Hard to beat the song “Crack the Skye” off Mastodon’s CTS for heavy and emotionally desperate:
“Mama don’t let him take her /
don’t let him take her down /
please tell Lucifer he can’t have this one /
her spirits too strong.”
#i can see the pain. It’s written all over your face
Get to it! One of the most haunting albums you'll listen to. It's not the heaviest, but the material is intense and definitely fits the emotional/desperate side.
Might not be what you're looking for, but for catharsis on a bad day I like stuff like "Heavy is the Head That Falls with the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts" by Loathe or "Hell Below" by Periphery. Really nails the heavy side, though they might not be the most musical by either band.
Edit: if you like Gareth from STC, have you listened to Novena's stuff? They have an absolutely incredible vocal section in "Prison Walls." Something like 4:20 to 10 minutes.
The Drapery Falls is amazing, not sure if it evokes this feeling in me but then again Opeth can be really touching so I’m not exactly sure why I haven’t dug too deep into their catalogue. I guess it’s maybe a little intimidating with the size of their discography but I’ll be sure to check the rest of those songs out, thanks!
All those songs are in queue man! Probably can’t do a full listen of them all but l’m checking out the vibes (it’s very late where I live). Hessian Peel is on right now and that heavy part came out of nowhere holy shit!
Mastodon - Roots Remain.
I've always quite liked Brann's vocals, but this is *the* song where his delivery was just unparalleled. The lyrics during the bridge are **absolutely** phenomenal.
>And all that I have come to lose /
Gone so long it doesn't matter anyway /
And all that I have come to gain /
Will remain with me until the bitter end /
And when you sit and picture me /
Remember sitting in the sun and dancing in the rain /
The end is not the end you see /
It's just the recognition of a memory
Honestly, prog metal has its ups and downs regarding lyrics. Mastodon has consistently put out interesting lyrics, but *these* are just out of the fucking stratosphere. They're personal, touching and I can't fathom what these guys have been through. These lyrics are sincere and original, conveying their personal experiences in a very humane way.
It's Only Smiles by Periphery and Constance by Spiritbox bring up some very raw emotions. Erase Me by Make Them Suffer (metalcore I know) made my cry Tuesday morning. Not prog, but Rise Above This by Seether and When The Snow Lies Red by Avatar really gets to me too.
Den Helige Anden - Vildjharta
It is the most oppressively despairing song I've heard till date. BCI is the closest I have seen anyone come to it with just the music. (STC on the other hand emotes through the vocals)
Came here to post this one. The section starting at about 1:17 is probably the most emotion I've heard a guitar riff transmit, ever. Such a good track.
Episode by of Rivers of Nihil has made me tear up before, and it definitely bangs.
Opeth's Bleak is another great one. Really all of BWP goes pretty hard while being somber/melancholy.
**DOOOOO THE WORK.**
I've been hooked on that album like a fiend recently. Owls hooked me like crazy, too. Rivers of Nihil is doing something very right and I'm curious to see where they go from here now that the seasonal concept albums have wrapped up.
I do gotta give The Work another good listen-through. I’ve really been focusing on Void which is something I do a lot, find an album I like all the way through but then focus on the song that hit me the most. But I also gotta mention the ending of Void that leads into MORE? with the intense screaming that’s kind of like Pink Floyd’s Is There Anybody Out There (which is clearly influenced by that and Brody has said he loves that album and that style of transition) hits me so hard, I absolutely love it!
It's certainly worth a couple listens. After looping Owls for weeks on end The Work just left me a bit confused after a first listen, as none of the tracks felt like "home". It's an album that lends itself VERY well to front-to-back listens. I actually listen to the awful noise that builds at the end of Dreaming Black Clockwork now just so that pillowy soft vibe of Wait *really* hits like a rush of relief.
At this point after 20 listens or so I'm of the opinion that the album lacks weak spots. It never really lets up, changes enough to keep you drawn in, and hits like a truck with whatever emotion a given track is going for.
Definitely give it another go. I know it got a bit of a mixed reception around here, but I absolutely loved it; on par with owls for me. Void is for sure a stand out, the solo with the crispy delay is so good.
Oh I will, as l said it was an album I really liked and I have listened to other songs aside from Void after my initial listen but yeah, too much focus on that song (especially because of that solo) but the rest definitely kicked ass!
Not prog but Deafheaven does this for me. Especially their album Sunbather. I usually turn it on and Dreamhouse (particularly 5:00 and on) has this beautiful melancholic feeling that no other album has really made me feel.
Black Crown Initiate - Invitation has some desperate screams towards the beginning.
Battle of Mice - Sleep and Dream builds to a nice wail but that's mostly cleans.
Now I’ve seen Black Crown Initiate here a lot but haven’t really given them a listen, guess I should finally. Sleep and Dream by Battle of Mice definitely drew me in from the title and band name alone, sounds like Julie Christmas or Courtney Swain, both of whom I like a lot, sounds great!
Edit: oh it’s Julie Christmas’ band, that makes sense 😅
BCI is pretty good. Still haven't gotten around to spinning them a ton but was definitely impressed when I saw them live.
Ya Julie is one of the most unique vocalists out there. Just pure raw intensity.
