Here you get my thoughts on the releases that caught my ear this past 12 months. This time it has again turned into a Top 30 list. Most of the music comes from the heavier end of the progressive spectrum, but with a few moments of progressive calm thrown-in for a bit of variety.
I've found 2017 to have been a strange year for music. There have been lots of good and enjoyable albums, all of which are of a very similar quality. Only one album stands out as really special. There is very little to separate all the other albums in my Top 20. Thus the positions are pretty interchangeable.
Also worth noting is the wide geographical spread of the bands (13 different countries covered here), and also the lack of established "name" bands in my list. Only 11 bands have appeared in this annual list before.
Also worth noting is the wide geographical spread of the bands (13 different countries covered here), and also the lack of established "name" bands in my list. Only 11 bands have appeared in this annual list before.
Below you'll find a few words on each album plus a full album stream and YouTube sample for each. There is also a link to the original DPRP review. As ever please support all of the bands you enjoy, by buying their music. Happy reading & listening!
Andy Read - editor and writer DPRP.net
10. IT - We're All In This Together
Country: UK
Read my full review on DPRP here
Read my full review on DPRP here
I've enjoyed previous albums from this long-running UK prog rock band, but never thought they woud produce something this good. If you don't think artists should mix music and politics, then turn away now. This is an angry album but not a dark album. There is a brightness and energy to the music that is uplifting, maybe even inspiring. The arrangements are clever and layered. The melodies are memorable, very memorable. Every song offers a different groove and mix of styles, whilst the production allows space for every element to shine. We're All In This Together is a truly splendid slice of relevant, articulate modern heavy progressive rock.
9. Vangough - Warpaint
Country: USA
Read my full review on DPRP here
The third studio offering from this complex American trio is not as dark and intense as 2013's Between The Madness. Yet it retains those very clear Pain of Salvation and Dead Soul Tribe influences, all topped-off by Clay Withrow's unique and compelling vocal. If you like you metal flavours to mix the harsh with the melodic, and the melancholic with the exotic, then this is for you.
Read my full review on DPRP here
The third studio offering from this complex American trio is not as dark and intense as 2013's Between The Madness. Yet it retains those very clear Pain of Salvation and Dead Soul Tribe influences, all topped-off by Clay Withrow's unique and compelling vocal. If you like you metal flavours to mix the harsh with the melodic, and the melancholic with the exotic, then this is for you.
8. Prospekt - The Illuminated Sky
Country: UK
Read my full review on DPRP here
The use of synths mean that this album isn't as cold as the older tech metal bands such as Watchtower and Zero Hour. However any fan of the prog-metal genre will be able to pick out ingredients from a long list of protagonists, from Dream Theater, Symphony X, Fates Warning and Pagans' Mind (the obvious contenders) to more obscure artists such as Odd Logic, Arch Matheos, Lost in Thought, My Soliloquy and even Haken in some of the more flamboyant moments. Prospekt is a band that, in just two albums, has already found its own confidence and a sound that it can call its own.
The use of synths mean that this album isn't as cold as the older tech metal bands such as Watchtower and Zero Hour. However any fan of the prog-metal genre will be able to pick out ingredients from a long list of protagonists, from Dream Theater, Symphony X, Fates Warning and Pagans' Mind (the obvious contenders) to more obscure artists such as Odd Logic, Arch Matheos, Lost in Thought, My Soliloquy and even Haken in some of the more flamboyant moments. Prospekt is a band that, in just two albums, has already found its own confidence and a sound that it can call its own.
7. Eastern High - Garden Of Heathens
I have had this digital-only release on my Spotify playlist for a few months now, as it offers a rather unique take on the genre. There is a big touch of Communic/Nevermore to the basic template but the heavy atmospherics and the unusually rich, deep vocals (mixed with occasional grunts) add a rather alt-doom feel to proceedings. Even more impressive is that this debut seems to be the work of two people: brothers Ola and Johan Svensson. This indie release sounds great and should be attracting the attention of some serious labels.
It may have taken a decade since their first demo, but it has been well worth the wait to hear the impressive debut album by this quintet out of Frankfurt. Mixing heavy with light in the way that Pain of Salvation, Wolverine, Odd Logic and Riverside do, this is a very varied listen, with melody to the fore and all held together by the quality vocals of main songwriter Benjamin Reiter. Another in the long line of creatively-impressive German prog metal bands. Those who have heard the long-lost classic 1825 by Danish band Charisma may also love this album.
