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 Progressive Metal is my favourite metal. Why? Because it's so fucking diverse! Progressive Metal takes many forms, and it's a genre that can be confusing, alienating, and completely badass. Also, since Avant Garde is quite similar to Progressive Metal, I thought I'd bundle them in.

What is it?

 It's metal that happens to be progressive. Shocker, I know. What that means though, is that progressive metal pushes the envelope for what the genre can achieve. This can take root in many forms: Odd time signatures, a lack of the pop structure, bizarre use of instruments, weird keys, and long fucking songs. Indeed, progressive metal doesn't even need to be that weird. It can even be something poppy that goes for 10 minutes and is constantly changing.

What is Avant Garde Metal?

Avant Garde metal is like progressive metal. However, instead of pushing the boundaries of a particular genre, it ignores the boundaries of genre entirely. Whereas Progressive Metal can sound normal, Avant Garde sounds entirely bizarre. Comparing it to the rock world, it's like the difference between Pink Floyd and Mr Bungle.

EXAMPLES!

Straight Progressive Metal - Dream Theater

Do you like technical wankery? Well Dream Theater is the band for you! This song goes through 128 time signature changes in 6 minutes. That is literally fucking insane. Plus it has keyboards, so it has to be progressive metal right?

 Prog Metal With Soul: Riverside

This is progressive metal that's slightly poppier. It's catchy, but menacing and defiantly strange. the haunting vocals, mixed with the piano, organs, and funky but slightly off kilter riff.... it's definitely prog, but you can't stop tapping your damned feet to it!

Popular Prog Metal: Tool

 

 "Wear the grudge like a crown of negativity.
Calculate what we will or will not tolerate.
Desperate to control all and everything.
Unable to forgive your scarlet lettermen."

Those and many other Tool lyrics were scribbled on so many of my high school notebooks that it bordered on obsessive. Everyone knows Tool. They are the weirdest band to ever get immensely popular. But again, odd time signature. It's mostly in 10/8, it's constantly evolving and has a strong emphasis on dynamics, as it shifts from soft to heavy at a moments notice. It also utilises a lot of odd and otherworldly sounds in the background. Pump this baby up and you'll hear all sorts of odd shit.

 Also, the riff in this song is in every song, just with the notes in a different order. It's the same riff that's in Schism. Yeah, mind blown.

Progressive Death Metal: Opeth

 

 Just how did Opeth get so damn popular? That's an easy question to answer: They make both death metal and progressive metal palattable. The growls aren't aggressive, they're more haunting. The production is cleaner than any other metal band, and the songs are undeniably catchy. This song is in fucking Saints Row 3!

 Anyway, it's an Opeth song. It shifts from death metal to progressive rock to acoustic folk, mixes clean and distorted vocals, and steals riffs from latin Jazz. It's badass.

Time Signature Rape - Meshuggah

 Unless you know Meshuggah songs, they're impossible to headbang to. I had the pleasure of seeing these guys live, and watching the moshpit try to work out what the fuck they were supposed to be doing was highly entertaining.

Oddball Prog - Devin Townsend

 No two Devin Townsend albums sound the same. Except Addicted and Epicloud, but SHUTUP! Seriously, the only consistency is that Devin does not take himself seriously at all, and the songs are always catchy as herpes while being weird as fuck. This song is about songs not having to have a meaning, and it's awesome. "Music? It's just entertainment folks!"

Avant Garde Metal: Maudlin of the Well

 This is my favourite band. Listen to this shit. They merge Jazz, folk, classical, death metal, doom metal, pop, indie pop, and just about everything else. They are awesome.

Since I've already shown you a kazillion songs, check out Thy Catafalque for electronica/metal/folk, Unexpect for batshit insanity, and Sleepytime Gorilla Museaum for a band so pretentious they named their band after a Dada Art museum.