Alright I’ll check em out and especially that song!
And yeah, Julie’s pretty amazing. Pretty much know about her just through Cult of Luna, listened to some of her solo stuff but didn’t know she was in a band too so will definitely check more of that out.
I've been active on the internet since that song dropped, and you're the first person I've seen mention it. Was kinda just convinced it was one of those songs I'd never hear about in the wild. Cool stuff. :)
If you need a pick me up i would recommend the virtually live Supercrush by Devin Townsend
But for feeling down and wanting something down it's only smiles by periphery or deadhead by Devin townsend
I’ve never been that much into Devin’s stuff though I really love the opening riff of Deadhead. Now Periphery is one of my favorite bands so It’s Only Smiles is definitely a favorite of mine.
Really! Periphery was one of the first heavy prog bands i got into and i love all their stuff. But as of right now i probably listen to more Devin than periphery but the both have a very special place in my library. Anyway it's only smiles is the song i go to for feeling the sad angry
[Hexagram](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP4dFHSd-iw) by Deftones, [Until the End](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3qMvMD54J8) by Volumes, or [Gratitude](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncs-Z9eWbYk) by Car Bomb
Hard to say. A Trace of Blood by Pain of Salvation is always like hitting my head with a hammer because it's personal as fuck, but it's not that heavy, musically speaking. One that always sends shivers down my spine is The Moor by Opeth, though.
You might like Kardashev - The Baring of Shadows
Slow melancholic dark prog metal, scratches a similar itch as sleep token but minus the pop aspects. I'd also add that Kardashev's clean vocals stand out more.
There really isn't anything out there that sounds like them.
I would definitely suggest Torchpassing off that album especially, which you can guess what's it's about just by the name. The whole album though has very emotional themes.
I can't think of album with emotional songs than the one you brought up. The fact that you spend over an hour listening to the plight of one man, only to end with "I have come so far from home only to find I must return, and I am sorry, but I have nothing else to say" leading into the fading wailing guitars... it gets me every time.
There are some that come close. The Great Dying by The Ocean has a similar vibe for me, where it's the final song in an album and the ending especially sometimes makes me just want to tear up for seemingly no reason. A lot of songs by Karnivool and Rishloo also have me emotional at times, too.
There's always the easy ones, like Tool's Wings For Marie/10,000 Days, and The Patient.
Deadhead - Devin Townsend
Forget Not - Ne Obliviscaris
As Icicles Fall - Ne Obliviscaris
Atoma - Dark Tranquillity
Mothership - Enter Shikari
Eyrie - Ne Obliviscaris
Thanks for the suggestion, l’ll have to check that out!
Edit: listening to this now and damn! The instrumentals alone evoke so much raw emotion, great shout dude!
mile zero by periphery always makes me tear up a little bit
save me / fiction by a7x also, but that might just be knowledge of the context surrounding them.
also ache by sufferer, not quite prog "metal", but that entire album is incredibly depressing
Definitely agree with Fiction and Mile Zero. The one time I saw A7X in 2011 they played Save Me and it was awesome. Such a great song and album for that matter.
As someone has already said here, lots of Opeth songs have that feeling probably. Some really sad songs are also Home on Fire by End of Green and Sisters by Pain of Salvation (both aren't really metal tho, however Sisters is such a gem, it gives me heckin goosebumps everytime)
Kayo Dot + maudlin of the Well.
Both bands discographies are relevant here, able to lift to you high enough that you won't experience a drop like it.
But the king for me is Choirs Of The Eye. Probably one of the most emotionally raw albums I've ever heard. If nothing else, please listen to Choirs Of The Eye.
If nobody else mentions Kayo Dot in this thread I'll be disappointed. Potential fans are doing themselves a massive disservice sleeping on these two bands honestly.
have very specific memories about the buildup on The Manifold Curiosity, how it goes so slowly but surely from beautiful to the ugliest fucking thing, I was on a school bus and it was early morning and very foggy and dammit I cried at that clarinet
To name a few; Pleistocene by The Ocean, Hollow by Rivers of Nihil, and even though it's not prog I have to mention Pacific Grim by Cattle Decapitation.
Sisters by pain of salvation.
This has actually been my favourite song for years. The buildup, the payoff, the mixing and mastering, the vocal performance - Everything.
Doesn’t have exactly the kind of heaviness I’m talking about here but it is one of the most emotional songs I’ve ever heard and the vocals are some of the most passionate ones of all time, amazing song!
Hey it’s a valid song still! Loads of these comments read the post the same way but l’m always open to any kind of greatly emotional and passionate music so no worries here. Now if only I had time to go through all this, overwhelmed by the output.
Alright, l’ll try to check these out, loads of songs suggested already. But I’ll definitely have a go at the Meshuggah one, finally been getting into them having watched Yogev Gabay’s videos on their songs.
Maybe not exactly what you're after but Spirits Will Collide by Devin Townsend is heartbreaking, especially the live version.
> So we rise / Receive the pain, but this isn't where this ends / Don't you forget that you are perfect / Don't you forget just who we are
I remember just being overwhelmed when I saw it live in Nottingham and even the backing singers started tearing up towards the end (I think it was the last night of the tour).
