Top Ten Greatest Modern Progressive Rock and Metal Albums

+ I've made this list with the intention of exposing lesser known but no less brilliant modern prog bands out there.
+ And before everyone starts complaining about how their favourite bands haven't been added to the list, I wanted to give more obscure prog artists a chance. Especially as I'm sure artists like Dream Theater, Opeth and Porcupine Tree will eventually get added and voted up anyway!
The Top Ten
1 Second Life Syndrome - Riverside

This has everything a prog album should, with some heaviness but also more subtle, emotional moments

One of the best prog-metal albums, a masterpiece.

2 The Mountain - Haken

A perfect balance of progressive rock and metal, The Mountain juggles complex song structure, beautiful vocals, and phenomenal lyrics with ease.

It has everything a perfect prog album should offer: epic, progressive, varied, melodic, emotive and heavy

Deeply inspiring masterpiece

3 Tall Poppy Syndrome - Leprous

This introduces a unique avant-garde style to prog metal, another great Norwegian band in the genre!

This is their worst album, but it is still amazing

Leprous has better albums like COAL

4 Colors - Between the Buried and Me

Sun of nothing intro is great!

Best metal album ever

Masterpiece

5 Citadel - Ne Obliviscaris

Holy crap this album blew my mind. Combines brutal black/death metal with melodic and emotional violin/clean vocals.

A real work of art by a unique band.

6 Back to the Times of Splendor - Disillusion
7 Pelagial - The Ocean
8 Theories of Flight - Fates Warning
9 Exile - To-Mera

To-Mera are a hidden gem in the world of progressive music, merging prog-metal with Julie Kiss' ethereal jazz-style vocals

10 Lateralus - Tool

Album changed my life and I don't say that lightly.
Recognize this as a holy gift and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing.

One of the most important albums ever recorded. Should easily top this list and then some.

You don't listen to tool, you will have to experience it

The Contenders
11 Metropolis, Part 2: Scenes From a Memory - Dream Theater

EXCELLENT in my opinion!

12 Hypothetical - Threshold

Whilst all of Threshold's albums have been pretty consistent, this is arguably their peak, with masterpieces like "Narcissus", "Light and Space".

13 Blackwater Park - Opeth
14 Remedy Lane - Pain of Salvation
15 The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) - Steven Wilson

The only reason that this AMAZING album is not at the top of this list is because most of you haven't even listened to this.
IT'S REALLY A MASTER PIECE!

One of the best album by one of the best living composer... I expected this to be higher on this list...

What? Wilson is the brilliant muse behind Porcupine Tree. Shame, shame. And where's Opeth's Blackwater Park or Mastadon?

16 In Absentia - Porcupine Tree

How is this not in the top 5. best porcupine tree album ever!

Pretty great, but can't beat Fear of a Blank Planet.

17 Portal of I - Ne Obliviscaris

This one is much better than citadel to be honest (even if they're both great)

18 The Detached - Anubis Gate

Very original brand of an already long-established genre in progressive metal - some quite unique electronic elements!

Brilliant blend of progressive and power metal mixed into perfection

19 Enigmatic: Calling - Pagan's Mind

Great example of how catchiness and technical proficiency can be combined to create a masterpiece!

20 +4626 Comfortzone - Beardfish
21 The Perfect Element, Part I - Pain of Salvation

Pain of Salvation have a very interesting sound, and this is problably one of the most original and well written progressive albums out there

I actually prefer Remedy Lane, but this is a great album as well.

22 Crack the Skye - Mastodon

This album is pretty well known among metal fans though. Nevertheless, it is great.

Perfection. Front to back perfection.

One of my all time favorite albums

23 Sound Awake - Karnivool
24 Fear of a Blank Planet - Porcupine Tree

What? Why is this brilliant album down this far? A fantastic album, buy it people

Blows my mind

25 Octavarium - Dream Theater

One of the greatest. Deserves top 5.

8Load More
PSearch List