The best traditional prog-metal album of 2017 by a country mile. This is a major step forward from the debut offering by this Brazilian band. If you enjoy powerful riffing, complex songwriting, great interplay between the guitars and keyboards and a world class singer, then this is essential listening.
I should have been Dutch! The beer's great, you can cycle everywhere, the people are lovely, Progpower Europe wouldn't be a 2000 km round trip and the rest of the music scene is amazing. To make matters even worse, there is now a new wave of young progressive bands who sound even better than their ancestors. Overhaul (above) and Golden Caves are my new favourites. If you could fall in love with a voice, then my Dutch wife would be Romy Ouwerkerk. Thankfully closer to the singers of District 97 and Lucid Fly, than the endless line of gothic operatic metallers, Romy has one of, if not the best voice I have ever heard on a progressive rock album. This album is utterly gorgeous from start to finish. Essential listening for anyone who enjoys female-fronted modern progressive alt rock. God, I wish I was Dutch!
In a year that has offered me plenty of enjoyable albums, this is the only one that stands out as a potential classic of the progressive metal genre. I have loved both of their previous efforts, but this has refined their songwriting to perfection. Lykaia is an hour of deeply engaging and intensely inventive metal that has kept me both challenged and satisfied throughout the year. Somehow they managed to make it even more mesmerising when I saw them on tour. A brilliant band.
6. Awaiting Dawn - Leave No Trace
It may have taken a decade since their first demo, but it has been well worth the wait to hear the impressive debut album by this quintet out of Frankfurt. Mixing heavy with light in the way that Pain of Salvation, Wolverine, Odd Logic and Riverside do, this is a very varied listen, with melody to the fore and all held together by the quality vocals of main songwriter Benjamin Reiter. Another in the long line of creatively-impressive German prog metal bands. Those who have heard the long-lost classic 1825 by Danish band Charisma may also love this album.
5. Daydream XI - The Circus Of The Tattered & Torn
The best traditional prog-metal album of 2017 by a country mile. This is a major step forward from the debut offering by this Brazilian band. If you enjoy powerful riffing, complex songwriting, great interplay between the guitars and keyboards and a world class singer, then this is essential listening.
4. Overhaul - Notes By An Unstable Muser
Debut album from a magnificently promising alternative prog rock/metal band from Holland. Amid a sea of ever-changing rhythmic, stylistic and emotional complexity, my comparisons shift between Karnivool, Canadian alt-proggers Fen, Pain of Salvation, Leprous, the chugging riffage of Messugah and in particular Australia's sadly-departed Arcane. Singer and songwriter-in-chief Samuel de Vries is a real discovery, adding a romantic charm to his empassioned vocal groove. For those seeking something fresh and original you need to hear this album.3. Golden Caves - Collision
I should have been Dutch! The beer's great, you can cycle everywhere, the people are lovely, Progpower Europe wouldn't be a 2000 km round trip and the rest of the music scene is amazing. To make matters even worse, there is now a new wave of young progressive bands who sound even better than their ancestors. Overhaul (above) and Golden Caves are my new favourites. If you could fall in love with a voice, then my Dutch wife would be Romy Ouwerkerk. Thankfully closer to the singers of District 97 and Lucid Fly, than the endless line of gothic operatic metallers, Romy has one of, if not the best voice I have ever heard on a progressive rock album. This album is utterly gorgeous from start to finish. Essential listening for anyone who enjoys female-fronted modern progressive alt rock. God, I wish I was Dutch!
2. The Silent Wedding - Enigma Eternal
No fillers. All killers. A much over-used cliché, but one that perfectly summarises this wonderful melodic metal creation from Greece. Just listen to the video track below and place your orders now!
1. Soen - Lykaia
In a year that has offered me plenty of enjoyable albums, this is the only one that stands out as a potential classic of the progressive metal genre. I have loved both of their previous efforts, but this has refined their songwriting to perfection. Lykaia is an hour of deeply engaging and intensely inventive metal that has kept me both challenged and satisfied throughout the year. Somehow they managed to make it even more mesmerising when I saw them on tour. A brilliant band.