Top Ten Most Underrated Progressive Rock/Metal Bands

The Top Ten
1 Gentle Giant Gentle Giant was a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band was known for the complexity and sophistication of its music and for the varied musical skills of its members.

Opeth and Yes (while both amazing bands) are far from underrated. Gentle Giant is one of the best, albeit unknown prog bands.

The finest of the genre. Unique, innovative. Try Octopus for a true feel for their style. Three Friends works too.

Believe it or not, I heard of Gentle Giant before. You can say that PROG in General is underrated.

Simply some of the most best musicians of their time. Yet not many people know them.

2 Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are an English progressive rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. The band began essentially as a solo project for Wilson, who created all of the band's music.

I know Porcupine Tree are highly regarded within Prog circles, but to the average music listener, Porcupine Tree is just another weird obscurity. What a pity, because I honestly feel that they can hold their own against ANY classic band, prog or otherwise. Steven Wilson is Britain's finest songwriter; capable of writing music that is accessible yet extremely intricate and complex (no small feat! ). His growing success will I hope lead to mainstream media recognition.

I couldn't agree more, definitely had to be porcupine tree. These guys leave more talent sitting around in a dirty sock than all the rest of today's music put together.

Musically and lyrically, PT are amazing. Steven Wilson is a genius, and one of the best songwriters in prog. Along with Mikael Akerfeldt.

What was I thinking when I made this list? PT are the third biggest prog band these days after Dream Theater and Opeth.

3 Disillusion

I've discovered this band recently, and it is some of the best prog metal I've ever heard! Listen to Back To The Times of Splendor (album).

If you listen the sleep of restless hours youll never stop listening to it. underrated band I wish people knew about it. the person who made this list got good taste in music.

4 Ambrosia

Their self title may be one of the single best prog albums I've ever heard, highly recommended!

Ambrosia's debut album is Brilliant!

5 The Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project were a British progressive rock band, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson surrounded by a varying number of session musicians and some relatively consistent band members such as guitarist Ian Bairnson, bassist and vocalist David Paton, drummer Stuart Elliott, and vocalist Lenny Zakatek.

Best band ever!

Whom ever put this band as underrated unlike the top few,
I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You!

6 Ne Obliviscaris Ne Obliviscaris (Latin for "forget not") are an extreme progressive metal band from Melbourne, Australia, formed in 2003.

If you hear the songs by Ne OBliviscaris, you will regret why you never heard them before. The violin solos are so beautiful and moving, that it transports you to some another dimension. Try 'Forget Not'. Hell, listen to every album they've ever recorded and you will never hear music so beautiful. Totally underrated band.

I like them very much. I would say they are more unnoticed than underrated because they are a new band. They just need more attention.

Really great band, I don't get why they're so underrated. So interesting, with such a diverse sound.

7 Supertramp Supertramp were an English progressive rock band that was founded in 1969 in London, United Kingdom with members Roger Hodgson, Frank Farrell, Rick Davies, Kevin Currie, and Dave Winthrop. The band reached their commercial peak with 1979's "Breakfast in America" which sold over 20,000,000 copies worldwide.

What are they doing at 15? Should be #1. They have so much talent, yet no one knows about them.

8 Riverside Riverside is a progressive rock/metal band from Warsaw, Poland. It was founded in 2001 by friends Mariusz Duda, Piotr Grudziński, Piotr Kozieradzki and Jacek Melnicki, who shared a love for progressive rock and heavy metal.

Love this band.
Under the Pillow, the Depth of Self Delusion, Second Life Syndrome, #Addicted, We Got Used to Us.

Yep, a very good band.

9 Jethro Tull Jethro Tull are a British rock group, formed in Luton, Bedfordshire, in December 1967. Initially playing blues rock, the band soon developed its sound to incorporate elements of British folk music and hard rock to forge a progressive rock signature.