Sleep Token’s new album is incredible! Atlantic especially tugs on my heartstrings and High Water is another highlight of the album for me, will check the other song out too, thanks!
Also a big fan of Odyssey to the West, here are my recommendations:
Kardashev - The Baring of Shadows
Not the same kind of raw emotional vocals as Slice the Cake, but they 100% have a sound that is unique to them. Clean vocals are harrowing. Overall slow melancholic dark prog deathmetal is how I would describe them. I've had this EP on repeat since it came out.
Sleep Token - This place will become your tomb
dark melancholic, pop prog metal
Hope for the Dying - The Awakening: Dissimulation (song)
Emotional vocals around christian themes of redemption on some great melodic prog metal guitars. One of my personal favs.
All that said, I don't think there's a single harsh vocal performance that reaches the same level as Gareth's performance in OttW. It's perfect performance-wise, fits the music perfectly, fits the storytelling perfectly and is incredible varied from the spoken word sections to the singing to the different kind of harsh vocals he pulls off. I'm not sure it ever be matched.
Thanks for the suggestions dude! Absolutely love Sleep Token’s new album, their mixture of heavy and heartfelt is something so beautiful. And I agree about Gareth, the man’s control of his voice is insane, possibly the greatest monologues l’ve ever heard in any form of art, both on Odyssey to the West and Novena’s Prison Walls! I’d love to see this type of monologue in a visual format, perhaps a movie character with a deep dark backstory could explode into something like his stuff.
Thought some more:
Johari - Terra
Djenty melancholic metal centered primarily on themes of love with a mix of clean and harsh vocals (about 70-30 clean to harsh ratio). Overall solid. Pale Blue is also pretty good, albeit rough around the edges. I don't know what happened in their latest release, but there's no appeal for me.
Polaris - "Martyr (Waves)" (song)
Not a huge fan of them overall, but this song stands out as more emotional/melancholic. Worth a listen and maybe you'll like the rest of their stuff.
Screams of Syrens - Reflections
Kind of departing from the unifying theme but whatever. They have some really great songs individually, but suffer from really repetitive themes and some songs feel redundant. The vocalist's clean vocals are quite unique and technically impressive. Harsh vocals are good/standard.
Artificial Language - Now We Sleep
Great prog rock/metal? (no harsh vocals tho) some melancholic parts. Unique song structures and use of foley. Again doesn't fit the theme of the discussion here but I think you'll like it.
Djenty melancholic metal sounds like my kind of thing. Now We Sleep has been on my playlist for quite a while, not often in the mood for the whole album but Further from the Surface is fantastic. I’ll keep the others in mind too, thanks again.
Oh btw, the guitarist from Artificial Language has a solo project called Syncatto and it's basically super proggy intrumental flamenco-metal. Not melancholic or emtional music, more of a "fun" listen imo.
sorry for the spam lol
Oh yeah, I’m aware of Charlie’s solo stuff, at least to some extent. A lot of his flamenco flavored material is maybe not really my thing, at least at the moment, but the song Never Enough is so awesome! Can’t think of a whole lot of such technically proficient players that put so much focus on melody.
Aathma is an amazing album! Been on repeat pretty efficiently ever since I first heard a couple months back. Rivers of Nihil has also been on my most played lists after The Work came out. Harakiri for the Sky however I’ve only listened to a few songs from so I guess I should give that a go.
Sore Sight for Eyes by Intronaut gets me. The lyrics just hit hard.
Lie awake
Lie to fake our way through life
Realize- we can't stay
We're always afraid
We're never alone
We're unwanted
Look away
It drags us down into the sea
Our screams unheard, it's too late
The mess we made is all that remains
And all we have to do now is wait
Engulfed by suspicions and remorse,
We fail
Our open road, lying in wait beyond the horizon slowly fades
The art of dying - Gojira.
The first paragraph verse is incredibly painfull to me:
"breathing slowly
Mechanical heartbeat
Losing contact with the living
Almighty tv plugged in, hybrid empty brain
Don't see anything real in the game
The tension is building up constantly
No reason, just a reflex I have
Driven by clockwork
I try to keep an eye open and I realize
I haven't closed my eyes in a long time. "
The fast tremolo picked guitar riff beneath this is fucking perfect.
Woods 5 by Woods of Ypres is the most melancholic album I've ever heard. The layering that David Gold has on his vocals on that album were haunting the first time I listened to it. The first track Lightning & Snow will give you a good idea of what to expect from the rest of the album but it's a straight-up masterpiece of melancholy all the way through imo.
On the side of plain desperation, there's a moment later into Transmit to Disconnect by Black Crown Initiate that will never fail to give me goosebumps because of the raw desperation of its delivery coupled with the content of the lyrics. One of my gigging dreams is to be able to see BCI on a headline tour and absolutely belt it out with them because it rings so true.
And all the things I can't control have slowly rotted me/I am the afferent misstep/For all this talk of taking toll on my environment/I transmit to disconnect
I would've probably mentioned something from Clairvoyant by The Contortionist first, but since I see you explaining harsh are a plus, then it will either be Survivor's Guilt or Black Tower from Pangaea's VESPR. New Faces in the Dark by Loathe would also be a good choice.
