2019 has been a special year for progressive music. It saw Dream Theater return to form with ‘Distance over Time’, Periphery grow more ballsy with ‘Periphery IV’ and Devin Townsend release a stunning magnum opus with ‘Empath’, after breaking up his previous Project line-up. It saw Tool releasing music after an incredible wait of thirteen years and Opeth put out ‘In Cauda Venenum’, which to a large extent, has united their fans. Elsewhere, it saw bands such Leprous, Wilderun and Soen further prove their growing stature with great new efforts. It was also an year where a few newcomer and underground bands put out material with ambition matching their more established peers. This post is to celebrate the great albums we’ve been treated to this year and to discover a few others that may have gone under the radar.

I’ve been drifting away from ratings for music on the blog, but continue to do so on rateyourmusic for the purpose of tracking my favourites. The list here is not in any particular order, outside of the first five or six, which are at the bottom of the article. EPs, Compilations and Live Albums are not included in the list.

A quick reminder that I have stuck to bands classified as progressive rock or metal either on rateyourmusic.com and occasionally based on what I think. Albums with prog as sub-genres are included. Please visit Page 2 for 2019 albums in other genres that I thoroughly enjoyed – They were a great deal of them.

I would love to hear from you! You can contact me through Facebook, Instagram and Email (pdsprogblog@gmail.com). I’m active on the r/progmetal Discord for a quick chat whenever, and have a rateyourmusic and lastfm account for users on these sites.

Page 1: Best Prog Albums of the Year

Page 2: Best Non-Prog Albums of the Year

⊕ Best Prog Albums of 2019⊕

Special Mentions –

Ihlo – Union

Dawn of Nil – Culminating Ruins

Lord Dying – Mysterium Tremendum

Tanagra – Meridiem

Snooze – Familiaris

Deathspell Omega – The Furnaces of Palingenesia

Ed Wynne – Shimmer into Nature

Embrace of Disharmony – De Rervm Natvra

The Offering – Home

In Mourning – Garden of Storms

Voyager – Colours in the Sun

Gaahls Wyrd – Gastir – Ghosts Invited

Sleep Terror – Abreaction

Obsidian Tide – Pillars of Creation

Jolly – Family

Richard Henshall – The Cocoon

Genre – Progressive Metal (Clean Vocals)

Label – Independent

Richard Henshall, best known as the guitarist and songwriter of Haken, released a debut solo album, ‘The Cocoon’, which could be seen as a collection of songwriting ideas from the ‘The Affinity’ and ‘Vector’. The title track follows the structure used in blockbuster tracks such as “Puzzle Box”: A strong and catchy primary riff, followed by an intricate, elaborate build-up with a delightful instrumental jam, collapsing into a soaring outro built around the same primary riff. He also opts for guest spots from few of the biggest names in the scene, including Jordan Rudess, David Maxim Micic, outside of his Haken band-mate Ross Jennings. Other collaboration successes include the nifty drumming skills of Matt Lynch (Band-mates with on Nova Collective) and an incredible vocal performance by Ben Levin (Bent Knee) on “Lunar Room”.

Notable Tracks – “Cocoon”, “Lunar Room”, “Twisted Shadows”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

Edge of Reality – In Static

Genre – Progressive Metal (Clean Vocals)

Label – Independent

One of the underground gems of the year is by the budding American band Edge of Reality. Taking heavily from bands such as Between the Buried and Me and Native Construct, but opting for a more clean vocal approach, the album consists of very varied moments of inspiration often within the same tracks, let alone its entirety. The vocal prowess of Jesse Brock, who has since left the band, unfortunately, shines throughout – with “Lovestruck” and “Azira” being notable highlights of his vocal range. Additionally, the band integrates electronic elements very well, occasionally employing them for the atmosphere using a Vangelis-like touch.

Notable Tracks – “Azira”, “Attack of the Great Worm”, “Puzzle Man”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

Immortal Bird – Thrive on Neglect

Genre – Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal (Harsh Vocals)

Label – 20 Buck Spin

Immortal Bird’s sophomore effort hits all the right notes that another progressive-blackened death metal band, Horrendous, did last year, involving crunchy and progressive riffing, busy drumming, crushing vocals with a blackened crust, and polished production. The relentless face-numbing heaviness is riveting and the conciseness of the album keeps you coming back for seconds and thirds.

