Buckle up folks, I am going to take you on a mystical, magical, and confusing journey through the land of progressive rock. This isn't the pansy definition of progressive, and any liberal normie would quickly give up on it in favor of some mainstream nonsense like Megham Painer or Taylwhore Dick. Every progressive rock song is an intellectual's anthem, and some say if you listen to it your brain opens new pathways, namely ones for drugs. Well, without further ado, let's get on with the show!
I'll start your prog journey in the same place that the world did, with this exact song. This one is an almost medieval, dramatic, and ghostly tune. The instrumental section that repeats really makes it what it is, and transports you to some cross between Alice In Wonderland and King Arthur universe, and somehow the combo works. The lyrics are just as fantastical and medieval-ish, and the vibe is overall abstractly interesting. I'm gonna include more by this group King Crimson because they are very notable and started this whole prog thing.
The first one, "Epitaph", is even more ethereal than that first one and is about the apocalypse with some of the best singing in the prog scene. The second one, "21st Century Schizoid Man", is an instrumental masterpiece and considered an early incarnation of heavy metal.
(gay ass youtube only has the live version)
So, onto the next band, we have Genesis. You may know one of its members as the guy who sang "In The Air Tonight" and the guy who sang "Sledgehammer". This one is emotional and also medieval in its sound, with nice guitars and interesting lyrics. It kind of reminds me of sitting in a medieval inn and hearing a bard sing a story. In usual prog fashion, it breaks down into a jam as it goes on to put the rock in progressive rock.
This song brings you close to the edge when it lures you into a false sense of security at the start with serene ambient sounds, only to startle you with one of the most iconic prog rock breakdowns of all time. If long timestamps scare you, then you should probably just go do something else, because almost every prog song is long and if you cannot enjoy the whole journey then it is not for you.
Some uber-hipsters will be annoyed by this selection, but since progressive metal is indeed a subgenre of progressive rock I will include this. Crimson Glory is an early example of prog metal with an excellent vocalist, and this is one of their best songs.
This one is almost a rocker, with a nice prog twist. Feels almost like Pink Floyd or even Iron Maiden. Another metal predecessor type, namely traditional metal.
The longest song you will actually listen to all the way through, this monolithic masterpiece will engage you through all seven of its parts. Relax, and ride along the hills and valleys of this progressive rollercoaster until the grand climax. This is the DEFINITIVE progressive rock song and includes every stereotype of the genre presented with upmost professionalism.
And now, I challenge you to find more prog gems, as I have not even scratched the surface. I hope you liked this.