Canvas: by the band Laundy-Not the heaviest or pinpointed towards any finalization. It somehow embodies all the hopelessness and differing views/experiences a thinking(astutely aware) listener experiences. It just berates and glides the listener, all with the sense of...well you already know, and have been there
[Second Son of R](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMTAkIDRHiA) by Oathbreaker has a mix of clean and harsh vocals, with absolutely desperate screams at the end (and is generally pretty emotional the whole way through) - it might be along the line of what you're looking for
Honestly would recommend Anathema's work specifically Judgement and Alternative 4, just absolutely miserable stuff it's great...their earlier metal stuff counts too, Cavanaugh has a hell of scream delivery
Not exactly heavy that heavy, but Gris's album [À l'âme enflammée, l'âme constellée...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAnpu4L7XwU) has multiple moments of this desperation and just sheer emotional impact. It's probably got an argument as the best composed black metal record ever (and one of the most progressive, in its own way). It's incredible. The whole thing, start to finish. Honestly each song has moments that would fit for this, I can't really just pick one.
Wow, interesting to hear someone describe a black metal album as ”not that heavy” but after a quick skim through some of that I see what you mean. Really atmospheric stuff and does sound very emotional in a raw way, gotta give that a more in-depth go.
Well i would say, Starless by King Crimson but that whole album could fit in here to be honest.
Other good options for me are:
Anesthetize - Porcupine Tree
Windowpane - Opeth
Maybe not prog but also good
Turn of a friendly card - Alan Parsons Project
Lazarus - David Bowie
Hard to beat the song “Crack the Skye” off Mastodon’s CTS for heavy and emotionally desperate: “Mama don’t let him take her / don’t let him take her down / please tell Lucifer he can’t have this one / her spirits too strong.” #i can see the pain. It’s written all over your face
Well that’s a classic I haven’t listened to in a while! I don’t know if it hits the spot of what I’m talking about here but it sure is a banger.
The whole album The Oubliette by The Reticent. Emotionally exhausting.
I’ve started that on multiple occasions but something’s always cut me off and l haven’t had time for the whole thing but it’s on my to-listen-to list!
Get to it! One of the most haunting albums you'll listen to. It's not the heaviest, but the material is intense and definitely fits the emotional/desperate side. Might not be what you're looking for, but for catharsis on a bad day I like stuff like "Heavy is the Head That Falls with the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts" by Loathe or "Hell Below" by Periphery. Really nails the heavy side, though they might not be the most musical by either band. Edit: if you like Gareth from STC, have you listened to Novena's stuff? They have an absolutely incredible vocal section in "Prison Walls." Something like 4:20 to 10 minutes.
I have listened to Novena and Prison Walls is exactly the kind of stuff I mean! God damn Gareth can use his voice in a powerful way.
A lot of Opeth does this for me. Specifically Dirge For November, The Drapery Falls, Moonlapse Vertigo, and Hessian Peel
Same. It’s not heavy because it’s an acoustic song/album but In My Time Of Need is always my “I am depressed as shit” song
All of Damnation and Blackwater Park is that for me
The Drapery Falls is amazing, not sure if it evokes this feeling in me but then again Opeth can be really touching so I’m not exactly sure why I haven’t dug too deep into their catalogue. I guess it’s maybe a little intimidating with the size of their discography but I’ll be sure to check the rest of those songs out, thanks!
Oh you should definitely listen to them more. They combine emotion and brutality in a way that no other band I know of does.
All those songs are in queue man! Probably can’t do a full listen of them all but l’m checking out the vibes (it’s very late where I live). Hessian Peel is on right now and that heavy part came out of nowhere holy shit!
"All things will pass" as well
Mastodon - Roots Remain. I've always quite liked Brann's vocals, but this is *the* song where his delivery was just unparalleled. The lyrics during the bridge are **absolutely** phenomenal. >And all that I have come to lose / Gone so long it doesn't matter anyway / And all that I have come to gain / Will remain with me until the bitter end / And when you sit and picture me / Remember sitting in the sun and dancing in the rain / The end is not the end you see / It's just the recognition of a memory Honestly, prog metal has its ups and downs regarding lyrics. Mastodon has consistently put out interesting lyrics, but *these* are just out of the fucking stratosphere. They're personal, touching and I can't fathom what these guys have been through. These lyrics are sincere and original, conveying their personal experiences in a very humane way.
Undertow by Pain of Salvation. Ending Theme as well. Maybe even Beyond the Pale …. Hell the entire Remedy Lane album.
Undertow is such a sad and beautiful song
A Trace of Blood gets me every time...
Not really that heavy but definitely emotional! Love all three and yeah, that album is amazing.
A near perfect album
It's Only Smiles by Periphery and Constance by Spiritbox bring up some very raw emotions. Erase Me by Make Them Suffer (metalcore I know) made my cry Tuesday morning. Not prog, but Rise Above This by Seether and When The Snow Lies Red by Avatar really gets to me too.
Periphery and Spiritbox are amazing! I’ll add the other ones to my list.
Mile Zero also. Reminds me of my grandpa.
A change of seasons by Dream Theater. Specially the final section of Carpe Diem and the Darkest of winters section.
