The 25 Greatest Prog Metal Albums of the 2010's: 15-11

Background: Any list of this nature should strive to reflect the consensus surrounding the artwork being evaluated. Unfortunately, progressive metal is a genre which, given its experimentation and often independent production and distribution, resists the formation of such a consensus. Still, an intense survey of various musical press outlets, album rating websites, and social media forums yielded enough of a picture that, coupled with my own evaluations of the music, was conducive to the formation of such a list. I have limited this list to one entry per artist in order to mitigate any partiality I may have towards specific artists.

David Maxim Micic, Bilo III (2013)

Recommended Tracks: Everything’s Fine, Where is Now?, Nostalgia

Thanks to advancements in digital technologies and globalization, the means of producing and distributing music have been essentially democratized. Aspiring musicians from anywhere in the world can, with only a minimal monetary investment, record, mix, produce, and distribute professional records without ever stepping out of their own bedroom. As a result, the 2010’s have seen an explosion of these “bedroom guitar virtuosos,” young men and women who absorbed the music of the last era of guitar virtuosos, most notably Dream Theater’s John Petrucci, and took their craft to the next level.

Though lacking the technical chops of some his peers, Serbia’s own bedroom guitar virtuoso David Maxim Micic has proven to be an exceptionally skilled composer and mixer. On Bilo III, Micic offers up a salad of beautiful, well arranged, and, of course, heavy progressive metal. On this record, the performances and arrangements follow the demands of the composition, not, as is usually the case with rock, the other way around.

14. Ayreon, The Theory of Everything (2013)

Recommended Tracks (not available on Spotify): Love and Envy, Progressive Waves, Collision, The Theory of Everything Part 3

The vaunted rock opera, once considered the highest achievement for a progressive rock band of any stripe, has taken something of a back seat in the 2010’s. But for legendary Dutch progressive metal producer and composer Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon fame, a man who releases rock operas like their EP’s, the 2010’s have seen some of his best work. On Theory, Arjen and his ensemble cast of legendary prog rock and metal guest musicians leverage their musical powers to tell the very human story of a young scientific genius, his family, and his attempts to discover the almost mythical Theory of Everything.

This record breaks from its predecessors in two ways: the story is entirely grounded in reality, as opposed to sci-fi fantasy, and the music is rarely all that heavy. By doing this, Arjen paves the way for telling a new kind of story, both literally and musically, and pushing his already legendary discography to greater heights.

13. Ihsahn, After (2010)

Recommended Tracks: A Grave Inversed, After

Ihsahn, formerly the lead singer of legendary Norwegian black metal band Emporer, has stated that After was the final album in a trilogy, the first two albums being the prior two releases, the first of his post-Emperor solo career. While the musical or lyrical connection between these albums is flimsy (perhaps nonexistent?), they did serve to prove that Ihsahn’s musical ambitions were greater and more varied that what Emperor could have possibly supported within the confines of the Norwegian black metal scene. On After, Ihsahn showcased his ability to craft experimental and unconventional progressive death metal that was still relatively engaging and accessible.

On After, pain and sadness are pervasive. The periodic saxophone lead symbolizes both the soul’s cry but also, given that its sax lead on a death metal album, the absolute absurdity of it all. Ihsahn may no longer be making black metal, but black metal still permeates his soul.

12. Meshuggah, The Violent Sleep of Reason (2016)

Recommended Tracks: Clockworks, Born in Dissonance, The Violent Sleep of Reason

If there’s one thing the world needed in 2016, it was a new Meshuggah album. Getting a new Meshuggah album entitled The Violent Sleep of Reason of all names was especially appropriate. The collective worldwide frustration and confusion boiling into explicit anger and hate that characterized that period in time is perfectly symbolized by the album’s use of seething chuggs and dizzying rhythms in the verses which eventually give way to expansive releases of tension as the tracks develop. An admittedly difficult listen at first, the album will assuredly reveal its beauty in due time.

Hailing from Sweden and wielding a Yiddish name, Meshuggah is widely considered one of the most innovative bands in progressive and extreme metal in the last 30 years. With The Violent Sleep of Reason, the group’s 8th release, Meshuggah continues to push the envelope of rhythmic sophistication in extreme metal.

11. Opeth, Pale Communion (2014)

Recommended Tracks: Eternal Rains Will Come, Cusp of Eternity, Faith in Others

Opeth’s gradual but ultimately wholesale departure from death metal and into classic prog got off to a very shaky start. While 2019’s ‘In Cauda Venenum’ is currently being hailed by many critics as the pinnacle of Opeth’s prog rock phase, it is on ‘Pale Communion’ that the band actually manages to get their footing. On ‘Pale Communion’, the band steers away from their characteristic complex song writing and arrangements and instead focuses on providing the backdrop for Mikael Åkerfeldt’s truly moving and inspired rock vocal performance. When the instrumental elements are the main focus of a song or passage, listeners are treated to the subtle mastery of the Joakim Svalberg’s keyboards. The album is colorful, balanced between folky and heavier sections, and is sure to appeal to audiences far outside of metal.