Why the future of prog metal is no longer rooted in its past
Prog. The images that word conjures up for many of us are likely the same today as they were 30 years ago – capes, long winded songs, a fusion of disparate styles, Tolkien lyrics, virtuosic musicianship. It feels like these images will always be inextricably linked to the genre, but there has been a palpable resurgence, nay evolution, of the genre in the last two decades, especially at the heavier end of the spectrum.
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Slowly but surely, the bands at the vanguard of this evolution are beginning to erode this archaic 70s imagery. And not before time – prog means progressive after all, and it needs to keep moving forward or it will remain easily dismissed.
No other genre of music has had to endure this kind of prejudice – when you hear metal you don’t necessarily have images of leather-clad, hairy-chested men with mullets do you?
And the truth is, everyone wants a piece of prog nowadays. Metal – prog’s angrier cousin – has often tried to lay claim to progressive bands, such as Dream Theater, Tool, Periphery and Meshuggah. And many of today’s most lauded guitar virtuosos – Tosin Abasi, Tim Henson, Jason Richardson, Manuel Gardner Fernandes – are firmly established residents of Camp Prog.
Here Be Dragons
Caligula’s Horse (Photo: Jack Venables)
Perhaps the evolution of prog is in no small part due to a gradual passing of some monolithic bands who have dominated stadiums and the discourse over the last 40 years. In the last decade we’ve seen both Rush and King Crimson hang up their instruments seemingly for good, and even one of the more modern titans, Tool, seem to be coming to terms with the fact that they won’t be around forever.
Indeed, Maynard James Keenan, when asked by Metal Hammer about the band’s long album cycles noted that, “Considering one or more of us will be dead if we wait another 14 years, we might want to figure out a better way”.
That doesn’t mean Tool are ready to knock it on the head, of course, but it does beg the question as to who will fill the void when they undoubtedly leave? The way that Tool have been uniquely gifted at building hype, expectation, and backlash thanks to their famously long and mysterious process of creation.
Like their forebears King Crimson, the impact Tool have had on the modern prog world is so total that it’s almost impossible not to be influenced by them. In fact, my own band Godsticks were often compared to them earlier in our career – despite me never having listened to them prior to that comparison!
The New Breed
So what comes next, and what does a post-Tool – and indeed post-Rush and King Crimson – prog world look like? Well, two of the bands that seem poised to take on the mantle and push prog forward are Finnish band Wheel, and Aussie outfit Caligula’s Horse – why not ask them?
“I think the scene is in better shape than it has been in years,” proclaims Wheel’s James Lascelles. “Thanks to Sleep Token’s excellent album blowing up last year and the rise of other younger bands, such as Polyphia, there seems to be a resurgence of interest in prog in general, and more young people are coming to the shows and discovering the music”.
Perhaps because of this broadening pool of influences, and the broader audience that seems to have attracted, prog is arguably drifting further away from the 70s sounds of Crimson, Yes and Genesis, and that’s no bad thing.
“It genuinely feels like we’re at a time where music has again become focussed on looking outside of its current vocabulary for interesting and innovative materials” agrees Caligula’s Horse Sam Vallen – and he should know, he’s written a doctoral thesis on the subject. “Bands like Animals as Leaders, Car Bomb, and Sungazer seem good examples of this, and I think the attitude of trying to make unique musical statements with a broad range of influences and an uncompromising view of one’s own practice is at an absolute high right now. I love what Prog has evolved into!”
“I think the definition of the genre is more fluid than many believe it to be,” Lascelles agrees. “I think bands such as Leprous and Vola are broadening the definition with every release”
Whilst the consensus seems to be that the genre is evolving, there will always be the mainstay hallmarks of Prog such as unconventional lyrical subject matter. And in this regard, there is surely very little that would interest Swifties on Wheel’s latest album, ‘Charismatic Leaders’.
One enduring hallmark of the genre, however, is its approach to lyrical subject matter – just like 50 years ago, prog tends to focus on things outside of the usual staples found in most other genres.
“My wife, Annukka Lascelles, is a YouTuber who makes True Crime videos in Finnish” explains Lascelles of his lyrical inspirations, “We often talk about the cases she is working on in the evening. Many of the cases she covers involve cults in one way or another, and our conversations have given me some insight into the behaviour of cult leaders.”
