The Prog Guide: 50 Essential Prog Records For Every Music Enthusiast – Part II

I’m not gonna waste time on explain The Prog Guide to you, since I already did that in Part I. For those who stumbled upon Part II as their first encounter, please visit Part I right here.

We covered a lot of the masterpieces, both obvious and overlooked, in said first edition. Thanks to the chronological nature of this endeavour, we primarily focused on the 70’s, and ended up scratching the surface of the new millennium. Follow us down the rabbit hole of more contemporary prog milestones of recent years, and make sure to tell us which records are important for you in the comments!

You might have heard of Tool as a band that everybody claims to like, even though this proverbial ‘everybody’ only seems to be able to name two or three songs. Well, one of those songs happens to be “Schism” and while Lateralus has it, anyone buying the album might be shocked to learn that it has a lot more going for it than one song for which Tool made one of their notorious claymation. Lateralus opens with “The Grudge” and its frantic, aggressive bass line by Justin Chancellor, before Maynard offsets it with his usual rapid-babbling-I-sound-like-I’m-about-to-die singing. The guitars only kick in at the perfect moment. It’s like watching Miles Davis: one waits and waits and waits for him to play anything, until that one note is heard, the one that changes everything and feels oh so satisfying.

Tool keep things this way for all of Lateralus. “Parabol”, “Parabola,” “Ticks & Leaches,” the title track, and yes, “Schism” too, all have this characteristic: lengthy passages of tension that get the oh-so-satisfying punctuation at the end, not always by the guitars, but sometimes with a completely different riff in a completely different time signature. Tool have yet to make a bad album. Lateralus make this list for the superior pacing that channels their writing and musicianship in ways that make the listeners’ expectations part of their art.

The Odyssey by Symphony X is not only a piece of music; it is a piece of unfiltered, powerful energy. It is able to motivate everybody upon hearing the treble-heavy guitars. But how does a simple record accomplish such a feat? Through massive riffs, three solos before the intro of a song is over, and the most over the top vocal performance there is. The intro track already gives you a good picture of what the album is like, with two solos before half the song is finished, operatic and soaring vocals, and the most in-your-face riffs from the most in your face distorted amps you can imagine.

It’s obvious that a  good synthesizer can’t be missing, so of course the band creates solos that go hand in hand with the keyboards, essentially creating melodic twins. This album is cheesy, yes, but it is the most high grade cheese I know of, like the cheese of the Bretagne of the music world. What is also astounding is the sheer endurance the band members on display throughout the record, being completely euphoric for a 24 minute-long track. Symphony X are fast, colorful, and never turn down for anything, yet they also come across as authentic and believe in what they do. This record is truly an odyssey.

In the fantastical world of prog rock, a record is seldom as fantastical as Gift Or A Weapon by The Grand Silent System. Taking elements or orchestral music, folk, indie prog rock, and fusion, the band tinges all their songs with a lovable, yet palpable eccentricity. Tracks like “Venting Etiquette” build layers upon layers to create one giant, but not at all overwhelming wall of sound. There is so much going on in the tracks, many things you don’t immediately notice that makes them feel alive and autonomous. Brass stabs in between the pauses of the odd metered guitar groove, the little fusion bass intro that never sees repetition – this all works towards the goal of keeping in constant movement.

“Assr”, another fun track, dives into almost soul territory with its empathetic vocals and the mellow motif held down by the flute. Only the little guitar solo paired with the improvisation of the bass filtered though chorus and flanger reminds us of the extravagant tone the record possesses overall. One of the most important points of the record is its cohesion, though. Little interludes, specifically designed to ease us into a different kind of track or twists in the music that are fully fleshed out, they all serve the purpose of creating an immersive experience you can feel connected to and be invested in.