Whoever added this is thick as a brick, they're not underrated. I guess. I now look at how stupid I was when I made this list.

10 Earthside
The Contenders
11 Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band and one of the earliest space rock groups. Formed in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and they have incorporated different styles into their music, including hard rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock.

Lemmy was in this band? So what? The band started with Lemmy as member. Before Hawkwind he was in Sam Gopal and his first group was the Rocking vickers.

Can't you believe that Lemmy was in this band?

12 Anubis Gate Anubis Gate is a progressive metal band from Denmark. Despite having formed Anubis Gate only in 2003, the members have regularly worked together since 1984. They have released six studio albums and two singles/EP's.
13 Fates Warning Fates Warning is an American progressive metal band, formed in 1982 by vocalist John Arch, guitarists Jim Matheos and Victor Arduini, bassist Joe DiBiase, and drummer Steve Zimmerman in Hartford, Connecticut.

Awesome band, have a lot of great stuff.

Everyone knows this group for '' Awaken The Guardian '', but all their albums are excellent!

14 Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of keyboardist Keith Emerson, singer, bassist, and producer Greg Lake, and drummer and percussionist Carl Palmer.

Great supergroup. Not underrated, however, when it comes to progressive rock.

A progressive rock supergroup. Very good.

15 Savatage Savatage is an American heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
16 Van Der Graaf Generator Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Chris Judge Smith and the first act signed by Charisma Records.

The level of complexity and meaningless in their music is unmatchable. A truly underrated band.

Just a great band.

17 Deligma
18 Pagan's Mind
19 Camel Camel are an English progressive rock band formed in 1971. Led by founding member Andrew Latimer, they have produced fourteen original studio albums, fourteen singles plus numerous live albums and DVDs. Without achieving mass popularity, the band gained a cult following over the years with albums such as Mirage, The Snow Goose and Moonmadness. Surviving punk rock, they moved into a jazzier, more commercial direction, but were seen as unfashionable by the mid-80s, resulting in a seven year hiatus. Since 1991 the band has been independent, releasing albums including Dust and Dreams, Harbour of Tears and Rajaz on their own Camel Productions label. Despite no new studio release since 2002, the band ...read more.

Mirage and The Snow Goose are eargasmic albums. Any prog-rock, and even rock likers should listen to Camel and get blown away by the incredible talent they have.
Andrew Latimer is a very underrated but prestigious guitarist. Same for Andy Ward on drums and Peter Bardens on keyboards.

Camel deserves to be higher. They released such classics like Mirage and Moonmadness, 2 of the highest-rated progressive rock albums ever.

20 King Crimson King Crimson were a British progressive rock band that was formed in 1969. While the band has had numerous lineup changes, the head of the band has always been Robert Fripp (guitar). However, the most notable lineup is between 1972-75, consisting of Fripp, John Wetton (bass/vocals), Bill Bruford (drums), and David Cross (strings/keyboard). The band is most well-known for their debut album "In the Court of The Crimson King", with which they made a large impact on the progressive rock genre.

In The Court of The Crimson King is often considered the first progressive rock album. This is a band that is willing to experiment, and almost aways succeeds.

They may be underrated in the world of normal music, but in the world of Progressive rock they are not

21 Orphaned Land
22 Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive death metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by David Isberg, who invited Mikael Akerfeldt into the band as a bassist. Isberg ended up leaving the band, which lead to Mikael becoming the band's vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter, and driving force. Along with Edge of Sanity, Opeth is credited with being the first progressive death metal band, although they now play progressive rock. Akerfeldt is good friends with Jonas Renkse of Katatonia, and Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree.

One of my all time favourite bands. They are able to mix death metal vocals with prog metal music so well.

They are actually really popular.

23 Procol Harum Procol Harum were an English rock band formed in 1967. They contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock.
24 Threshold

One of the best sounding, technically perfect bands I know. Also great live.

25 Pain of Salvation Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive rock band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist.
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