugly step-sister.

It’s true! Go to just about any record store these days and you’re bound to find loads of ProgMetal bands all nicely placed with-in the “Metal” section. What’s more there are dozens of different titles. Yet nowhere will you find the Flower Kings, Galahad, The Enid etc. One of the local stores I haunt has taken to putting just about everything prog in the metal section, usually under the Dream Theatre slot with a little sticker citing how it’s related to DT. Even Transatlantic goes in that slot. But hey at least they have a slot. I’m not complaining.

But getting back to the emergence of ProgMetal, there is no question it has somehow superceded the more symphonic prog.

I remember growing up; there was a time when I discovered heavy metal with names like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and others. A number of these bands proved to be the spring broad for me to move on to more adventurous outfits. There was no way you could confuse Deep Purple with Yes or Black Sabbath with Genesis. In my younger days the louder metal bands represented a phase I was going through. That period in everyone’s life where attitude is everything. Posturing was important. And in many respects the heavy metal bands of my day spoke to me and I listened loud. My amplifier was turned to “11” on more than one occasion.

Then a strange thing happened. As I grew, my tastes changed and I’d like to think matured. At least I worked at understanding “me” better as well as what I listened to. And as it turned out I wanted something more challenging. That’s where progressive rock filled the bill.

It’s been said; that at one time adolescence was a phase…today it’s an attitude. Implied in that statement is that we are more likely to try and carry our adolescence and all that that implies with us into adulthood. And I must admit I’m inclined to agree with that observation. There does seem to be a dangerous blurring of the boundaries. In life and in music.

The heavy metal I listened to, as an adolescent was nowhere near as musically adventurous as bands such as Cairo, Dream Theatre, Ayreon, Magellan, Explorers Club and other bands of that ilk. And these are only a few of the more accomplished names.

In the past to find new music I had to look outside the heavy metal genre. Today that’s not the case. And just like adolescence being an attitude carried forward for years so too one’s musical tastes now have the opportunity to stay stuck in some kind of limited vision of what’s available. Rock festivals cater to specific rock genres, radio stations fine-tune their programming to narrow extremes, and video channels do likewise. The main thrust today is “keep the focus narrow” and don’t go outside the box. Stay safe. How boring is that!

This was originally going to be an editorial about what was good and what was bad about ProgMetal, but I realized that was pointless. What’s more important is to consider the possibilities of using ProgMetal to encourage listening outside the box. But don’t kid yourself; listening to one style of anything is not listening outside the box. There was a time when many thought that listening to “alternative” music was listening outside the box. It’s not. It’s just sticking your head in a different box.

We live in a very artistically boxed in, compartmentalized world, and listening outside the box is discouraged by the media as well as the record companies. Trust me it makes their job easier if they can convince all of us that “Brittany Spears” or “Eminem” is what we NEED to listen to, to be in step. Don’t believe it.

There are many fine bands in the ProgMetal genre and while it’s not the genre I like the most there is lots of fine music being made. But we all need to broaden our musical pallet. If all we eat are chips and French fries, we’ll have a heart attack, we need vegetables too. If our musical table is only set with ProgMetal there is the real danger that our musical appreciation skills atrophy.

If you know someone who big into ProgMetal, why not use it as an opportunity to introduce them to some of the other progressive rock bands on your shelf. Musical taste and appreciation matures through experimentation. What a great thing. Is there an opportunity? I think so.

As always your comments are welcome.

About the Author:
Jerry Lucky is the author of the book The Progressive Rock Files, now entering its 5th edition. Please feel free to send feedback to Jerry at www.jerrylucky.com.