Notable Tracks – “Avolition”, “Solace in Dead Structures”, “Quisquilian Company”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

Allegaeon – Apoptosis

Genre – Technical Death Metal , Progressive Metal (Harsh Vocals)

Label – Metal Blade Records

Allegaeon have been active for a decade now, and have carved out a niche for themselves in the increasingly crowded progressive/technical death metal scene thanks to a unique combination of rapid-fire riffing and vocal delivery, latin acoustic arrangements and a slightly muddy production style. Riley Mcshane has a slightly underused but promising clean voice, with a close resemblance to Tim Charles of Ne Obliviscaris. They also use influences from other major acts such as Archspire, with spiraling, fast-tapped bass-lines making a prominent impact on tracks such as “Extremophiles (B)”.

Notable Tracks – “Stellar Tidal Disruption”, “Exothermic Chemical Combustion”, “The Secular Age”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

Hath – Of Rot and Ruin

Genre – Death Metal, Progressive Metal (Harsh Vocals)

Label – Willowtip Records

Hath’s ‘Of Rot and Ruin’ is the only album this year has come close to match the latest Slugdge release (This blog’s AOTY of 2018), emulating its strengths to near perfection, best seen on the opening tracks of “Usurpation”, “Currents” and “Rituals”. They involve heavy, hard-hitting riffs and smashing harshes, with occasional breaks filled with beautiful melodies and solos. A few latin strings that are employed during the album serve as the major difference from the former, with other surprises such as bass solos and pace interchanges keep things engrossing.

Notable Tracks – “Usurpation”, “Rituals”, “Currents”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

Umpfel – As the Waters Cover the Sea

Genre – Progressive Rock, Experimental Rock (Mixed Vocals)

Label – Independent

‘As the Waters Cover the Sea‘ is experimental rock done right, challenging traditional rhythms and riffs while maintaining a level of catchiness that is fundamental for accessibility. The guitars and keyboards are the main partners in experimentation, switching between bluesy solos, math and djent riffs and tapped lines, while the interchanging clean and harsh vocals are well integrated. One of the highlights is the instrumental title track, filled with opening piano melodies and alternating riffs, followed by gorgeous guitar licks and a Jakub Zytecki solo.

Notable Tracks – “Shofar”, “As the Waters Cover the Sea”, “Sphere of War ”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

A Novelist – Folie

Genre – Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Label – Independent

‘Folie’ has a technical death metal nucleus in its writing, with several sprinkles of jazz and progressive flair, as well as mixed vocals à la core, expertly used both alone and when superimposed. The further addition of crying saxophones in the surround lend a somber edge to the music and Jamie King’s production is dynamic. “Caveat Lector” and “Apparitions” are both great songs for one to discover the band, portraying the above traits as well as others such as bass breakdowns and crisp blast beats.

Notable Tracks – “Apparitions”, “Caveat Lector”, “Stockholm Blues”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music// YouTube // Bandcamp

Destrage – The Chosen One

Genre – Metalcore, Progressive Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Label – Metal Blade Records

Italian melodic and progressive metalcore Italian band Destrage released an album this year that has gone under the radar of many publications and listeners alike but is highly worth a listen. ‘The Chosen One’ is progressive metalcore at its finest, featuring polished mixed vocals with varying influences, technical yet melodic guitar-work and a whole bag of surprises to keep one engaged. As part of an incredible midsection of the album, “At the Cost the Pleasure” and “Mr Bugman” are a blast, with drifting cleans, fitting oriental touches and a startling saxophone solo.

Notable Tracks – “Mr Bugman”, “At the Cost of Pleasure”, “About That”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

Nick Johnston – Wide Eyes in the Dark

Genre – Progressive Rock (Instrumental)

Label – Independent

In the era of technical guitar maestros such as Tosin Abasi and Plini, Nick Johnston opts for an approach to his writing that concentrates more on feeling and atmosphere, often involving a simple core structure. Each song has a beautiful melody, either on the piano or guitar, which the entire song is built around, with the latter providing licks and bluesy bends that bewitchingly fill up the song-length. The “Every Drop of Blood” duology and “In the Mouth of the Wold” tracks are perfect examples of these strengths, while the title track shows he has more tricks up his sleeve with a funky riff and smooth groove.

Notable Tracks – “Every Drop of Blood, Pt. 1”, “In The Mouth of the Wolf”, “These Echoes”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

Blood Incantation – Hidden History of the Human Race

Genre – Death Metal, Progressive Metal (Harsh Vocals)

Label – Century Media Records

‘Hidden History…‘ is the average metal listeners’ preferred death metal album of the year and one can see why. With plenty of riff references to Death to please the prog-death genre loyalists, it opts for a stripped down old-school approach towards production not very popular among new bands. Add sci-fi lyrics that are à la mode and a sprawling eighteen minute epic, and you have an album that has all the ingredients to become a crowd favourite. Combining these involve great skill though, which the band has an abundance of, from the animated drumming to the reverberating bass to the low, droning growls.