This album is a sonic Frankenstein’s monster. Noise rock, psychedelia, traditional Latin music, blues, jazz, and post-hardcore are all stitched together to form a perfect cacophony of sound. Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s vocal energy is as relentless as his lyrics are cryptic. Wailing guitars, groovy bass (provided by Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Flea), off-kilter drums, and buzzing synths create a progressively rambunctious playground for the story of Cerpin Taxt, a man who enters a coma after overdosing on morphine and rat poison. As one would expect, the whole ordeal is a wildly kaleidoscopic experience, capable of splitting your head with overflowing visions.

“Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)” is a diversely-paced monster of unhinged prog, letting loose any and all expressive inhibitions. The slower burn of “Televators” is an atmospheric powerhouse, dragging you through the trenches of a comatose mind. The frayed dissonance in “Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt” makes for a high-energy grand finale. It’s not a coincidence that this is one of my favorite albums of all time, and a progressive music staple. This album is a testament to the artistry of Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the two primary members of the now-defunct band. De-Loused in the Comatorium is truly a wonder to behold.

This is a record whose dreadfully long title seems to anticipate the imposing scope of the music it contains. From the beautiful opening duo of “Keeping the Blade” and “Always and Never” to the full-on prog overload of “The Wishing Well IV: The Final Cut”, Coheed and Cambria cover more ground here than most bands struggle to do over multiple releases.

Never before was this group of four amazing musicians as finely tuned to each other as on this album (nor were they ever after; you know the story), knitting together poppy melodies, metallic riffing, potent balladry and convoluted prog into one cohesive and breathtakingly adventurous exploration of the band’s true abilities as songwriters and instrumentalists. Even though Coheed and Cambria (in my opinion) never released a bad album, this monumental colossus still towers over most of their discography. It’s my favorite record of theirs, and indeed of all time. Enough said.

Death of a Dead Day was the refined follow-up to Sikth’s debut 2003 record, The Trees are Dead and Dried Out…Wait for Something Wild. It took all of the devilishly clever elements of the first album, tightened them up, and added extra lashings of darkness. The conception must have been a hell of a difficult task, given the originality and magnitude of The Trees are Dead…, but the band was comprised of six extremely possessed and locked-in individuals, and so the result was about as organic as one could imagine.

The instrumental work alone was monumental, a vast treasure-trove of pounding breakdowns and technical flare. But the whole endeavour was given a macabre gloss of character by Mikee Goodman and Justin Hill’s cascading vocal talents. Goodman in particular, with his natural flair for spoken word and poetry, gave Sikth a distinct identity which simply could not the replicated. Death of a Dead Day wasn’t just an album of blistering ingenuity, but one which had a real personality as well. So take your pick from tracks such as “Bland Street Bloom”, “Sanguine Seas of Bigotry”, and “Part of the Friction”; Each one is a wild mechanized creature of noise, rage, and wisdom. Death of a Dead Day is an unforgettable ride and a true treat to the ears, one which gives out that little extra surprise even after the hundredth listen.

Riverside’s sophomore album Second Life Syndrome, also the second of the band’s ‘Reality Dream’ trilogy, is often heralded as the group’s magnum opus. Riverside achieve pure perfection on songs like “Volte-Face”, “Dance with the Shadows”, and especially on “Second Life Syndrome”, the 16 minute-long centerpiece of the album.

The song goes from a haunting intro, to a catchy odd-time verse, to a melancholic midsection, and eventually ends with an epic resolution. The longer songs on the album make the ones in between that much better, too. Second Life Syndrome ends on a dirge-like note with “Before”, a satisfying way to end a near-flawless album, which also serves as a great cliffhanger to lead into the bands’ third album, Rapid Eye Movement.

You could always tell Fear of a Blank Planet was destined for greatness, since the title references one of the best hip-hop records of all time. Like the seminal Public Enemy album, this record too has something to say. Steven Wilson sought out to make a conceptual commentary on the growth of technological fixation, overreliance on drugs, mental illness, and the listlessness and otherwise desensitization of people, but especially youth. This was written in 2006 – you may say this album still retains its relevance today, just take care you don’t pull a muscle yelling at clouds.

