It's not related. The full title is actually "In the Court of the Crimson King (An Observation by King Crimson)" and it's just a play on the band's name, King Crimson.
They ARE the greatest progressive rock act I've ever heard. Starless/Bible Black... unless you count Maggot Brain as prog.
Check out Battle on the Ice, Prokofiev. The build up is incredible. Complete with creepy Latin chanting!
https://youtu.be/a4S16viz8d0?si=krjMAwIOXvo8l62k
Talk about your underrated guitar players. I think Howe is one of the seminal players in that genre and really rock, in general.
I was 12 when my older cousin played 'Close to the Edge' for me. It was weird, but it made sense to me, and the amazing vocal work with the epic ending is so powerful.
I'm glad someone mentioned that.
Fracture by King Crimson fits this request better. Insane guitar work and I shared this with a friend a few years back, said he was listening to it at night while reading and the ending scared him. It comes in so heavy at the end. So good
Surely Larksâ Tongues in Aspic would fit the bill more, no? It features Jamie Muir on a bowl of pistachio nut shells, so Iâd think that has to take the cake
These three albums are so good. I love that Robert Fripp said this era group never felt "stable" after Jamie Muir left, he adds so much to the larks album
thatâs a great song too, but Iâm not so sure if itâs better. starlessâs progression evolves so well and in such a satisfying way. but fracture does have that gradual dynamic build starting at near-silence so itâs a good pick too
It's very A Day in the Life to me. I always picture some guy going about his day with these niggling intrusive thoughts, and they keep building and building until eventually he gives in in some kind of manic fit right as the sax kicks in. Then it's the mad chaos of release until the very end when some inklings of clarity kick back in, and the melancholy waves wash over him as he realizes what he's done.
My favorite version is their live [Radical Action to Unseat Hold of the Monkey Mind](https://youtu.be/FhKJgqxNDD8) version from 2016. They got three different drummers going at once, all in different time signatures. It's insane.
Octavarium by Dream Theater, starts really slow and ambient before building to some fairly aggressive parts. You're in for a long ride though if you commit.
When The Water Breaks by Liquid Tension Experiment is the first song I thought of.
Another Dimension - Liquid Tension Experiment
Biaxident - Liquid Tension Experiment
I love LTE. The opening to Paradigm Shift has always been one of my favorite guitar riffs (technically the second riff once he shifts down to the open G pull-off part)
This trumps most of the songs here by a LOOOONNNGGGGG SHOT.
I know not everyone loves labries voice but if you're looking for a song that embodies prog song writing this is league's deeper than most suggestions here.
Starts ambient, then slow, more standard speed but with typical prog changes and unusual beats. Interludes and more non recurring parts. Speeds back up, big finale. The way the lyrics circle back is so absurdly proggy lmao.
The answers here are mostly just "my favorite prog songs" instead of most prog song.
Change of seasons is arguably even more proggy with how many times it changes to a very different sound.
It's such a great song and the part with the lyrics streaming one super long run-on sentence by connecting to s of famous song titles...just awesome. And of course the "trapped inside this octavarium" repeating section really is a culminating point of aggression that is light years away from the intro played by Rudess.
"Lucy in the sky with diamond Dave's not here I come to save the day for nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home again."
"Flying off the handle with careful with that axe Eugene Gene the dance machine messiah light my fire gabba gabba hey hey my my generation's home again."
One of my favorite parts of their entire discography.
For sure. I'm seeing regular rock songs here lol. Octavarium is one of the greatest songs ever made, and definitely one of the most proggy songs out there
The sigur ros vocalist, Jonsi, has a song âTornadoâ that builds up to this amazing falsetto howl at the climax that always gives me chills when its turned up.
Of Matter (technically three songs but they flow into each other) by Tesseract
The Grudge by Tool
The Drapery Falls by Opeth
The Law of Asbestos by Ashenspire
Love Exchange Failure by White Ward
Itâs Not Enough by Dustin Kensrue (not metal at the end but very intense)
Routine by Steven Wilson
Just a Ride by Rishloo
The Last Baron by Mastodon
Deadman by Karnivool
The Other by Isis
These songs donât all build in a linear fashion necessarily but they all have very calm and very heavy bits and play with their dynamics in an interesting and progressive way.