Notable Tracks – “Awakening from the Dream of Existence… ”, “The Giza Power Plant”, “Slave Species of the Gods”

Opeth – In Cauda Venenum

Genre – Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal (Clean Vocals)

Label – Nuclear Blast

Note: The Swedish album version has been reviewed here.

Opeth’s progressive rock era may not have matched many of their fan-base’s lofty, growling vocals’ involving expectations, but, even with several tip-of-the-hats to genre greats, inimitable personal touches make them distinctly Opeth efforts. This is most evident with ‘In Cauda Venenum’, the ‘loudest’ of his four records in this era, which summons sudden riff transitions, on “Hjärtat Vet Vad Handen Gör” for example, that were last seen on ‘Watershed’. This is also Mikael Åkerfeldt at his most ambitious with his vocals, searching for higher and more forceful notes on tracks such as “Minnets Yta” that he executes astoundingly well. ‘Sorceress’ may have already introduced folk elements, but they also sound more well-integrated on ‘In Cauda Venenum’.

Notable Tracks – “Ingen sanning är allas”, “Minnets Yta”, “Hjärtat Vet Vad Handen Gör”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

Leprous – Pitfalls

Genre – Art Rock, Progressive Rock (Clean Vocals)

Label – Inside Out Music

As Leprous steadily starts to gain more traction that it has more than deserved during the past decade, it faces a question that a number of progressive bands, new or old, have had to face in the past – Should the music they make please their current fans, or please those they want to convert into fans? It’s a conundrum that ‘Pitfalls’ answers quite interestingly with two halves. The first one is filled with tracks displaying their maturing poppy sensibilities (“Alleviate” is a mighty single) and Einar Solberg playing a more prominent role than ever, while the second is a surprising throwback to ‘Coal’ and ‘Bilateral’ eras with tracks such as “At the Bottom” and “The Sky is Red”, with further collaborations from cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne, and newfound electronic inspiration from Massive Attack.

Notable Tracks – “At the Bottom”, “I Lose Hope”, “Distant Bells”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

The Aristocrats – You Know What…?

Genre – Progressive Rock, Jazz-Rock (Instrumental)

Label – Independent

The Aristocrats, the instrumental ‘super’ trio consisting of Guthrie Govan, Bryan Beller and Marco Minneman put out their fourth studio album after five years, and it includes few of their strongest tracks to date. Govan’s writing and executing of bends and solos on tracks such as “Spiritus Cactus” and “The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyne” are especially remarkable, showing restraint and emotion that often escapes his music. The jazz and blues influences are ever-present while latin ones in songs such as “Spanish Eddie” are effortlessly integrated, keeping the overall Western theme in focus.

Notable Tracks – “Spanish Eddie”, “Spiritus Cactus”, “The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

Magma – Zëss (Le jour du néant)

Genre (RYM) – Zeuhl, Progressive Rock (Clean Vocals)

Label – Seventh Records

Magma, the legendary band behind Zeuhl, led by drummer and longstanding member Christian Vander, prove that age is just a number with this timeless rendition of a composition that dates back to the seventies. Consisting of a single thirty-eight minute track, it sticks for most of the part with a steady piano riff and drum beat, what music theorists call an ‘ostinato’. The real brilliance lies in the vocal performances by Vander, which open in the spoken word format in French and the constructed Kobaïan, followed by more symphonic takes with the help of his wife, Stella Vander, and a supporting ensemble. The orchestra is also beautifully integrated, giving the composition the grandeur it deserves.

Notable Tracks – All of them 😉

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

Disillusion – The Liberation

Genre (RYM) – Progressive Metal, Melodic Death Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Label – Prophecy Productions

The German’s band first album in thirteen years proves to be worth the wait, with a monstrous hour of jam-packed heavy riffs, incredible harsh and clean vocal performances and thunderous drumming, The Ocean being a good comparison overall sound-wise. The trio of epics, “Wintertide”, “The Liberation” and “The Mountain” all take you on wild journeys involving epic openings, softer passage collapses and eventual crushing build-ups. But the band also fits in softer, hard-rock, styled songs with simple but effective on clean vocals on tracks such as “Time to Let Go”.