This is one of those albums that functions quite well as a single musical piece, songs flowing naturally into each other. The title track is fast-paced, with Wilson singing verses with a quick monotone. “My Ashes” is largely inspired by the novel Lunar Park, and sees the band slow down to an acoustic jaunt (as is trademark of PT), while warm waves of synths wash over you in the intro to “Sleep Together”. In stark contrast, this album also sees the band at their heaviest, with driving metallic riffs in the middle of “Anesthetize” and near the end of “Way Out of Here”. The spectrum of musical expression on this album fits with the themes of exploring bipolar disorder, as they relate to the other themes. Long gone are Porcupine Tree, but they left us a storied, celebrated catalog to enjoy for years on end. Blank Planet is one of the finest representations of the band, and of progressive music entirely.

Speaking of probably my favourite band of all time: Between The Buried And Me defined themselves on Colors as one of the greatest bands of modern progressive metal. This record is a journey that transmits its very own emotions. The beautifully sung intro “Foam Born” directly gets you into a positive mood that is shortly interrupted by its B-side, and the heavy prog metal by Between The Buried And Me.

Those contrasts lighten the whole record, for example: The clean parts in “Ants Of The Sky”, “Sun Of Nothing”, or “White Walls” are as stellar as their sound, and they deliver pure goosebumps that are putting a smile on my face every single time. “Viridian” and its successor “White Walls” round up the perfection, whilst the outro contains a decreasing lament on the piano, leaving the recipient satisfied all over.

Following up the critically acclaimed Everyone Into Position, Frames built on the impressive framework provided by Oceansize’s previous record and stands out as one of British prog’s finest achievements, especially in the modern era. Hailing from Manchester, and formed years prior to the release of Frames, the band had a successful twelve years together before splitting in 2011 to work on other projects. Defining the true sound of Oceansize in words is extremely difficult – they are hailed as progressive rock, but most notably used in the record is space rock, post-rock, and shoegaze influences. Brought together, these sounds allowed Oceansize to create exceptional atmospheres which propagate intense emotion, both positive and negative.

The opening track “Commemorative T-Shirt” is a perfect example of this. Right away you are introduced to post-influenced guitars, that proliferate the record. Building into quite a warm crescendo over a long introduction, the gravelly vocals of Mike Vennart help to bring the mood down and create a more introspective feel to the album, unlike other comparable prog-rock bands like Amplifier. Each song is unique, bringing to the table a highly varied structure. For a chunk of the record, the riffs are docile, or explode only when needed. In others like “Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions” the riffs explode and Vennart brings heavy, scratchy vocals into play, making each listen exciting. Frames is a journey any new prog fan should take

Ire Works was TDEP‘s fourth studio album, and the one which really opened their sound up to new audiences. Whilst retaining the frenetic Dillinger mathcore which they had built such a strong reputation on, Ire Works also progressively lurched to a more accessible sound. Great harmonies provided by Greg Puciato was met in the middle by the band’s exquisite structuring of songs. The tunes went from mathcore played at 100mph into well-rounded hooky choruses, before dropping into glitchy electronic interludes.

This was a whole new way of layering and structuring an album which many in the mainstream of metal had not seen before, and, coupled with The Fall Of Troy’s Doppelganger from 2005, really set a precedent for bands in the genre to follow. “Milk Lizard” was the hit single off of the album, and many people will refer to that as Dillinger’s most popular song, whilst “Black Bubblegum” also met critical acclaim with its slower, more accessible pace and vocals. As mentioned previously, Ire Works featured more interludes than their previous records, which stitches the album together both maturely and magnificently. The whole album feels like a complete journey and not a lump of singles thrown together. This has inspired bands like Rolo Tomassi and Tharsis They to build albums which are constantly piquing the listener and locking them into the band’s soundscape. From top to bottom, this is a fantastic record with fantastic bridges.

Disbanding after the release of their debut album in 1993, Cynic resurfaced in 2008 with a record that took progressive death metal in a radically new direction – spacey, robotic vocals met tight, melodic guitar playing in a way that paid homage to both death metal and prog legends while taking both genres into previously unexplored territory. However, this approach would not have its staying power if not for the emotional resonance laced in the technical and ambitious arrangements of songs like “The Space For This” or “Evolutionary Sleeper”.

