Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Avant-garde metal1993

Second genre

Progressive metal1988

Head to headAvant-garde metal vs Progressive metal
Avant-garde metal: heaviness 7, melody 5, speed 7. Progressive metal: heaviness 7, melody 8, speed 6.Heaviness7 / 7Melody5 / 8Speed7 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Progressive metal is difficult inside metal's rules. Avant-garde metal treats the rules as the material and dismantles them.

Progressive metal is sung cleanly where avant-garde metal is part sung, part screamed, and keeps to a narrower band: 90 to 180 bpm against 60 to 200. To hear the difference, play Arcturus next to Dream Theater. Avant-garde metal grew out of progressive metal, five years later. United States appears in the origins of both.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Avant-garde metal7
Progressive metal7
level
Speed
Avant-garde metal7
Progressive metal6
−1
Melody
Avant-garde metal5
Progressive metal8
+3

Avant-garde metal

1993 · Norway / USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Progressive metal › Avant-garde metal

In short

Metal that imports anything - jazz, cabaret, electronics - and refuses to settle into a shape.

How it sounds

  • Borrowings from jazz, cabaret, electronics, classical music or folklore, with no hierarchy.
  • Unpredictable structures with abrupt stylistic shifts inside a single song.
  • Vocals used across many registers, including operatic, spoken and distorted.

Key acts

  • Arcturus
  • Mr. Bungle
  • Sigh
  • Unexpect

Start here

The pickArcturus - La Masquerade Infernale. Black metal, cabaret and opera on one album.

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Progressive metal

1988 · USA · 3 subgenres

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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