Ten PROG Bands I just CAN'T Get Into! 

Just picking out a couple of my favourite bands in this list: Animals As Leaders - I'd say their emotional content is more... complex? I mean, I kind of criticize people who shit on shredding as "unemotional" by saying that "there are more emotions than happy/sad/mad", and if you look at pieces and think of more specific emotions like anxiety or dread or jubilance or something like that... it kind of clicks better. But then, you're a prog fan. You know that :P As for the lack of bass... as far as I know they have bass guitar on the studio recordings, and pipe it into the PA during live shows. Otherwise, yeah, they are a very technical band. I dunno, I guess I just find more emotion in the technical showboating. Marillion - Well, when you get to Hogarth era, I think it's more like "I wish I was listening to Radiohead or Oceansize". :P Periphery - The vocals were not so good on the first album, but by their second it really gelled with me. I think it's one of those things where they're like... "Tesseract with more memes". The focus of Periphery is more guitar-based than bass-based like Tesseract... so I wonder if that has a role :P I think Periphery also try to be more... I dunno, "mainstream" than Tesseract. They definitely have a much more "verse-chorus-verse" structure to their songs... Queensryche - When you stop thinking of them as "prog", they improve. "Promised Land" is a good album that kind of fits in with DT's "Awake" from the same year. But yeah, they're not really "prog", but more like "80s metal that's a little more forward-thinking than Maiden/Priest/Saxon..." Tool - I love them, but if I hear one more 0-3-5 drop D riff from them I'm gonna scream. They just drag on and on with drop D riffing. And you talk about the complexities of the math... I actually find the opposite, people get all "their math and theory is so DEEEEP man", but their music is actually so much simpler and less interesting than it's made out to be. Drop D, play it in a 0-3-5 fret pattern, but in 5/8 or 7/8 and yeah, you got a Tool song. Music theory? D minor. That's the only key you need to know. A minor sometimes? I think they have one in E minor. VDGG - I have the same problem with the vocals, but there are contexts where it works. I think it conveys the fear of the track "Pioneers over c" perfectly. But then there's a lot of their material where I just can't get into it.

Van Der Graaf Generator INITIALLY for me took a lot of patience and repeated listening, but I've still got an obsession about them over 30 years after conversion. Situations like this I feel offer more longevity. Great video. 👍😍

Once Van Der Graaf clicks, they're amazing. Love Peter Hammill, and his solo stuff as well.

Here we go!!!!!!!!!

Really enjoyed this video and liked your open-minded approach. I was also relieved to find that I'm not the only one who can't fully "get" Tool. I have the same feeling about them that you have with Swans in that on paper I should love them but when it comes down to it I just can't do it. I appreciate that they're superb musicians, songwriters and artists and I do like them but I would never reach for one of their albums because I really want to listen to it, more that I feel like I should try and get into it. I've been through a bit of their back catalogue recently and it was quite an effort. I liked some of it but by the end of each album I was just glad that it was over.

I actually also made a video about this a few weeks ago "Bands/Artists that are NOT my cup of Tea (Part 1?)" and I did include bands like Tool, Swans and IQ were in there as well. I follow most of your takes on these bands. Marillion and Queensryche would be the only names I enjoy, but with Queensryche, maybe it's the amount of time you've spent?, but it has to be the Chris DeGarmo records only (including Promised Land especially). And I do agree, I woild still rather listen to Fates Warning. Marillion: you may want to hear a little more of the Hogarth stuff. Seasons End or Anoraknaphobia? or maybe FEAR? Per if you do enjoy Marbles, there may be others to get into, although Marbles is often looked at as the best record from the Hogarth albums.

Queensryche-NOT a "Prog"band,never have been."Operation Mindcrime" is still a fave of mine but recording a concept album does not automatically turn your band into a "Prog" act....the same follows for the greatest band ever-Rush.......Animals as Leaders are just the latest trendy,emperor's new clothes guff that for some reason people are wetting themselves over,like Tool they are hugely overrated and dull.

IQ hooked me with Dark matter album and 24 minute epic track Harvest of Souls. I still find it hard to dig into their earlier double disk albums, but Dark matter works for me. I also had some success listens with Frequency and The road of bones. Give Dark matter a try.

I have been trying to like TOOL over the last few years, but I can't seem to find anything that exciting or interesting with them. I would love to hear some feedback myself in what I'm missing. Having such a godlike status, the music to me seems rather dull. Someone help me understand! Normally I can move on if I've given something a try over many attempts and years, but I truly want to understand the appeal.

My son is gonna take me to see Animals As Leaders later this year. Tool has two iconic albums, one absolute masterpiece, and two just ok records. They’re not ‘prog’ but King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is the coolest band I’ve heard in *years*.

Funny, I can't stand FK discography too, but Banks of Eden is a top10 album for me. They really nailed that.

I love that you went from AAL to ELP since everything you said about them applies to ELP IMO.

I understand what you mean about the voices. I hate John Wetton’s and Greg Lake’s vocals. Lake’s singing is ok and that Christmas record I suppose.