Notable Tracks – “Wintertide”, “Time to Let Go”, “The Great Unknown”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

iamthemorning – The Bell

Genre – Progressive Rock, Chamber Folk (Clean Vocals)

Label – Kscope

The Russian duo behind iamthemorning, Marjana Semkina and Gleb Kolyadin, have appeared as guest and studio musicians on several albums since their last studio album, ‘Lighthouse’. ‘The Bell’ takes it up a notch and delivers consistently engaging soundscapes and melodies, while adding a host of guest instrumentalists for variety, one of which is percussionist Evan Carson. His debut album also makes this list and his alliance with Kolyadin is proving to be a blossoming one. Semkina’s ever-slightly breathy vocals build on the album towards yet-unheard-before aggression, alternating with soft Enya-invoking passages. Kolyadin is the modern progressive rock scene’s most exciting pianist, his lines beautifully reflecting classical influence that genre greats such as Tony Banks used to glorious effect.

Notable Tracks – “Freak Show”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Blue Sea”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

Artificial Language – Now We Sleep

Genre (RYM) – Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock (Clean Vocals)

Label – Independent

Artificial Language’s second album in two years features catchy, djent-y riffs, and pristine vocals with Einar Solberg being a massive influence. Neoclassical hints arise from both the the guitar and the piano, the latter often bursting into delightful fills and solos. The production is stellar, with crispy tones for all instruments involved and perfect layering of vocals particularly in the title track, which includes a Michael Lessard (The Contortionist) guest spot and a well thought-out reprise. The first half with tracks such as “The Back of My Mind”, ” Pulses” and “Further from the Surface” is especially addictive goodness.

Notable Tracks – “Now We Sleep”, “Pulses”, “Further From the Surface”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

Soen – Lotus

Genre – Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock (Clean Vocals)

Label – Silver Lining Music

Swedish super-group Soen are slowly establishing themselves among the progressive metal elites with yet another consistent album, ‘Lotus’. Their songwriting takes heavy influence from both Opeth and Tool, though in recent years, this marriage of major influences has spewed an output that has a distinct sound. New guitarist Cody Ford has magic in his fingers that David Gilmour would be proud of; his bluesy bends and stirring solo completely elevate the title track to one of the band’s best tracks altogether; while Martin Lopez’ grooves and Joel Ekelöf‘s vocals, with newfound aggressive notes, remain among the best in business.

Notable Tracks – “Lotus”, “Martyrs”, “Rival”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

Blut Aus Nord – Hallucinogen

Genre – Atmospheric Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Progressive Metal (Harsh Vocals)

Label – Eitrin Editions

One of the most unlikely of entries here is from black metal legends Blut Aus Nord, whose stark departure towards progressive and atmospheric writing deserves utmost praise. The tremolo melodies are untiring, layered over drowned screams and chants as well as varied, blast-beat charged drumming and dissonant touches that are genre pillars. The album also includes rapid transitions and uncommon time signatures that prog fans love to dissect, on tracks such as “Nebeleste” and “Haallucinählia”. The album is also incredibly accessible thanks to its gazy style of production which makes it a great entry point for those still struggling with extreme metal.

Notable Tracks – “Haallucinählia”, “Nebeleste”, “Nomos Nebuleam”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

#6

Bent Knee – You Know What They Mean

Genre – Art Rock, Progressive Rock, Experimental Rock (Clean Vocals)

Label – Inside Out Music

American experimental and progressive rockers Bent Knee are back with their their most consistent album yet. It combines their usual wide array of influences, such as psychedelic, drone and indie rock, without losing touch of the overall album vision. The core strengths of Courtney Swain‘s incredibly dynamic vocals and the groovy bass and drum rhythms remain, with “Give Us the Gold” and “Catch Light” portraying these attributes at their finest. The alternating softer and harder songs work very smoothly, another sign of songwriting and pacing prowess that the band keeps getting better at.

Notable Tracks – “Catch Light”, “Give Us The Gold”, “Garbage Shark”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

#5

The Odious – Vesica Piscis

Genre – Progressive Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Label – Independent

The Odious’ ‘Vesica Piscis’ is their first output after seven years, filled with supremely inventive, compelling and fresh tracks. The instruments take various influences such as deathcore, jazz and technical death metal while the clean vocals have a distinct grunge flavour to them: the album packages all of this with surprising coherence. The thin guitar tone is slightly marring at first, but creates a surprising amount of heaviness in its groovy chugs. There are also several moments of inspiration, such as chicken plucked riffs, electronic and 8-bit intros, dissonant cries and flooring guitar and bass solos.