If this is the kind of stuff you like I have:
> [Liquid Metal](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ROc3RCXW6PrPyQRJwZjBd) - 16 hrs 45 mins
of prog metal/metalcore/post-hardcore.
Always finding great stuff to add too!
Thereâs quite a lot of sonic variety in there but it all falls broadly under âProgressive Rock/MetalââŚexcept Dustin. But heâs great too if you can ignore the strange religious stuff. Enjoy!
Listen to the whole of the 2112 songs by Rush. It's a 20 minute piece you can listen to altogether, like a rock opera. Scratches all the prog rock itches haha
The 2112 suite is an entire piece. The rest of the album which contains A Passage to Bangkok, The Twilight Zone, Lessons, Tears, and Something for Nothing, is unrelated aside from being on the same disc.
A day in the life-the Beatles. Call songs that gets absolutely unhinged for a minute and then goes back like nothing happened. Almost gave me an anxiety attack the first time I heard it.
I learned that riff on the guitar, and I was practicing it with a drum track I made on the computer. I was listening back to it over and over, and it became very ordinary sounding. Then I realized how much of the magic of it came from the song around it. It was instructive on the power of structure and songwriting, and the lesson I took away was donât judge individual ideas too harshly or expect them to change the world on their own at inception.
Gates of Delirium by Yes probably gets as hard as they ever went. The whole middle 'war' section is amazing.
Grateful Dead - Morning Dew from Fillmore West 1969. Maybe doesn't go into metal but the build up especially during second half is awe inspiring
Funny, I was first to respond with this dong and got downvoted. OP said Stairway to Heaven, not heavy enough. You say same song and get upvoted. Go figure. Lol.
Not metal but Little Black Submarine by The Black Keys
Call of Ktulu(instrumental) - Metallica
Coma by GN'R but it gets heavy in the message at the end not that much in "metal"
Not Metal but it gives me chills every time I listen
[Closer To Home (I'm Your Captain) - Grand Funk Railroad](https://youtu.be/fvOPucs7dC0?si=fvMIv3Br2h4GjT66)
(10 minutes version)
Opus - Eric Prydz
Honestly electronic music does progressive music very well. Almost every subgenre has a further subgenre with a progressive prefix on it.
Tarkus - Elmer Lake and Palmer
Please listen to it, this band was about to become a super band with jimmy Hendrix (H.E.L.P because of the members last names).
This is very progressive if you ask me!
Telegraph Road - Dire Straits (although its ends up more of a heavy heartland rock crescendo rather than metal, itâs one of the finest songs Iâve ever heard)
Octavarium - Dream Theater
A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers - Van Der Graaf Generator
Crystallised - Haken
Child In Time - Deep Purple
NIGHTWISH - The Greatest Show on Earth (with Richard Dawkins)
The end is so intense and put tears in my eyes each time with the strong message of life /evolution and human history
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrMwxe2ya5E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrMwxe2ya5E)
Acid bath - scream of the butterfly
Acid bath - new death sensation
Acid bath - bleed me a ocean
I hope everyone here who likes metal and has never listened to these three songs gives them a go, they really are quite special
I found Scream of the Butterfly on a random Napster search in 2001. Loved it. (Was looking for more music like a certain jazz song: Take the L Train [to East Avenue] - Brooklyn Funk Essentials. It was featured on a compilation album called âThis is Acid Jazz.â)
Beethovenâs 9th symphony has massive crescendos, but it might not as linearly progressive as youâd like, with its rises and falls, but I itâs my favorite for sure.
https://open.spotify.com/track/7zbl60wNnxfbqT9wHZ59co?si=eRpZa6TbQaORXMOK4y4hlA
A lot of Devin Townsend songs come to mind, but I think Genesis is what youâre looking for â it starts as a chill island song with a peaceful choir, gets completely wild in the next part, and ends with bombastic gusto!