It’s probably not going to be the sort of thing covered on the next Taylor Swift album, that’s for sure – but there’s still scope for internal stuff to come out through modern prog lyrics.
“Charcoal Grace came directly out of the pandemic, what we saw through those years and what we learned from the experience” confides Vallen of his band’s latest album. “Our lyric writing tends to be very inward-looking and exploratory in the same way our music is, focussed on whether it moves us above all else. The thing we’ve learned over the years is that if we’re moved by something, it will likely translate to other people as well. We may not have much mainstream viability as an outcome, but those who love what we do tend to feel a very close, personal connection to our music and lyrics due to that approach”.
The Song Is Long
Caligula’s Horse (Photo: Jack Venables)
Speaking of Taylor Swift, the prog fraternity has surely had some fun in response to the shock and awe expressed by her fans because she released some songs that exceed the five-minute mark on The Tortured Poet’s Department earlier this year. Five minutes? That’s an intro isn’t it?
Because no matter how much the genre changes and evolves, it seems that one of the hallmarks of prog continues to be the way its songs challenge the attention spans of its loyal listeners – perhaps more so than any genre outside of classical music.
But the quick-consumption culture we currently reside in, from which no generation can claim immunity, surely makes the landscape a little different than it was in prog’s original heyday. Is it now a little risky to be writing epics that could alienate listeners – will that impact the future of the genre?
Wheel (Photo: Anastasya Korol)
“I’m not too concerned about listeners thinking what we’re doing is self-indulgent or some other negative connotation they might make” Vallen reflects. “The reality is that it will simply not be to the tastes of some people, and that’s totally fine. We write for ourselves and aim to have music which moves us. If we did anything else it would be dishonest. It just so happens that our tastes and proclivities lead to longer and more complicated musical works a lot of the time.”
You could argue that this part of prog’s DNA insulates it from the disposable throwaway nature of much modern media, but it’s not something that can exist in isolation.
“When I write longer songs, I am always mindful of the commitment we are asking from a prospective listener,” Lascelles admits. “In a day and age where there is an overwhelming amount of media available at all times, I really want to justify the time we are asking for – the structure needs to be perfect and the dynamic journey needs to be meticulously planned out.
“With this in mind, I think every moment of these longer songs needs to justify its existence. We try to reign in the most excessive self-indulgence but it doesn’t change the fact that Wheel is an inherently selfish project; we are making the music that interests us and trying to entertain ourselves first and foremost.”
Fast Future
Wheel (Photo: Anastasya Korol)
So circling back around to my original question – what is the future for prog when some of the greatest bands in its history are retiring, or at least making noises about retiring. Will there be another massive arena-filling prog band to take the place of Tool?
“Absolutely!” Lascelles exclaims. “We are seeing it right now with Sleep Token who are currently filling stadiums, and I don’t think they will be the last.”
It’s not a universally held position however.
“I don’t believe we’ll see a band of the popularity of Tool in the progressive world again” Vallen counters. “There’s a number of reasons why, but one of the main things is that the music industry is fundamentally different now than it was in the early 90s. Labels don’t have the resources to push rock acts like Tool any longer, and a greater focus on ‘guaranteed to succeed’ mainstream acts who will generate a safe profit necessarily results in a focus on safer bands in that upper echelon of stardom.”
The future then, might be less stadium-sized prog rock productions, and a focus on a smaller but more diverse and interesting scene overall.
“The underground is stronger than it has ever been,” Vallen insists. “We will definitely see many, many mid-sized bands take off in the future, brought to us by the accessibility of the internet and the curiosity of prog fans wishing to actively seek out new bands and artists to follow”
So, five decades after the term was coined, does being a prog band feel more like a badge of honour than it has done in the past?
“Artists are going to be compared to something whatever they do and we have always felt proud to be associated with so many artists that we love and respect” says Lascelles.
“I think the attitude of trying to make unique musical statements with a broad range of influences and an uncompromising view of one’s own practice is at an absolute high right now” Vallen agrees. “I love what Prog has evolved into!”
It’s easy to make fun of prog’s history, but the genre’s very name means that it is constantly evolving, and expanding its influence all the time. Prog has already become a dominant force in the world of modern metal, and hoovered up most of the world’s guitar virtuosos. Don’t be surprised if Taylor Swift is next!
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