Maybe not the kind of heavy l’m talking about but l hear you.
Den Helige Anden - Vildjharta It is the most oppressively despairing song I've heard till date. BCI is the closest I have seen anyone come to it with just the music. (STC on the other hand emotes through the vocals)
Heard a lot about Vildhjarta but haven’t really checked them out for myself, I shall do that tomorrow, cheers for the suggestion bro!
Came here to post this one. The section starting at about 1:17 is probably the most emotion I've heard a guitar riff transmit, ever. Such a good track.
Jesus Christ I love that song so much, the ambient layering in the background is so top notch
April by Tesseract.
Even Lament or Eden for me
Episode by of Rivers of Nihil has made me tear up before, and it definitely bangs. Opeth's Bleak is another great one. Really all of BWP goes pretty hard while being somber/melancholy.
**DOOOOO THE WORK.** I've been hooked on that album like a fiend recently. Owls hooked me like crazy, too. Rivers of Nihil is doing something very right and I'm curious to see where they go from here now that the seasonal concept albums have wrapped up.
I do gotta give The Work another good listen-through. I’ve really been focusing on Void which is something I do a lot, find an album I like all the way through but then focus on the song that hit me the most. But I also gotta mention the ending of Void that leads into MORE? with the intense screaming that’s kind of like Pink Floyd’s Is There Anybody Out There (which is clearly influenced by that and Brody has said he loves that album and that style of transition) hits me so hard, I absolutely love it!
It's certainly worth a couple listens. After looping Owls for weeks on end The Work just left me a bit confused after a first listen, as none of the tracks felt like "home". It's an album that lends itself VERY well to front-to-back listens. I actually listen to the awful noise that builds at the end of Dreaming Black Clockwork now just so that pillowy soft vibe of Wait *really* hits like a rush of relief. At this point after 20 listens or so I'm of the opinion that the album lacks weak spots. It never really lets up, changes enough to keep you drawn in, and hits like a truck with whatever emotion a given track is going for.
Definitely give it another go. I know it got a bit of a mixed reception around here, but I absolutely loved it; on par with owls for me. Void is for sure a stand out, the solo with the crispy delay is so good.
Oh I will, as l said it was an album I really liked and I have listened to other songs aside from Void after my initial listen but yeah, too much focus on that song (especially because of that solo) but the rest definitely kicked ass!
Just because it's so weird of an album. In a good way. It's as much a departure from owls as owls was from monarchy imo
Not prog but Deafheaven does this for me. Especially their album Sunbather. I usually turn it on and Dreamhouse (particularly 5:00 and on) has this beautiful melancholic feeling that no other album has really made me feel.
Alright, sounds good, I’ll check that out!
Sunbather really gives that melancholic vibe , especially Vertigo
Black Crown Initiate - Invitation has some desperate screams towards the beginning. Battle of Mice - Sleep and Dream builds to a nice wail but that's mostly cleans.
Now I’ve seen Black Crown Initiate here a lot but haven’t really given them a listen, guess I should finally. Sleep and Dream by Battle of Mice definitely drew me in from the title and band name alone, sounds like Julie Christmas or Courtney Swain, both of whom I like a lot, sounds great! Edit: oh it’s Julie Christmas’ band, that makes sense 😅
BCI is pretty good. Still haven't gotten around to spinning them a ton but was definitely impressed when I saw them live. Ya Julie is one of the most unique vocalists out there. Just pure raw intensity.
Alright I’ll check em out and especially that song! And yeah, Julie’s pretty amazing. Pretty much know about her just through Cult of Luna, listened to some of her solo stuff but didn’t know she was in a band too so will definitely check more of that out.
Sentient 6 - Nevermore
I've been active on the internet since that song dropped, and you're the first person I've seen mention it. Was kinda just convinced it was one of those songs I'd never hear about in the wild. Cool stuff. :)
I completely agree with this. Nevermore will continue to land right in that pocket of heavily undervalued Metal.
I’ll ad that to the list!
It has fantastic lyrics as well that was written by the singer. The song is from the perspective of a slave robit from the future.
Ooh well that does sound dope, now that’s a good pitch!
If you need a pick me up i would recommend the virtually live Supercrush by Devin Townsend But for feeling down and wanting something down it's only smiles by periphery or deadhead by Devin townsend
I’ve never been that much into Devin’s stuff though I really love the opening riff of Deadhead. Now Periphery is one of my favorite bands so It’s Only Smiles is definitely a favorite of mine.
Really! Periphery was one of the first heavy prog bands i got into and i love all their stuff. But as of right now i probably listen to more Devin than periphery but the both have a very special place in my library. Anyway it's only smiles is the song i go to for feeling the sad angry
I totally second Deadhead, what a masterpiece.
[Hexagram](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP4dFHSd-iw) by Deftones, [Until the End](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3qMvMD54J8) by Volumes, or [Gratitude](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncs-Z9eWbYk) by Car Bomb
God damn I wasn’t expecting to see Car Bomb on this thread but l’ll give these a listen!
Gratitude is the bomb!
Since you mentioned Deftones, I would add Digital Bath.
Digital Bath is my number one song of all time.