My wife and I adore IQ. We feel the recent IQ albums: "Resistance" and "The Road of Bones" are their top two albums. Cassandra, my wife,, my life , my love, my groove, my gift suggests the following tip to Rhyme Signatures..." If you want to delve and dig into IQ, start with IQ's recent album- Resistance." If you can't dig it after three listens...Then do not proceed down The Road Of Bones". Normally, we would not advise walking backward through a discography...but IQ is our exception.

"When I listen to Hogarth Era I wish I were listening to Fish Era and then I wish I was listening to Genesis. It's a whole like big domino effect thing." Even though I expect it's not the Genesis Era you are referring to, I still see what you did there.

I'm not a massive fan of any of the bands you mentioned. If someone asked me if I’m a fan of Queensryche or Marillion I'd say yes, but f they asked me for album recommendations from either, I'd probably only pick 2 or 3 and the rest I never need to hear again. As for Queensryche, it'd be Rage for Order, Operation Mindcrime and Promised Land. For Marillion, it'd be Misplaced Childhood (minus Lavender and Kayleigh), Clutching at Straws and FEAR. There are some solid tracks here and there in the rest, but nothing I actively seek out. As for why you should like these albums… I don't know. Do you need to? Maybe you just don't like them. Nice video, thanks.

I'm with you on just about all of this, except Swans. And! Van Der Graaf Generator. They are still one of my favourites. But it is quite simple - if a band doesn't turn you on you can't make yourself like them.

I think its important to set out in videos like this, which you did, is that these are bands that you personally don't get or resonate with. Its not a criticism on people who are fans of said bands. I do like a lot of them but can understand why certain aspects of them can be offputting to others.

I loved Van Der Graaf Generator from my very first listen in 1971, I personality like Peter Hammill's voice, it's so emotive. Pawn Hearts is for me one of the greatest progressive rock album's of all time, the music is so complex, so dramatic and the writing of Hammill is superb. Having said that, I can understand why some people may dislike Peter's vocal style, indeed, the band as a whole; what, no lead guitarist I've heard people cry! As PJprog has said in a previous post, it can, for some, take repeated listens and some patience to get into this band but I guess, in your case, if you you don't Peter Hammill's voice that's that. O well, look on the positives, just think of all that money you have saved by not purchasing Peter Hammill's 41 studio album's and 13 live albums! 😊

ELP has never clicked with me, but I adore their 1980 Best Of compilation, which is almost entirely made up of unrepresentative accessible tunes. In a certain sense that frustrates me even more, as they evidently could write tunes without relying on overblown solos, they just chose not to. I simply can’t listen to a full studio album by ELP, but that compilation does a great job of being a fun alternative history for the band, by just highlighting their most uncharacteristically commercial moments.

Cult of Luna rule - im massive fan! With you on ELP...'wankery'= nail on head, 😂 but im also with you on being open and not giving up on a band even if i know im not gelling. For me that magic feeling is missing with likes of ELP. Not feelin it with Flower Kings either. Bands that took me ages to love and now fancy listening to often... Marillion, Rush, Van Der Graf Generator,... Bands i will likely never love but should and will not give up on....Tool, Meshuggah, Led Zeppelin (there i said it sorry rest of the 🌍)....id also add Mastadon.... nearly liked their last album so bought three more....and... meh...nothing excited me... Hard to like bands that i connect with and love deeply....Swans, God Speed You! Black Emperor....yup more repetitive soundscapes...misery loves company kind of thing maybe....🤷🏼‍♀️😉

I actually love Hamill's voice and never perceived Van der Graaf Generator as quirky. It's more like they crank everything up to 200% and I find that psychotic in a loveable kind of way. However, you might want to give the albums from their second proper era a chance, "Godbluff" in particular. Hamill's singing voice has shifted a little by then and the music sounds more settled and not as extreme as it used to. ELP I only ever managed to get one side of vinyl out of, and that would be the first of "Tarkus".

Regards your 'how do i connect to whoever' questions id say Swans are overwhelming. Expect it snd embrace it. The way i listen to them is ' let it go and let it wash over and flood your senses mode.' i kind of listen but dont at same time....allow myself to tune out and let the sounds tune me back in. That way its a different experience each time and you gradually sign post the journey of each track...and tune in more....it becomes like familiar long walks with a mixture of nice viewpoints and exciting deadly drops!!🤯⛰️ With VDGGenerator its the quality of production. I kept going back to Still Life. I think once you look forward to a couple of songs on challenging records it kind of unlocks the connection to the rest of their work....unless its really pants of course. That happened with Amorphis....thought they were pure cheese for ages. Now i love em to pieces!!🖤 Whatever the artist i think Steven Wilson summed it up in recent podcast...we forget that the music stays the same yet we are the ones that change....👍👍👍

