The difference, by ear
Both are ambitious and both use odd metres. Prog metal displays the difficulty; alternative metal buries it inside something that grooves.
Progressive metal is sung cleanly where alternative metal is part sung, part screamed, and a little faster: 90 to 180 bpm against 90 to 140. Songs run longer in progressive metal: usually 6 to 12 minutes, against 4 to 6 minutes in alternative metal. To hear the difference, play Faith No More next to Dream Theater. Both grew out of heavy metal in the same year. United States appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Alternative metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Alternative metal
In short
Metal weight without the dress code or the scene rules: unconventional structures and influences from post-punk, funk or shoegaze.
How it sounds
- Metal weight with structures and textures borrowed from post-punk, funk or shoegaze.
- Low tunings and thick guitar tone, often with no solos at all.
- Variable vocals: sung, spoken, whispered, screamed, sometimes in one song.
Key acts
- Faith No More
- Tool
- Helmet
- Deftones
Start here
The pickTool - Ænima. Complex without showing off, heavy without insisting.
Full page →Progressive metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Progressive metal
In short
Prog rock ambition with metal weight: odd meters, concept albums and instrumental virtuosity.
How it sounds
- Odd meters and frequent metric shifts, with pieces running eight to twenty minutes.
- Keyboards in a lead role, equal to the guitar, and highly technical bass.
- Concept albums with recurring themes and narrative structures.
Key acts
- Dream Theater
- Queensrÿche
- Opeth
- Tool
Start here
The pickOpeth - Blackwater Park. Growls and acoustic guitar in one song, and nothing forced about it.
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