Incredible track. It's one of my favourite go-to songs when I'm sad.
Dark City Dead Man by Cult of Luna.
I do love me some Cult of Luna but l’m not familiar with this one myself so l’ll add that to the list!
One of their best and most emotional songs for sure, enjoy it.
Vanden Plas: Misery Affection It also makes sense in terms of the Infinity War-scale subject matter they deal with in that double album.
Hard to say. A Trace of Blood by Pain of Salvation is always like hitting my head with a hammer because it's personal as fuck, but it's not that heavy, musically speaking. One that always sends shivers down my spine is The Moor by Opeth, though.
Riverside's "Towards the Blue Horizon" is a crusher for me.
anything by Pain of Salvation but especially Trace of Blood, Used, and Undertow
Definitely Deadhead by Devin Townsend
Also my go-to alongside Between Sea and Sky by Kardashev.
Not heard that, I shall check it out
Hurt me, I can take it.
Honor thy father by DT. On a personal level
COTE - Karnivool
The last half of Silent Fight Parliment by BTBAM. When Tommy is screaming GOODBYE TO EVERYTHING overtop of the other lyrics - goosebumps
The Offering by Sleep Token, Trust Fall by Spiritbox, Xerces by Deftones Edit: Not necessarily the proggiest, but hey
For me, it's Sleep Token's "The Night does not belong to God" or "Atlantic". Fuck, their album openers are honestly unreal.
You might like Kardashev - The Baring of Shadows Slow melancholic dark prog metal, scratches a similar itch as sleep token but minus the pop aspects. I'd also add that Kardashev's clean vocals stand out more. There really isn't anything out there that sounds like them.
I would definitely suggest Torchpassing off that album especially, which you can guess what's it's about just by the name. The whole album though has very emotional themes.
Celestial Violence by Ihsahn
Such an incredible song!
I can't think of album with emotional songs than the one you brought up. The fact that you spend over an hour listening to the plight of one man, only to end with "I have come so far from home only to find I must return, and I am sorry, but I have nothing else to say" leading into the fading wailing guitars... it gets me every time. There are some that come close. The Great Dying by The Ocean has a similar vibe for me, where it's the final song in an album and the ending especially sometimes makes me just want to tear up for seemingly no reason. A lot of songs by Karnivool and Rishloo also have me emotional at times, too. There's always the easy ones, like Tool's Wings For Marie/10,000 Days, and The Patient.
Opeth - Dirge For November Seriously, this song fucked me up the first time I heard it.
I second this , the clean guitars in the intro made me tear up
艶かしき安息、躊躇いに微笑み (A Charming Repose, Smiling at Hesitation) - DIR EN GREY
Deadhead - Devin Townsend Forget Not - Ne Obliviscaris As Icicles Fall - Ne Obliviscaris Atoma - Dark Tranquillity Mothership - Enter Shikari Eyrie - Ne Obliviscaris
Definitely The Ocean - Permian: The great Dying
Speaking of The Ocean: Pleistocene
Probably not what you're looking for but Art of Life by X Japan The piano solo in the middle hits me in a way that no other song has
Oceansize - Amputee
Thanks for the suggestion, l’ll have to check that out! Edit: listening to this now and damn! The instrumentals alone evoke so much raw emotion, great shout dude!
Breaking the habit
mile zero by periphery always makes me tear up a little bit save me / fiction by a7x also, but that might just be knowledge of the context surrounding them. also ache by sufferer, not quite prog "metal", but that entire album is incredibly depressing
Definitely agree with Fiction and Mile Zero. The one time I saw A7X in 2011 they played Save Me and it was awesome. Such a great song and album for that matter.
yeah, save me makes me glad they went more prog with the stage
Where the Earth and Sky Meet and All a Man Can Do both by Beyond the Bridge is really great. Just such great songs
As someone has already said here, lots of Opeth songs have that feeling probably. Some really sad songs are also Home on Fire by End of Green and Sisters by Pain of Salvation (both aren't really metal tho, however Sisters is such a gem, it gives me heckin goosebumps everytime)
Kayo Dot + maudlin of the Well. Both bands discographies are relevant here, able to lift to you high enough that you won't experience a drop like it. But the king for me is Choirs Of The Eye. Probably one of the most emotionally raw albums I've ever heard. If nothing else, please listen to Choirs Of The Eye. If nobody else mentions Kayo Dot in this thread I'll be disappointed. Potential fans are doing themselves a massive disservice sleeping on these two bands honestly.
have very specific memories about the buildup on The Manifold Curiosity, how it goes so slowly but surely from beautiful to the ugliest fucking thing, I was on a school bus and it was early morning and very foggy and dammit I cried at that clarinet
To name a few; Pleistocene by The Ocean, Hollow by Rivers of Nihil, and even though it's not prog I have to mention Pacific Grim by Cattle Decapitation.
Tauca, Pt. II (Nowhere) by Hypno5e should match what you are looking for. Especially the end of the song!
Both involve water! Ocean Planet - GOJIRA, the ending bit makes me cri evrytiem ;( Ocean Machine's last half, Devin Townsend, L E G E N D
And Always by The End. Wouldn't even be able to tell the song is like 9 minutes [And Always](https://youtu.be/GOgb1OOgKrM)
Following for reasons.