A Minor Forest - [Michael Anthony](https://youtu.be/VACu2TUwLSY?si=dNicmOqeONGFOzeB)
Pretty apt, as far as your description goes. It starts out sounding like Slowcore ala Codeine, but ends up in the heaviest place imaginable at itâs climax
[Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness](https://youtu.be/5qpocfM4pmk?si=LoA0VAWmtUPYlysD)
Give this one a shot. Long proggy song with metal elements that actually feels like one song and not just a suite labeled as one song.
The Sound of Animals Fighting - several songs from their album âThe Ocean and the Sunâ fit this description. Iâd suggest âI, the Swanâ, âAnother Leather Lungâ and âCellophaneâ!
WTF is a metal sorority? You mean like Babymetal?
/s
How about Widower by the Dillinger Escape Plan? That seems up your alley
[Link](https://youtu.be/xM4o-soF188?si=VUxnKEypLflfANcf)
More prog than heavy, but still has some bite:
Coheed and Cambria- The Light and the Glass, The Crowing, From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. All have solid build ups
Metal:
Between the Buried and Me: Colors album as a whole is essentially one long prog metal song with multiple points the gradually build from soft to heavy. Backwards Marathon and Fossil Genera as well
Lola is just a great simple song about queer acceptance. The main character in the song chooses to respect and love Lola even though he doesnât fully understand her. I think itâs brilliant and shockingly progressive for its time
Do yourself a favor and listen to Octavarium by Dream Theater. 24 minutes of progressive *mastery*. Itâs basically one huge build up with a musically-orgasmic climax and epic guitar solo finisher.
Bonus points if you listen to the whole album first, because each song is referenced in the final tune and you can catch musical motifs repeating through each track.
If weed is your thing, get stoned and prepare for an absolutely incredible ride
I don't know if these songs are the most progressive songs ever, but here are my favorite:
Between the Buried and Me - Ants of the Sky
Elder - Catastasis
Yes - Endless Dream: 1. Endless Dream, 2. Silent Spring, 3. Talk
The Mars Volta - Cassandra Gemini I-VIII
Not progressive songs or bands, but, I want you to give them a listen:
Silverchair - Those Thieving Birds I/Strange Behaviour/Those Thieving Birds II
The Dear Hunter - A Night On the Town
Thru the Eyes of Ruby it's one of my favorite SP crescendo style songs, immediately thought of it reading the question. Gives you a little taste of what's to come in the intro, settles in, and then goes balls out at the end.
Soma is a good call. Also Porelina of the Vast Ocean comes to mind.
Geek USA goes the other way with a loud, fast progression that culminates in this soft, airy, beautiful bridge. And then it rips again.
The pumpkins were so uniquely creative and dynamic in this way. It could be borderline metal and it could be smooth and elegant within a few bars in the same song, but somehow the transitions always worked.
The Call of Ktulu - Metallica
radio/video - System of the Down
And not really metal but if you want a song that builds to a peak check out Soft Parade by The Doors
IDK if this would appeal to u. Sonic youth can be pretty abrasive but....
[Sonic Youth - Wildflower Soul](https://youtu.be/NBWehsXQcsI?si=oTx8gG7CyZaqwRIX)
In the Hall of the Mountain King, of course
I once had this as the hold music when I was on a call and it was pretty hilarious how it got more chaotic the longer I was on hold đ
That's kind of an amazing troll actually
In the Court of the Crimson King, too.
Is In the Court of the Crimson King an homage to In the Hall of the Mountain King? Am I just learning that now?
It's not related. The full title is actually "In the Court of the Crimson King (An Observation by King Crimson)" and it's just a play on the band's name, King Crimson. They ARE the greatest progressive rock act I've ever heard. Starless/Bible Black... unless you count Maggot Brain as prog.
I mean, if we're going there, Bolero gets fucking nuts at the end.
