Metal Reviews

Feel free to discuss your votes for these categories here.

Devin Townsend Band—prog? I don't consider anything Devin has done as prog. I see three people have voted it so; what's the general concensus on this?

Yeah, I'd put DTB and SYL in the avant-garde section, which I see as kind of a catch-all for any albums that don't fit neatly into any other categories.

Within these genres, the lines are so blurry anyway, I think it should be up to the people voting to place the bands where they believe they should go. Putting a strict set of "Dream Theater" rules on prog goes against the various free styles of the original progressive rock bands and against what the word "progressive" means anyway.

Yeah, but then you're going to run into the problem where a band that everyone likes won't get very many votes because they're all spread out. Trust me, it works better if we just make a final decision on where an album goes.

I'm probably gonna have Falconer and Elvenking on my list... then Amon Amarth and Deicide... nut I can't remember what else I loved this year! Argh memory block!

Hibria came out two years ago fellers.

You're always one step ahead, you sneaky bastard.

You better believe it Billy.

Devin's solo work, except Infinity, is all a lot closer to prog than avant garde... there's more to prog metal than plagiarizing Dream Thaeter

I know this, noody. Being closer to prog than avant-garde still doesn't make his work prog. Just don't take the genre tag of avant-garde so literally this time out. He doesn't belong in prog; he belongs with avant-garde and "other borderline genres," I think.

There are just less genre threads this year because we'll likely have to manually tally all this up this year.

I have a couple of questions so i'm gonna ask 'em all here.

First, should Evergrey last album be considered prog.? I think it falls in the prog/power category rather than dark metal as stated in the review.

Next is Tyr, but i think all agree it's pure progressive metal so i'll leave it on that list. If anyone think otherwise feel free to tell me.

I'm not sure where Ancient Rites place is. I think it goes with Korpiklaani in the avant-garde. Help!!!

Can i use Sirenia new album although it's going to be released in february. I've been listening it non-stop the last three days and it would be a shame to wait for next year. Besides it's the only gothic album i've heard this year. I'm still waiting to hear the new To/Die/For and Tristania so i could make a top 3.

Just wanna check with the release year of Bloodbound's Nosferatu...some websites say '06, but some say late '05

So, which is it? I always thought it was 2006

And i rekon Evergrey's MMA is definately prog/power. Dark metal? Maybe with their lyrics at times

Go for prog metal with power metal influences

It was december 2005.

Hmmm, world wide by december '05 or world wide by january '06

I want a second opinion from someone from metal reviews, as in their review they have the release year as 2006

According to the band's website:

Release Date Asia: December 16, 2005
Release Date Europe: February 24, 2006

I say it counts as an '06 release since it wasn't available worldwide until February of this year. Go ahead and vote for it Trooper.

I still love you though, Brahm.

Eh, I find these genre lines way too blurred to even vote. Let's take my top ten and the various genre's you could list some of them:

Jon Oliva's Pain - Maniacal Renderings (prog or true?)
Vanden Plas - Vanden Plas (definitely prog)
Devin Townsend - Synchestra (I consider it prog, i don't know what Avant Garde is)
Iron Maiden - Matter of Life and Death (true)
Benedictum - Uncreation (true)


Wolf - The Black Flame (true)
Dezperadoz - Legend and the Truth (prog or power?)
Rage - Speak of the Dead (prog or thrash?)
Wuthering Heights - The Shadow Cabinet (prog or power?)
Edguy - Rocket Ride (power)

Thanks for that.

It wont be in my top 5 for the heavy/power/prog blah blah blah thread, but it will be in my top (whatever) overall, over in the general music discussion thread.

But i still needed the confirmation...



Just listened to it the other day. I thought it was still power metal, but with prog elements. Speak of the Dead is a grey area i think, but i'd lean toward power metal still

Well, it was this or no voting. CONFORM!

Well, keep in mind that we're using avant-garde as a catch-all for albums that don't fit very well anywhere else. I don't see why this is such a problem. We're simply trying to set precedents here, that way, DTB doesn't get votes in five different categories. With that said, in regards to the albums you have above with multiple genres, here's the voting threads they should go in:

Jon Oliva's Pain - Heavy/Power/True
Devin Townsend Band - Avant-Garde
Dezperadoz - Prog
Rage - Heavy/Power/True
Wuthering Heights - Prog

The rest can go in the genres you listed them as. Hope this helps you and others.

Also, avant-garde generally refers to albums experimental in nature. Whether or not that really applies to some of the albums being voted for, the fact that they don't fit well into other established genres makes them at least a bit experimental.