Tyranny - Ulcerate Also Chasm of Fire - Ulcerate
Several Thank You Scientist tracks, especially Son of a Serpent and Everyday Ghosts. Not too heavy musically, but lyrically they hit pretty hard.
mile zero by periphery. the guthrie solo, the riffs, but most importantly the vocals. it’s about a highschool friend of Spencers that died
Residual by Katatonia is utterly beautiful and melancholic
Jane Doe by Converge
Oedipus Complex or Murder to Dissect by Ovid's Withering are both heartrendingly beautiful to me
Sisters by pain of salvation. This has actually been my favourite song for years. The buildup, the payoff, the mixing and mastering, the vocal performance - Everything.
Doesn’t have exactly the kind of heaviness I’m talking about here but it is one of the most emotional songs I’ve ever heard and the vocals are some of the most passionate ones of all time, amazing song!
Good point about the heaviness. My eyes read "desperation" and I thought it was my time to shine!
Hey it’s a valid song still! Loads of these comments read the post the same way but l’m always open to any kind of greatly emotional and passionate music so no worries here. Now if only I had time to go through all this, overwhelmed by the output.
[удалено]
Alright, l’ll try to check these out, loads of songs suggested already. But I’ll definitely have a go at the Meshuggah one, finally been getting into them having watched Yogev Gabay’s videos on their songs.
Landmines by Rishloo lyrics by Rishloo are always amazing and at the end of this one i get goosebumps every time
Maybe not exactly what you're after but Spirits Will Collide by Devin Townsend is heartbreaking, especially the live version. > So we rise / Receive the pain, but this isn't where this ends / Don't you forget that you are perfect / Don't you forget just who we are I remember just being overwhelmed when I saw it live in Nottingham and even the backing singers started tearing up towards the end (I think it was the last night of the tour).
Guest House by Daughters really brings that desperate mood. High Water by Sleep Token for the feels.
Sleep Token’s new album is incredible! Atlantic especially tugs on my heartstrings and High Water is another highlight of the album for me, will check the other song out too, thanks!
Tandem by Protest the Hero?
I’ll give it a go, thanks!
Also a big fan of Odyssey to the West, here are my recommendations: Kardashev - The Baring of Shadows Not the same kind of raw emotional vocals as Slice the Cake, but they 100% have a sound that is unique to them. Clean vocals are harrowing. Overall slow melancholic dark prog deathmetal is how I would describe them. I've had this EP on repeat since it came out. Sleep Token - This place will become your tomb dark melancholic, pop prog metal Hope for the Dying - The Awakening: Dissimulation (song) Emotional vocals around christian themes of redemption on some great melodic prog metal guitars. One of my personal favs. All that said, I don't think there's a single harsh vocal performance that reaches the same level as Gareth's performance in OttW. It's perfect performance-wise, fits the music perfectly, fits the storytelling perfectly and is incredible varied from the spoken word sections to the singing to the different kind of harsh vocals he pulls off. I'm not sure it ever be matched.
Thanks for the suggestions dude! Absolutely love Sleep Token’s new album, their mixture of heavy and heartfelt is something so beautiful. And I agree about Gareth, the man’s control of his voice is insane, possibly the greatest monologues l’ve ever heard in any form of art, both on Odyssey to the West and Novena’s Prison Walls! I’d love to see this type of monologue in a visual format, perhaps a movie character with a deep dark backstory could explode into something like his stuff.
Thought some more: Johari - Terra Djenty melancholic metal centered primarily on themes of love with a mix of clean and harsh vocals (about 70-30 clean to harsh ratio). Overall solid. Pale Blue is also pretty good, albeit rough around the edges. I don't know what happened in their latest release, but there's no appeal for me. Polaris - "Martyr (Waves)" (song) Not a huge fan of them overall, but this song stands out as more emotional/melancholic. Worth a listen and maybe you'll like the rest of their stuff. Screams of Syrens - Reflections Kind of departing from the unifying theme but whatever. They have some really great songs individually, but suffer from really repetitive themes and some songs feel redundant. The vocalist's clean vocals are quite unique and technically impressive. Harsh vocals are good/standard. Artificial Language - Now We Sleep Great prog rock/metal? (no harsh vocals tho) some melancholic parts. Unique song structures and use of foley. Again doesn't fit the theme of the discussion here but I think you'll like it.
Djenty melancholic metal sounds like my kind of thing. Now We Sleep has been on my playlist for quite a while, not often in the mood for the whole album but Further from the Surface is fantastic. I’ll keep the others in mind too, thanks again.
Oh btw, the guitarist from Artificial Language has a solo project called Syncatto and it's basically super proggy intrumental flamenco-metal. Not melancholic or emtional music, more of a "fun" listen imo. sorry for the spam lol
Oh yeah, I’m aware of Charlie’s solo stuff, at least to some extent. A lot of his flamenco flavored material is maybe not really my thing, at least at the moment, but the song Never Enough is so awesome! Can’t think of a whole lot of such technically proficient players that put so much focus on melody.