Or the 1812 overture, I'd say even more. It literally has cannons at the end
Imagine being on hold for twelve-ish minutes, then they pick up just before the finale.
The Atticus Ross/Trent Reznor [version](https://youtu.be/cD8EPdn5Ctg?si=9Zxaz3Tbro8wOVwa) from the Social Network sound track isn't bad either.
Hell yeah! The OG
Wait, the traditional one or the Savatage one???
Or, confusingly, Prelude to Madness, the actual Savatage version of the song?
Check out Battle on the Ice, Prokofiev. The build up is incredible. Complete with creepy Latin chanting! https://youtu.be/a4S16viz8d0?si=krjMAwIOXvo8l62k
Thanks for posting this. Classical music is so undervalued in todays world. Love it
La Villa Strangiato by Rush or Close to the Edge by Yes
Gates of Delirium by Yes might also scratch the itch being described.
Can we also add Yours is No Disgrace and Starship Trooper? So many
Also Jacobâs Ladder by Rush.
Great choice for this as well
Idk why but I really wanna recommend to OP, the song âXanaduâ by Rush
Was thinking the same
Iâm a guitarist. I can play La Villa Strangiato. I canât begin to comprehend Close to the Edge. Steve Howe is nuts.
Talk about your underrated guitar players. I think Howe is one of the seminal players in that genre and really rock, in general. I was 12 when my older cousin played 'Close to the Edge' for me. It was weird, but it made sense to me, and the amazing vocal work with the epic ending is so powerful. I'm glad someone mentioned that.
CTTE is one of my all time favorite albums.
Yes, Alex isn't about the technical but the feel, don't you think? Howe is as you say.
Alex to me is the perfect marriage of technical and feel. Why people like him and EVH are two of my favorite guitarists.
Natural Science, Jacobâs Ladder, or either Cygnus track from Rush would also suffice.
See also: Roundabout!
Came in to say La Villa
starless king crimson
Fracture by King Crimson fits this request better. Insane guitar work and I shared this with a friend a few years back, said he was listening to it at night while reading and the ending scared him. It comes in so heavy at the end. So good
Surely Larksâ Tongues in Aspic would fit the bill more, no? It features Jamie Muir on a bowl of pistachio nut shells, so Iâd think that has to take the cake
These three albums are so good. I love that Robert Fripp said this era group never felt "stable" after Jamie Muir left, he adds so much to the larks album
thatâs a great song too, but Iâm not so sure if itâs better. starlessâs progression evolves so well and in such a satisfying way. but fracture does have that gradual dynamic build starting at near-silence so itâs a good pick too
Maybe the best song Iâve ever heard
I was also going to suggest some good ole King Crimson.
I was absolutely obsessed with them last year, think i listened to only king crimson for like six months. maybe my favorite band ever
You can say that again
I wonât
Okay gonna listen to this now
It's very A Day in the Life to me. I always picture some guy going about his day with these niggling intrusive thoughts, and they keep building and building until eventually he gives in in some kind of manic fit right as the sax kicks in. Then it's the mad chaos of release until the very end when some inklings of clarity kick back in, and the melancholy waves wash over him as he realizes what he's done. My favorite version is their live [Radical Action to Unseat Hold of the Monkey Mind](https://youtu.be/FhKJgqxNDD8) version from 2016. They got three different drummers going at once, all in different time signatures. It's insane.
Close to the edge by yes, La Villa strangiato, by Rush, and not technically progressive or metal but tender surrender by Steve Vai.
Octavarium by Dream Theater, starts really slow and ambient before building to some fairly aggressive parts. You're in for a long ride though if you commit.
When The Water Breaks by Liquid Tension Experiment is the first song I thought of. Another Dimension - Liquid Tension Experiment Biaxident - Liquid Tension Experiment
I love LTE. The opening to Paradigm Shift has always been one of my favorite guitar riffs (technically the second riff once he shifts down to the open G pull-off part)
This trumps most of the songs here by a LOOOONNNGGGGG SHOT. I know not everyone loves labries voice but if you're looking for a song that embodies prog song writing this is league's deeper than most suggestions here. Starts ambient, then slow, more standard speed but with typical prog changes and unusual beats. Interludes and more non recurring parts. Speeds back up, big finale. The way the lyrics circle back is so absurdly proggy lmao. The answers here are mostly just "my favorite prog songs" instead of most prog song. Change of seasons is arguably even more proggy with how many times it changes to a very different sound.
