In Contact is such a beautiful record :D Thanks for the great video Dylan, especially that Plini recommendation, sounded sick, gonna check it out immediately :)
Since there is no MTV/ Headbangers Ball, No metal radio in Chicago at all( stuck in classic rock hell!!!) All I have is RU-vid, Banger TV, Gimmie Radio, Guitarworld for new bands and fresh looks at the old school as well. So thank you Banger for this.
Decent episode, but you're missing a bear in the room-- Psycroptic. They really fuse elements of tech, prog (especially Haley's fingerstyle fusion guitar), and groove into some punishing Death Metal, Observant is a staple in the Aussie scene per exposure and origins. Other great Aussie bands (not prog per se but crushing nonetheless): Convulsing Berzerker Abyssal ... and many more, it's a pretty strong scene...
@killerpeaches7 totally agree. @ShaggysCorner sick dude, they shred hard and Dave Haley's drums are some of the best in the scene! His work on Aborted's "Slaughter and Apparatus" album was amazing too.
My pick for the best australian prog band would have to be without question, Alchemist and their 1997 album Spiritech. literally one of the most amazing and out there albums that was so ahead of its time
Awesome list of bands. Karnivool and Dead Letter Circus have been some of my favorites from Australia for a while. Australia has some great metal and hardcore overall. I'm surprised Alchemist wasn't mentioned even though they haven't been around for a while.
Sound Awake goes down as one of my favourite records of all time. Too bad Asymmetry was a huge disappointment, and not releasing anything for the past 5 years doesn't help either.
@@pypeij I don't think Asymmetry was a huge disapointed, but yes it is kind of different and more experimental, without that energy from Sound Awake. For me it is a good album, but not my favourite...I'm also into SA as the best from them
Years ago I have seen them at the amazing Progpower festival in Baarlo, The Netherlands. It is now called Progpower Europe. And some fine and a wide arrange "prog" metal bands are playing there.
Its been awhile since Alchemist has technically been around so maybe that's why there weren't mentioned. Adam Agius is in The Levitation Hex these days and are very similar to Alchemist. Worth checking out if you haven't already.
Finally! Love Australia and their music scene. Be'lakor, Portal, Karnivool, Caligula's Horse, NeO, Native Construct, Twelve Foot Ninja, Parkway Drive, Northlane, Sleepmakeswaves, We Lost The Sea, Plini, I Built The Sky, Opus For A Machine, Ouroboros, Arkheth, Polaris, dISEMBOWELEMT, Cemetary Urn, Voyager, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, Mesarthim, Thy Art, Impetous Ritual, Grave Upheaval, Convulsing... Jesus that's a shitton of bands. Anyways, love these vids the most so I suggest you go either to France's avant-garde black/black, Finnish melo death/doom, Portgual's black scene or UK's black scene. We have other countries but this can do it for now.
Caligula's Horse is just criminally underated imo. I love that band to bits. First time I heard them I instantly bought two of their albums and listened to them not stop for like a week.
This is the most patriotic i have ever felt, and i don't even really listen to any of these bands!!!! except plini, that man has actually taken guitar music and evolved it past what people like satriani and vai did to the genre, Its beyond mind blowing. cheers for hitting up the land down under so quickly Banger! you're doing a bloody beaut bang up job, there are vegemite sangas in the mail for all of ya's ;) \m/\m/
Glad to see Ne Obliviscaris, but... how can you talk Australian Prog Metal.. without Alchemist (Organasm, maybe, hard to pick just one album) and Psycroptic (ObServant)?
Yes, Human Connection is a brilliant record. Repping for my hometown boys here in Perth. New single due out soon... I've heard it live - it's going to kick ass!
Right. You can't let this topic come up without giving proper shout-outs to Be'lakor. They're my favorite Aussie band whose complex compositions make their melodic death metal progressive, not as wacky or mashed-up fusion as 12-Foot Ninja, but really solid for hours of good listening. 'Stone's Reach' and 'Of Breath and Bone' are great albums.
We have so many weird fusion bands here in Australia, and it's most prevalent in the prog scene. There's really incredible diversity going on throughout the various Australian scenes where no two bands really sound alike. All the crazy fusions of different genres is what makes Australian metal so unique.
I didn't expect to see Dead letter circus on the list! Great album. I have spend a lot of time listening to this album when i discovered them! Great video too!
We do have a great scene here. Alchemist, The Levitation Hex (ft Adam Agius from Alchemist), Caligula's Horse, Karnivool, Acolyte, Orsome Welles, Alithia, SleepMakesWaves, Meniscus, Like Thieves, Red Bee, Opus of a Machine, Mushroom Giant, Figures, Order of the Oblique are the bands I've fallen in love with over the years. And thats only on the prog spectrum.... I don't get the hype about 12 Ft Ninja myself. People are like "wow no one has ever fused metal with all these other genres before!" And I'm like Mr Bungle (who I dig) did it in the 90s so its nothing new. Worst part is where the singer not only sounds like Mike Patton when he sings but he even sounds EXACTLY like him when he talks. I mean what is up with that? Is it meant to be an impersonation or does he think he is actually Mike Patton??!!
The vocalist from Caligula's Horse was previously in a band called Arcane who are a super unknown Australian prog metal band and they are incredible , their 2009 album 'Chronicles Of The Waking Dream' is a masterpiece imo and is musically a cross between Dream Theater and Opeth with the vocals of Caligula's Horse (obviously)
"Toehider" - "What kind of creature am I?" beats almost all of the albums you have mentioned, maybe not "The portal of I" but it it is better than the rest in my opinion
How can you have a story on Aussie Prog Metal and not have one mention of Voyager?! They’re one of the biggest bands out there at the moment. Dropped the ball on that one.