Notable Tracks – “Hastor the Shepard Gaunt”, “Vesica Piscis”, “Arbiter of Taste”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

#4

Evan Carson – Ocipinksi

Genre – Progressive Rock, Progressive Folk (Clean Vocals)

Label – Independent

Evan Carson’s debut is unwonted, pretty and daring. Inspired lyrically by the story of his own grandfather and the Polish Resistance Movements during WW2, it combines symphonic progressive rock, cinematic and classical influences with a novel approach to percussion. It includes an exceptional collaboration with Gleb Kolyadin (iamthemorning) whose piano melodies fit perfectly in with the album vision, and both vocal and instrumentalist guest spots, notably from Jim Grey (Caligula’s Horse), whose contribution on “Otriad” is an album highlight.

Notable Tracks – “Shards”, “Otriad”, “The Fireflies of Falaise”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // Bandcamp

#3

Periphery – Periphery IV: Hail Stan

Genre – Djent, Progressive Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Label – Century Media Records / 3DOT Recordings

Periphery’s newest effort is meticulously crafted, ambitious in its vision and marvelous in execution. From the first minute of the behemoth “Reptile” to the last minute of the groovy “Satellites”, it finds moments of inspiration from its best-in-class instrumentalists. The thundering “Blood Eagle” is a great proof of seasoned writing, reaching anthem status with its snappy main riff and winding solo. “It’s Only Smiles” is unapologetically poppy in its production and soppy in its lyrics, and the album is all the better for it. The most divisive element of the band is the vocals of Spencer Sotelo, whose core screams and growls are hard to get into, but the notes he reaches quite regularly are astonishing. In a year where a number of progressive metal stalwarts put out great albums, ‘PIV’ emerges ever slightly over the rest.

Notable Tracks – “Blood Eagle”, “It’s Only Smiles”, “Sentient Glow”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

#2

Wilderun – Veil of Imagination

Genre – Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Label – Independent

Wilderun’s much awaited return is a dense and extravagant effort that finds itself among the very best of the year, genre not withstanding. The opener “The Unimaginable Zero Summer” is an immaculate masterpiece, combining achingly beautiful melodies and symphonies with thundering, baleful sections, transitioning into each other with silky scrupulousness that very few bands are capable of. Moreover, the album combines genres such as progressive, symphonic and power metal influences with harsh vocals that other bands have rarely found success with, making it a shining beacon of genre mashing.

Notable Tracks – “The Unimaginable Zero Summer”, “The Tyranny of Imagination”, “Far From Where Dreams Unfurl”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp

#1

Devin Townsend – Empath

Genre (RYM) – Progressive Metal, Avant-Garde Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Label – InsideOutMusic / HevyDevy Records

Devin Townsend’s first album ‘Empath’ after the dissolution of his Devin Townsend Project ensemble had all the early signs of an effort larger than life, involving a cluster of talented session musicians and an orchestra as well as a huge declared production budget, a large part of which was funded by the man himself. He ultimately delivered one that ranks among the very best of his three-decade long discography.

The pre-release “Genesis” is a brilliantly put-together overview, deliciously addictive with its wah-wahs and groovy drumming, as well as fun cartoonish synth touches and a Ziltoid tip-of-the-hat. “Singularity” is one his strongest ever, a twenty-eight minute colossus with major album ideas gelled together through flawless transitions. It involves psychedelic guitar bends, vocals that range from soft to hellish screams, both groovy and unbelievably fast blast beats, massive outros and a quirky and lengthy instrumental passage in its six different acts, which also features most of the cast he assembled. The rest of the album has stacks of incredible moments too, from the fantastical “Why?”, which has his best vocal performance in a while, to the endearing ‘symphonic disco’ outro of “Sprite”.

The album may not be for everyone: It’s long, quirky, and stuffs so many ideas and themes into one album that cohesion seem almost impossible, yet largely achieved. Ultimately, it is a love letter to his fans, among whom the writer of this blog finds himself. ‘Empath’ is an unmissable experience, one which requires patience and an undoubted devotion to one of the great musicians of our era.

Notable Tracks – “Singularity”, “Genesis”, “Why?”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube

⊕ Playlists⊕

1. Compilation of the above 25 albums

2. Compilation of favourite progressive songs of 2019 with clean vocals

3. Compilation of favourite progressive songs of 2019 with mixed/harsh vocals

Page 1: Best Prog Albums of the Year

Page 2: Best Non-Prog Albums of the Year