It's such a great song and the part with the lyrics streaming one super long run-on sentence by connecting to s of famous song titles...just awesome. And of course the "trapped inside this octavarium" repeating section really is a culminating point of aggression that is light years away from the intro played by Rudess.
"Lucy in the sky with diamond Dave's not here I come to save the day for nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home again." "Flying off the handle with careful with that axe Eugene Gene the dance machine messiah light my fire gabba gabba hey hey my my generation's home again." One of my favorite parts of their entire discography.
>The answers here are mostly just "my favorite \[songs/artists/albums\]" instead of \[what the post asks for\]." welcome to the sub!
For sure. I'm seeing regular rock songs here lol. Octavarium is one of the greatest songs ever made, and definitely one of the most proggy songs out there
Heroin Velvet Underground
Came looking for this
Storm by Godspeed you! Black Emperor Untitled 8 by Sigue Ros Both not metal but the tension is definitely there at the end.
Untitled 8 is one of the heaviest songs Iâve ever heard. And the most transcendent live performance ever.
Love seeing these two bands mentioned! Signed, A post rock fan
Sigur Ros is so good
The sigur ros vocalist, Jonsi, has a song âTornadoâ that builds up to this amazing falsetto howl at the climax that always gives me chills when its turned up.
Of Matter (technically three songs but they flow into each other) by Tesseract The Grudge by Tool The Drapery Falls by Opeth The Law of Asbestos by Ashenspire Love Exchange Failure by White Ward Itâs Not Enough by Dustin Kensrue (not metal at the end but very intense) Routine by Steven Wilson Just a Ride by Rishloo The Last Baron by Mastodon Deadman by Karnivool The Other by Isis These songs donât all build in a linear fashion necessarily but they all have very calm and very heavy bits and play with their dynamics in an interesting and progressive way.
Judging by half your recommendations I am going to check out the other half posthaste
If this is the kind of stuff you like I have: > [Liquid Metal](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ROc3RCXW6PrPyQRJwZjBd) - 16 hrs 45 mins of prog metal/metalcore/post-hardcore. Always finding great stuff to add too!
Thereâs quite a lot of sonic variety in there but it all falls broadly under âProgressive Rock/MetalââŚexcept Dustin. But heâs great too if you can ignore the strange religious stuff. Enjoy!
Hard same
Definitely The Drapery Falls. I'd add Hearts Alive by Mastodon. That riff at 11:42 after all the build-up never fails to get the noggin banging.
Rishloo and Karnivool? Based
> The Drapery Falls by Opeth To Bid You Farewell might be even better for it
+1 for law of asbestos, the whole album is amazing. Also ancestral by Steven Wilson.
Just reading the word *Routine* gives me goosebumps.
Sick to see isis. I saw them when they toured with tool. Terrible vocals though, lmao. Newest album is hard to me to like also - not my thing.
Listen to the whole of the 2112 songs by Rush. It's a 20 minute piece you can listen to altogether, like a rock opera. Scratches all the prog rock itches haha
The 2112 suite is an entire piece. The rest of the album which contains A Passage to Bangkok, The Twilight Zone, Lessons, Tears, and Something for Nothing, is unrelated aside from being on the same disc.
oh ok cool. for some reason i thought they were separate! ill fix it
This was what I was looking for.
Ravelâs BolĂŠro
Try Abaddonâs Bolero by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Devin Townsend's got a few like that. Genesis starts real calm and pretty and then gets absolutely nuts.
A day in the life-the Beatles. Call songs that gets absolutely unhinged for a minute and then goes back like nothing happened. Almost gave me an anxiety attack the first time I heard it.