The moment when Mastodon went full prog. The Atlanta metal band had already made waves (sorry) with their previous albums, especially Leviathan, but the difference here is a culmination of the band’s flirting with progressive elements and their storytelling capabilities. Here, the band isn’t afraid to slow down, to have more pensive moments. Tracks like “Divinations” still rock hard, but the overall mood is a lot different.

It’s here that we see drummer Brann Dailor’s poignant singing debut with “Oblivion”, a performance roused forward from a deeply personal and tragic experience that also inspired the title of the album. We also see what I consider to be by far their most hauntingly epic track ever with “The Czar”. It follows the life and infamous demise of Russian mystic and healer Rasputin. This is some of the best album pacing in recent years, making the most out of its 50-minute run time. Crack the Skye set the bar for heavy prog music for years to come, and there’s still not another album quite like it, from Mastodon or any other band.

There is no single track on this record that feels like an overly filling one. Sound Awake manages to fascinated throughout; when listening to the marimba intro of “Simple Boy”, one is all but destined to go on a journey that ends with two 10+ minute tracks (“Deadman” and “Change”) that are filled with pure magic. Songs like “New Day” and “All I Know” became true hits for Karnivool and are still played live.

There is no second record like Sound Awake, which stands in its own bright light with fascinating melodies, an overwhelming ambiance, and the overall sound that Karnivool established as one of the greatest progressive rock bands of our time! If they would release a greatest hits record, it might as well go by the name Sound Awake bonus edition, featuring the whole record plus some more songs off Themata and Asymmetry.

Concept albums are no stranger to the progressive music scene, but The Dear Hunter created something memorable and unique with 2011’s The Color Spectrum. The concept is one that is simple but effective: representing the visible colors of the light spectrum in the form of multiple EPs. Spanning a variety of styles, including garage rock, western (read: not country), folk rock, atmospheric electronic, and modern progressive, each song has its own unique identity.

While this may seem jarring on paper, front man Casey Crescenzo’s unique vocals tie the album together and add cohesion to its disparate heights. It’s an adventurous listen that entices you to spin it just one more time.

The Mercury Tree have long been a modern progressive rock institution. While it’s hard to pick one album to showcase, Pterodactyls stands out as being particularly astonishing. Are you familiar with The Ocean’s Pelagial? It’s another album on this list, one this album has some stuff in common with. Although their musical styles are vastly different, what is similar is the atmosphere within them.

The Mercury Tree made concerted efforts to give this album an earthly, ancient feel that goes beyond the references to geological periods long gone. You feel compelled to respect this album based on that fact alone. It may not utilize space in the same way crushing post-metal does, but it still commands a massive, unknowable mood that’s equal parts majestic and primal. The pendulum-like bass in “Hatchlings” swings back and forth, as prominent in the mix as the lovely synth leads and guitar melodies. If you really want to hear the bass let loose, then “Bassosaur” will delight with its dense tones. “Octarine” is a clean, twinkling finish to the album beset by the beauty of a nonexistent color (unless you include the lore of the Discworld fantasy book series). Pterodactyls is one of those albums that has some magical qualities to it, hard to describe even to yourself in your own head where expression is seemingly limitless. Perhaps it’s best illustrated in another medium, the lexicon of which is as boundless as the music found on this album.

As possibly the only band who can compete with Haken as (modern) prog metal’s finest, Leprous have built up quite the discography for themselves over the past decade. The clear centerpiece of their collection is 2011’s Bilateral. It was on this album that Einar Solberg established himself as one of the best vocalists in the industry, using his voice for more than just conveying lyrics. Especially on songs like “Mb. Indifferentia”, “Acquired Taste”, and “Painful Detour”, he does a fantastic job of giving his voice a prominent role in the music.