Yeah, Vool and NeO are amazing Australian bands - and two of my all-time favorite bands as well! 🤗 It's not easy to catch these bands live here in Norway, but I've managed to watch both of them live. 🤘
I've been glued to Ne Obliviscaris' third album, Urn, ever since I heard it a couple of months ago. Kinda sad it wasn't talked about here, but the other two records are just as good. You can't go wrong with any album
So glad you did this video Banger. So many amazing bands down here, some of my favourite prog bands from Aus, would be Circles, Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect, sleepmakeswaves, Voyager, Cog and for the more experimental side of prog you can't past two bands from my hometown of Perth, Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving and the black metal influenced of Bolt Gun. Great video again.
The Butterfly Effect is a bit of a stretch to classify as prog but the guitar playing is different at times. They still deserve more attention though so good mention!
More great prog albums. Cog - The New Normal (any Cog really!) Chaos Divine - The Human Connection (their last album got more recognition but this one has a better balance of clean and death vocals) Arcane - Known/Learned (disbanded but has Caligulas Horse singer and is an amazing vocal performance)
I love how Americans and Canadians say everything can kill you haha. dude you have Bears, not only can they run swim climb and do anything phyiscal better than humans but they are also one of the smartest animal on the planet. If you are not afraid of bears you got nothing to fear in Australia.
King Parrot is a great Aussie band as well Not exactly prog but proper brutal and as comedic as twelve foot With songs that somewhat reflect an exaggerated version of Aussie lifestyle
Seriously, a review of Aussie progressive metal and no mention of Alchemist?? These guys were huge when I was growing up in the scene. They introduced a whole generation to underground metal. No mention of them is a bit piss poor, mate.
Vanishing Point....hell yeah! Seen these guys live twice. NeO rule! Be'lakor are Australias leader in melodeath, our Dark Tranquility if you will,I couldn't think of another band that would explain the influence and impact similar to what happens overseas.(I'm not explaining it right but doing my best). How about doing an album review for Valhalore- Voyage into Eternity, Aussie Viking/Pagan metal.🤘🤘From Aussie Metalheads.
I got the pleasure of seeing Plini and Intervals open for Animals as leaders a few years ago and goes without saying it was the best show of the year for me.
Everyone knows about "true" norwegian black metal but there are some interesting bands that expand more into the death/thrash scene. Bands like Aura Noir, Deathhammer, Inculter, Obliteration, Nekromantheon, Reptilian, Sepulcher, Condor,... IMO deserve to be looked at more closely.
You're missing the point here, man. All of those bands are by and large considered Black/Thrash. (Or Blackened Thrash if you will) None more so than Aura Noir. On a related note, I agree with you that Banger should do an episode on either of these sub-sub genres, as there's plenty to dig in to.
Very good video, love the format! I just wished there were some more underground bands, as most of these are already pretty big acts (but then again, it might just be because I'm really into prog stuff)
Only Ne Obliviscaris has Black metal elements and their first album is the masterpiece. You forgot Voyager, their last album is astonishing. You forgot one of the best and old aussie album Vauxdvihl - To Dimension Logic. You forgot that before Caligula's Horse was Arcane with their second album Chronicles Of The Waking Dream. You forgot Alchemist and their extreme prog metal music, dating back from 1993, their last being in 2003. You also forgot about Hemina with all their 4 albums being awesome. You forgot about Bak, only one album but very good from 2010.
I know it doesn't have any relation to the genre definition, but Mournful Congregation has created some of my favourite metal of any australian band i've heard so far!!
No mention of Be'Lakor? Stone's Reach is absolutely essential and giving a 5/5 for those other albums is ridiculous. Ne'Obliviscaris is really good but not "brutally heavy" lol. New Zealand has the best band in the region with Ulcerate.
I know Be’Lakor are amazing to not know about them is sin, and for Neobliviscaris they have a lot of heavy sections but not brutal it’s crafted extremely well and the contrast with Xen and Tim is Devine Dan on drums is a double kick god and Benji makes some really unique riffs and solos just love em
10:19: "And if you've been looking for something on more the heavier side of the prog spectrum..." Que a violin bit.... I know I know, it gets nice and heavy after that, but it sure tickled me. Great series, keep them coming!
It’s funny I would never describe Ne Obliviscaris as brutal. I’d just say it’s beautiful but I can see why someone who doesn’t listen to extreme metal would think that
Yes indeed. We do have a great bunch of music coming out of our country. The funny thing is, people see Australian Prog Metal online and think of it as a tight community in one geographic community. Remember Australia is about as big as the USA with less than 10% of the population in only really 5 big population centres. We are a united bunch though!
Australia has just been killing it lately. Outside of the metal genre you have Hiatus Kaiyote, Tame impala, King gizzard and the lizard wizard....The list goes on. I mean, come one!
How can you do Austalian prog metal without even a shout out to Alchemist? Five star prison cell and Be'lakor should also be explored as not only unique in Australia but the world
I found your local scene experts disregard of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard when it came to prog to be disturbing. But he was still very knowledgeable and listed some other great bands. King Gizzard is more Prog rock but the lead singer has sited Heavy/Doom Metal as major influences over some of his riffs. Especially anything from their album Murder of the Universe.