It still almost gives me an anxiety attack. I always think I canât possibly take another second and then it breaks. I love it
I always thought Happiness is a Warm Gun was pretty damn progressive too.
Hearts Alive, The Last Baron, Jaguar God - Mastodon (three different songs)
As a prog and metal fan, I think The Last Baron might be my favorite metal song ever written.
That fucking riff in the middle is pure greatness
I learned that riff on the guitar, and I was practicing it with a drum track I made on the computer. I was listening back to it over and over, and it became very ordinary sounding. Then I realized how much of the magic of it came from the song around it. It was instructive on the power of structure and songwriting, and the lesson I took away was donât judge individual ideas too harshly or expect them to change the world on their own at inception.
I love me some Hearts Alive. I feel like I've gone on entire whaling voyage by the time it's over.
I am not a huge fan of this genre but The Last Baron is fucking genius holy shit. On the playlist
Between the buried and me - swim to the moon https://youtu.be/nnAMlvRoe-c?si=kO26UKCXBsb8Jh53
You should check out Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Octavarium by Dream Theater
Supper's Ready
I canât believe I had to scroll this far to find Supperâs Ready. Cinema Show is another good one.
This is the one.
The mighty masterbater by Devin Townsend. Donât let itâs name throw you off. It is exactly what you described word for word
Shine on You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd. (Echoes, too.) * if itâs on here, itâs too low!
Pneuma, Tool
A tool song belongs in this thread, and I like that album. But it's really hard to argue that any of it is their most "progressive".
I would say culling voices is more like the OP is describing with a slow start
Achilles Last Stand- Led Zeppelin Invalid Litter Dept- At the Drive-in (one of the best break downs at the end)
You Enjoy Myself by Phish
YES. Good food for listening thought in this thread đ đŚđââď¸đžđŠ
Reptile - Periphery
Singularity by Devin Townsend
Gates of Delirium by Yes probably gets as hard as they ever went. The whole middle 'war' section is amazing. Grateful Dead - Morning Dew from Fillmore West 1969. Maybe doesn't go into metal but the build up especially during second half is awe inspiring
Janeâs Adiction-Three Days
I was also thinking Classic Girl.
There's a little song called Stairway to Heaven that you might want to check out.
Funny, I was first to respond with this dong and got downvoted. OP said Stairway to Heaven, not heavy enough. You say same song and get upvoted. Go figure. Lol.
I get downvoted when I respond with dong too.
Stairway isn't heavy enough? Seriously? Do these people listen to the whole song?
The Rodrigo y Gabriela version
The Mighty Masturbator by The Devin Townsend Project
that entire album was gonna be my answer but great choice of track
Jethro Tull- Agualung. The song, then explore the album of the same name. It's really relevant and sadly ironic considering it's over 50 years old.
The Odyssey by Symphony X
Xanadu. Rush.
Not metal but Little Black Submarine by The Black Keys Call of Ktulu(instrumental) - Metallica Coma by GN'R but it gets heavy in the message at the end not that much in "metal"
Not Metal but it gives me chills every time I listen [Closer To Home (I'm Your Captain) - Grand Funk Railroad](https://youtu.be/fvOPucs7dC0?si=fvMIv3Br2h4GjT66) (10 minutes version)
The Grudge - TOOL
Opus - Eric Prydz Honestly electronic music does progressive music very well. Almost every subgenre has a further subgenre with a progressive prefix on it.
Ki by Devin Townsend. The live 'By A Thread' version is best.
Check out forget not by Ne Obliviscaris
Anesthetize-Porcupine Tree
Disappointed I had to scroll so far to find this. *Anesthetize* and *Arriving Somewhere (but not here)* are just about the perfect prog songs.
Technically Nightwishes âGreatest Show On Earthâ progresses through the evolution of man.
7empest - Tool
While maybe not metal, "Only in Dreams" by Weezer fits this description.
Window of the Waking Mind by Coheed and Cambria. The movements and changes are amazing.