One of my favorite things about Bilateral is that every song offers something completely different, but at the same time they all flow together seamlessly. Leprous’s sophomore effort is already a classic, and a true essential to The Prog Guide.

Ne Obliviscaris really changed the game in terms of extreme prog with the release of their debut full-length album, Portal of I. Entering realms previously unexplored in such manners by other extreme prog acts, Ne Obliviscaris brought forth a vision of relentless blast beats, piercing shrieks, roaring growls, churning guitars, sweet violins, even sweeter clean vocals, and some of the sweetest lead guitars. With no shortage of experimentation on the songwriting angle, Portal of I basically set a new bar for how forward-thinking extreme music should be made.

Over the course of nearly 72 minutes of tunes, the album showcases everything that is worth noting about this niche, from creative structures, virtuosic levels of performance, engaging ideas, lush layers, rich dynamics, and of course a strong emotional impact. Ne Obliviscaris traverse an amazing number of worlds through the temperament of what they elaborate upon across this album. They also make sure to bring in as many influences as possible – from a musical standpoint. This makes for an absolutely enchanting experience no matter how you turn this around. This is one of those albums that just has no ounce of fat on it, making it so much better. It’s really hard to imagine at the present moment how this scene would look like without this musical contribution. Portal of I hits home on so many levels, it can be considered a cornerstone of modern extreme progressive music, without a shred of doubt.

You really can’t spell progressive without Endorphinia. On the whole extreme avant/experimental end of progressive metal, this is up there with others that make up the pinnacle. Follow the White Rabbit are a one-album sensation from Russia (unfortunately disbanded), and they have crafted a veritable masterpiece that mangles an odd variation of mathcore with ambient tunes and various other elements that are scattered across the record with great taste. It features a jarring kind of ebb and flow, sort of alternating between soft and hard, which keeps the listener at the edge of their seat for basically the entire fifty-four-minute run time. Each song has a truly unique charm; I mean, there isn’t one shred of fat on this album, just lean muscle.

The production also lives up to the surreal and exquisite concept which is being put forward. The instrument tones are some of the best I’ve ever heard in extreme music, and music overall as well. The drums feel like they’re literally in front of you, shaking the ground and making things pop; the guitars and bass are extremely gnarly and in your face, yet become subtle and refined when it is required; the vocals are out of this world – they simply defy description. There just aren’t proper words that can justly articulate and encompass the rattling power, the ethereal darkness, and the soothing soundscapes that are carved into this album. This is, without a question, a monumental display of artistic virtue that – by all means – should not be missed.

Never before (or since) have six songs, running at 54 minutes, contained such a palpable showing of progressive artistry or emotion. While Steven Wilson has entered the prog rock pantheon based solely on his numerous contributions to the genre with his band Porcupine Tree, his solo efforts allow us another window into his mind. With The Raven That Refused To Sing, it seems Wilson was intent on showing us everything he’s got when it came to production, instrumentation, and collaboration. Every song could warrant a full discussion itself, but I’ll just hit you with the highlights. “Luminol” is one of the only higher-tempo moments on the whole album, and it does not waste time, powering out the gate with hearty bass, lush guitar chords, and jazzy flute – and that’s just the intro.

“Drive Home” is a heartwrenching tale of a man who struggles to let go of the memory of his dead wife. It’s so poignant and affecting, people made a damn game modeled after it. “The Holy Drinker” is an instrumentally playful take on alcoholism and a fateful deal with the devil, employing wild sax and Hammond organ. As the full album name implies, each song encapsulates a standalone story, like a series of vignettes that can make you cry. Wilson is masterful at creating moving, progressive set pieces that you can play at any time, but The Raven That Refused to Sing feels like a prog watershed unto itself, as untouchable as the ghastly moon adorning its cover.