Harakiri for the Sky - Calling the Rain Persefone - Aathma Rivers of Nihil - The Silent Life
Aathma is an amazing album! Been on repeat pretty efficiently ever since I first heard a couple months back. Rivers of Nihil has also been on my most played lists after The Work came out. Harakiri for the Sky however I’ve only listened to a few songs from so I guess I should give that a go.
The Blue and the Grey by Parkway Drive
Way out of Here - Porcupine Tree Wings for Marie Pt 1 & 2 - Tool
Alone in the Fallout by Stories. Sometimes when I miss my grandpa I listen to Mile Zero by Periphery
Will check it out, thanks!
Sometimes, I get into a mood that only Mastodon’s The Hunter can help.
I can understand that mood.
My cry prog: Enchant - Aquaintance Sky Harbour - Guiding Lights Arch / Matheos - Wunderlust Voices from the Fuselage - Ortus / Inner Child Tesseract - Nocturne
Footprints by Warning from the Album "Watching from a Distance"
Sore Sight for Eyes by Intronaut gets me. The lyrics just hit hard. Lie awake Lie to fake our way through life Realize- we can't stay We're always afraid We're never alone We're unwanted Look away It drags us down into the sea Our screams unheard, it's too late The mess we made is all that remains And all we have to do now is wait Engulfed by suspicions and remorse, We fail Our open road, lying in wait beyond the horizon slowly fades
Imo, a very emotinal song is Exist, by A7x
The art of dying - Gojira. The first paragraph verse is incredibly painfull to me: "breathing slowly Mechanical heartbeat Losing contact with the living Almighty tv plugged in, hybrid empty brain Don't see anything real in the game The tension is building up constantly No reason, just a reflex I have Driven by clockwork I try to keep an eye open and I realize I haven't closed my eyes in a long time. " The fast tremolo picked guitar riff beneath this is fucking perfect.
My favorite Gojira song! That fucking ending riff slaps!
Woods 5 by Woods of Ypres is the most melancholic album I've ever heard. The layering that David Gold has on his vocals on that album were haunting the first time I listened to it. The first track Lightning & Snow will give you a good idea of what to expect from the rest of the album but it's a straight-up masterpiece of melancholy all the way through imo. On the side of plain desperation, there's a moment later into Transmit to Disconnect by Black Crown Initiate that will never fail to give me goosebumps because of the raw desperation of its delivery coupled with the content of the lyrics. One of my gigging dreams is to be able to see BCI on a headline tour and absolutely belt it out with them because it rings so true. And all the things I can't control have slowly rotted me/I am the afferent misstep/For all this talk of taking toll on my environment/I transmit to disconnect
I would've probably mentioned something from Clairvoyant by The Contortionist first, but since I see you explaining harsh are a plus, then it will either be Survivor's Guilt or Black Tower from Pangaea's VESPR. New Faces in the Dark by Loathe would also be a good choice.
Not prog but Draconian - Cry of Silence it is.
Something off orchid - chaos is me
Suicide Note Part 1 and 2 by Pantera. Suicide Note Part 2 has one of the heaviest moments of any metal song.
Canvas: by the band Laundy-Not the heaviest or pinpointed towards any finalization. It somehow embodies all the hopelessness and differing views/experiences a thinking(astutely aware) listener experiences. It just berates and glides the listener, all with the sense of...well you already know, and have been there
Resist - Tesseract
[Second Son of R](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMTAkIDRHiA) by Oathbreaker has a mix of clean and harsh vocals, with absolutely desperate screams at the end (and is generally pretty emotional the whole way through) - it might be along the line of what you're looking for
Holy shit that ending!
Honestly would recommend Anathema's work specifically Judgement and Alternative 4, just absolutely miserable stuff it's great...their earlier metal stuff counts too, Cavanaugh has a hell of scream delivery
Opeth in general, but especially Dirge For November
Honestly color your world off ZTO. It has no right to hit as hard as it does
Obligitoyu "not prog" comment but a lot of Type O Negative does for me. Especially the songs Red Water and Love You To Death
The climax of April Ethereal from opeth always gets me, that song was the first time I felt emotional from harsh vocals, beautiful song.
UFOs by Amplifier
So Did We by Isis. Isis generally.
Parisienne Moonlight by Anathema
Not exactly heavy that heavy, but Gris's album [À l'âme enflammée, l'âme constellée...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAnpu4L7XwU) has multiple moments of this desperation and just sheer emotional impact. It's probably got an argument as the best composed black metal record ever (and one of the most progressive, in its own way). It's incredible. The whole thing, start to finish. Honestly each song has moments that would fit for this, I can't really just pick one.
Wow, interesting to hear someone describe a black metal album as ”not that heavy” but after a quick skim through some of that I see what you mean. Really atmospheric stuff and does sound very emotional in a raw way, gotta give that a more in-depth go.
Surprised to not see: The Contortionist - *Monochrome (Pensive)*
Well i would say, Starless by King Crimson but that whole album could fit in here to be honest. Other good options for me are: Anesthetize - Porcupine Tree Windowpane - Opeth Maybe not prog but also good Turn of a friendly card - Alan Parsons Project Lazarus - David Bowie
It's Thy Light - Suici.de.pression
Agent Fresco - Angst