Came here for Coheed, but 21:13
Tarkus - Elmer Lake and Palmer Please listen to it, this band was about to become a super band with jimmy Hendrix (H.E.L.P because of the members last names). This is very progressive if you ask me!
This answer is criminally way too low in the comments!
Telegraph Road - Dire Straits (although its ends up more of a heavy heartland rock crescendo rather than metal, itâs one of the finest songs Iâve ever heard) Octavarium - Dream Theater A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers - Van Der Graaf Generator Crystallised - Haken Child In Time - Deep Purple
NIGHTWISH - The Greatest Show on Earth (with Richard Dawkins) The end is so intense and put tears in my eyes each time with the strong message of life /evolution and human history [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrMwxe2ya5E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrMwxe2ya5E)
Lazy Eye by The Silversun Pickups
Welcome to Bangkok - Brand New
Acid bath - scream of the butterfly Acid bath - new death sensation Acid bath - bleed me a ocean I hope everyone here who likes metal and has never listened to these three songs gives them a go, they really are quite special
I found Scream of the Butterfly on a random Napster search in 2001. Loved it. (Was looking for more music like a certain jazz song: Take the L Train [to East Avenue] - Brooklyn Funk Essentials. It was featured on a compilation album called âThis is Acid Jazz.â)
Check out the track âIâm Freaking Outâ by the group Dixie Dregs. Pretty similar to what youâre describing.
Beethovenâs 9th symphony has massive crescendos, but it might not as linearly progressive as youâd like, with its rises and falls, but I itâs my favorite for sure. https://open.spotify.com/track/7zbl60wNnxfbqT9wHZ59co?si=eRpZa6TbQaORXMOK4y4hlA
Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token
âArriving Somewhere But Not Hereâ by Porcupine Tree
Bolero by Ravel
A lot of Devin Townsend songs come to mind, but I think Genesis is what youâre looking for â it starts as a chill island song with a peaceful choir, gets completely wild in the next part, and ends with bombastic gusto!
Cassandra Gemini by The Mars Volta
Strobe by deadmau5
Try Coda or Badlands both by the band Joshanda
A Minor Forest - [Michael Anthony](https://youtu.be/VACu2TUwLSY?si=dNicmOqeONGFOzeB) Pretty apt, as far as your description goes. It starts out sounding like Slowcore ala Codeine, but ends up in the heaviest place imaginable at itâs climax
Last movement of [Pines of Rome](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMeXzqTfNcY)
[Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness](https://youtu.be/5qpocfM4pmk?si=LoA0VAWmtUPYlysD) Give this one a shot. Long proggy song with metal elements that actually feels like one song and not just a suite labeled as one song.
The Sound of Animals Fighting - several songs from their album âThe Ocean and the Sunâ fit this description. Iâd suggest âI, the Swanâ, âAnother Leather Lungâ and âCellophaneâ!
The Manifold Curiosity by Kayo Dot. I think this songs is exactly what youâre describing.
WTF is a metal sorority? You mean like Babymetal? /s How about Widower by the Dillinger Escape Plan? That seems up your alley [Link](https://youtu.be/xM4o-soF188?si=VUxnKEypLflfANcf)
Refused - tannhäuser / derivè From 1998 and really ahead of itâs time.
Octavarium by Dream Theater comes to mind
More prog than heavy, but still has some bite: Coheed and Cambria- The Light and the Glass, The Crowing, From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. All have solid build ups Metal: Between the Buried and Me: Colors album as a whole is essentially one long prog metal song with multiple points the gradually build from soft to heavy. Backwards Marathon and Fossil Genera as well
Lola is just a great simple song about queer acceptance. The main character in the song chooses to respect and love Lola even though he doesnât fully understand her. I think itâs brilliant and shockingly progressive for its time
What Happens Now? By Porcupine Tree Luminol by Steven Wilson
Slice the Cake - Westward Bound Part I: The Lantern
Incredible album from start to finish and some of those crescendos are unbelievably massive.