Persefone’s hallmark record Spiritual Migration has always been an enigma to me. It’s crushingly heavy, but beautiful and melodic at the same time – two things that don’t merge well together too often. The lead single “Mind as Universe” kicks off the album in perfect fashion, as it introduces the technicality and soaring riffs that are found across the entire record. Stunning instrumentals “Zazen Meditation” and “Consciousness Pt. 1 – Sitting in Silence” are scattered wonderfully throughout the album to provide a breather from the heavier tracks. The two longest songs, “Spiritual Migration” and “Returning to the Source”, end the album just the way it started – heavy, yet breathtaking.

Despite being one of the more underground records on our list, Interior City by The Gabriel Construct is by no means a record that should be overlooked as you scroll down. Many records on our list are revolutionary in terms of experimentation of instrumentation or structure, but Interior City stands out as a record that is revolutionary in vocal performance. Records like this often require a unique vision to bring them to life, and that vision belonged to Gabriel Riccio, a multi-instrumentalist who wrote most of the songs on his own, save for some additional instrumentation on the album. Without that autonomy, you might argue that this record might not exist, due to the extravagant and often intense vocals.

My explicit lauding of the vocals notwithstanding, the theatrical progressive metal that sits behind Gabriel’s vocals is also brilliant. His piano work is wonderful, working best when it is used alongside his vocals only, like in the startling opening track “Arrival in a Distant Land”, which really blows you away with the contrast. Featuring brilliant additional instrumentation from saxophones and violins, there is layer upon layer to explore in this exciting record. Moving through the individual tracks, you are exposed to incredible, mind-blowing moments, both instrumentally and vocally, with incredible hooks proliferating the album. One listen simply is not enough to fully absorb this exceptional record.

The Ocean have always set their eyes on large conceptual records, and on Pelagial, the German progressive outfit finally delivered an album as grandiose as the idea behind it. Diving into the depths of the ocean, the band resurfaced by perfecting the art of progressive metal. Built on the theme of exploring the different layers of the ocean (descending from pelagial all the way down to benthic), the music too descends ever deeper by growing darker and more chaotic as one progresses through the record.

Moreover, there is a great ebb and flow from one track to the next, with all still feeling very much like a part of a larger story, just as the ocean is different layers all coming together to form one entity. The fact that this was meant to be an instrumental record and had vocals added to it at a later stage, with the band deciding to release both the versions makes the record even more interesting. The two versions feel very different and take the listeners on quite different, yet completely amazing journeys. It is highly recommended that one takes this journey with The Ocean and travels to the darkest depth of progressive metal at least once, after which you will find yourself returning to Pelagial over and over again.

Where do I even start when it comes to talking about The Mountain? Shall I mention the fact that the cover art is downright gorgeous, and that the album is a metaphor comparing life to a journey up and down a mountain? What about “Cockroach King”, which is quite the quirky song, yet one of the bands’ most popular? “Somebody” may also be best song the band has ever written, if not the best I have ever heard.

Even the bonus tracks, which are counterparts of the first and last songs on the album, are worth mentioning. “The Path Unbeaten” is a haunting instrumental version of “The Path”, while “Nobody” is a stripped-down version of “Somebody”. Oh yeah, and all the songs in the middle of the album are pretty amazing, too.

Agent Fresco managed to combine poppy choruses with Meshuggah-esque polyrhythmic aspects, alternative rock-ish breaks, and the gloomy vibe of Icelandic music in general. This all results in probably one of the most beautiful, honest, and personal records we got in the 2010s. For me personally, Destrier might be the record of the decade, as Agent Fresco manage to attract not only prog nerds and metal freaks, but pop listeners as well. I haven’t met a single person who didn’t like Agent Fresco after listening to them.

Songs as “Dark Water“ or “See Hell“ combine the aforementioned catchy poppiness with great musicality, and can easily be listened over and over again. Especially Arnor Dan’s angelic voice delivers pure magic to the already enchanting instrumentals. Having only released two records so far, this band truly shows a lot of promise, while they might have already reached their pinnacle. But who knows how great their third record could be…

And so, The Prog Guide comes to an end. As always, thanks for scrolling. Make sure to tune in for more guides. Yes, we will do more of them, so if you wanna suggest certain topics, feel free to drop them in the comments. Stay proggy.