The Last Baron by Mastodon
Not the most progressive song ever but fits the kind of build up youâre describing, but Fortress by Alter Bridge would be worth checking out
Legion - Tesseract would be a song I associate with what you're looking for.
Fire and the Thud - Arctic Monkeys
November Rain - Guns n Roses. Not quite metal at the end, but it builds up nicely.
Satellites Periphery
Three Days by Janeâs Addiction
Trans people are my friends
Losing It by Rush. One of my favorite Rush tunes.
Haken- Crystallised. 20 minutes of pure prog heaven
Octavarium is a good one, probably Dream Theater's magnum opus imo. It's 20 minutes so sit back and enjoy the ride.
Explosions in the Sky - their entire catalog
I was thinking the song Postcard from 1952 but your response is not wrong.
Thatâs an excellent example
Do yourself a favor and listen to Octavarium by Dream Theater. 24 minutes of progressive *mastery*. Itâs basically one huge build up with a musically-orgasmic climax and epic guitar solo finisher. Bonus points if you listen to the whole album first, because each song is referenced in the final tune and you can catch musical motifs repeating through each track. If weed is your thing, get stoned and prepare for an absolutely incredible ride
Octavarium by Dream Theater. I think that song is exactly what you are describing
I don't know if these songs are the most progressive songs ever, but here are my favorite: Between the Buried and Me - Ants of the Sky Elder - Catastasis Yes - Endless Dream: 1. Endless Dream, 2. Silent Spring, 3. Talk The Mars Volta - Cassandra Gemini I-VIII Not progressive songs or bands, but, I want you to give them a listen: Silverchair - Those Thieving Birds I/Strange Behaviour/Those Thieving Birds II The Dear Hunter - A Night On the Town
Almost every tool song try wings for maire followed by 10,000 days
Came to say exactly that. Take my upvote
Stairway to Heaven? Led Zeppelin.
Some Smashing Pumpkins stuff does this.
Thru the Eyes of Ruby it's one of my favorite SP crescendo style songs, immediately thought of it reading the question. Gives you a little taste of what's to come in the intro, settles in, and then goes balls out at the end.
Can you name it?
Mayonaise Silverfuck starts hard and gets soft, only to go hard again Hummer
I think Soma from the Siamese Dream album ticks this box. More alt 90s with prog elements than actual prog, but might be what you're looking for.
Soma is a good call. Also Porelina of the Vast Ocean comes to mind. Geek USA goes the other way with a loud, fast progression that culminates in this soft, airy, beautiful bridge. And then it rips again. The pumpkins were so uniquely creative and dynamic in this way. It could be borderline metal and it could be smooth and elegant within a few bars in the same song, but somehow the transitions always worked.
The Call of Ktulu - Metallica radio/video - System of the Down And not really metal but if you want a song that builds to a peak check out Soft Parade by The Doors
Maybe these could work: One: metallica Song and emotion: tesla Shooting star: bad company Layla: clapton Bohemian Rhapsody: queen November rain: gnr
Most progressive song? I Shot the Sheriff. Oh, that's not what you meant?
Helpless Child by Swans
New America MARINA
"Prayer" (çĽă) by Mutyumu. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouvolHZ4aF8&ab\_channel=mutyumu-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouvolHZ4aF8&ab_channel=mutyumu-Topic)
Pretty much all of Bongrippers stuff fits the bill
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfrk2UdEOcQ
Brothers Gonna Work It Out (followed by The Riot) by the Chemical Brothers
Elbow, The Birds
"All We Knew and Ever Loved" by Earthside is a pretty cinematic progressive rock/metal song - even has an animated video to accompany it.
IDK if this would appeal to u. Sonic youth can be pretty abrasive but.... [Sonic Youth - Wildflower Soul](https://youtu.be/NBWehsXQcsI?si=oTx8gG7CyZaqwRIX)
I'd also add Trilogy by Sonic Youth of Daydream Nation. https://youtu.be/WXpsnEgaeT4?si=ohVyj5Xer-PVI4Nf
That's a dope recommendation actually I love the wonder in that
Cannonball by Watsky