The premise of your video's overall question: "Those who are enthusiastic/fans of X band, help me understand and appreciate their music more..." is an excellent and open minded approach. It's a great question and something I've always wanted to have answered, myself, for some of these prog-adjacent bands (and others) too. I'm looking forward to reading the responses from everyone to help me appreciate the magic that others are finding.🤘

Let's see... My thoughts: Animals as Leaders - I get it. Frankly, I tend to get a little bored with even the most fantastic all-instrumental albums because they lack a voice for me to connect with. At least that's my theory. Otherwise, I can't explain it. The degree of it varies, like Steve Vai does better for me than most, but ultimately, I think I want a voice or perhaps a clearer melody. Roine can be a little hit/miss with me, though mostly hit...and, I would say I likely enjoy most vocalists more than him. Marillion...oh, now you tread on holy ground a little. I'm more of an H era fan than Fish, personally. I find them a bit less derivative with H. They have always been the classic band for me that their music doesn't smack you in the face so much as it rewards repeat listens. We can at least meet at Marbles, which is my favorite of theirs. Periphery can be a bit hit/miss for me, depending on the song. Hey, Dude...don't dump on Queensryche, though! Yeah, they haven't been all that great for a long time, but O:M and Empire are seminal albums, and Promised Land is underrated. But then, if you don't like the rest...of, I get it. (Yes, its Todd. You probably know that by the time I wrote this.) Tool...I'm with you on that, and it took seeing Clutch play live that finally helped me put it in words: Groove-oriented bands tend to be so focused on the groove that they lack melody. I need melody. Without it, I just don't connect. So, while I like a bit of Tool, I will never love them. (Except Vicarious). What I struggle to understand is exactly why they are so popular. There's nothing commercial about them. No hooks. No simple catchy melodies. Far from simply lyrics. And yet...they are arguably the most popular modern prog band, and the most popular prog METAL band. I don't get it, either. "David Bowie when he's given up" LMAO! And that's everything I needed to hear today! I'm out!

That last Queensryche album - Digital Noise was probably the best album of 2022.

Music is subjective, it's simply down to your own personal taste. I like all of the bands you mention, I don't like a lot of the bands you rave about, that's just the way it goes. That's life. The world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same things and sometimes there is simply no apparent reason you don't like something, you just don't. I do find that if you don't like things like Rautavaara, Penderecki or even Shostakovich, you'll not get things like Animals as Leaders or Van Der Graaf Generator, it takes a different mind set. It's not rocket science and there's no real reason for it, we're all just different.

I think we all have bands that do not click as much as others. Some of your list I agree with, some I dont. Thats music for ya.

I feel pretty much the same about ELP. A couple thoughts and observations: A lot of ELP's stuff just *sounds* dated in a way that, for example, Selling England, Thick as a Brick, or Close to the Edge do not. The production, synths, organs, and mixes are *so* late 60s/early 70s on ELP's music up to BSS that I find it distracting, and I'm not really a fan of that era's production techniques and general sound of records of that time. I also noticed working at a record store from 2014-2017 that ELP sold *far less* to people who didn't live through that era than their contemporaries. I regularly sold Tull, Genesis, Rush, and even Gentle Giant records to people in their teens, 20s, and 30s, but rarely sold ELP, and when I did, it was to some dedicated prog head, not just a casual listener with broad tastes - those people would buy 2112, Aqualung, and Selling England but they'd never touch Trilogy, Tarkus, or BSS. ELP are very much of their time when their best contemporaries are timeless. Still Life by Van der Graaf Generator is one of the best albums ever recorded, though.

Swans I sympathise with. I think their Children of God - Great Annihilator period is their best. Shorter songs. Jarboe chips in. The later stuff is gruelling. Live, it’s exhausting (and not a little boring). I don’t find myself reaching for Leaving Meaning or The Beggar nowadays as they seem to be minor variations on the same theme. Hammill is like Lydon, Mark E Smith or Nigel Blackwell. A very regionalised English voice you either love or loathe. His whisper to a scream approach influenced Bowie, not the other way around. I think you’re not mad on English voices? Gabriel was only ever trying to sound like his hero Otis Redding. Have you heard Fripp’s Exposure? Or any of Hammill’s solo stuff (Nadir/ The Future Now/ PH7/ A Black Box). Sometimes it’s best to work backwards from solo to the VDGG stuff, as the organ / sax / drums combo is daunting if you’re not prepared. They did have a reputation as one of the HEAVY bands back in the day. Anyway, love your stuff. Keep up the good work!

Interesting video. My two Swiss cents: - Marillion is a band which I loved since the mid-80s; less of a fan of the later era but still a joy to see live. While the comparison with Genesis is probably legit, I'd say that, back in the days, there were Genesis with teeth. - IQ: absolutely love the band, but have you tried the two albums they release in the late 80s, Nomzamo and Are You Sitting Comfortably? They had a different singer and a more poppy sound back then. - Queensrÿche: while Operation: Mindcrime is probably their prog masterpiece, their previous album, Rage for Order, clicked much better with me, with its cyberpunk themes. But I must admit I have pretty much abandoned it after the disappointing Empire.

Very enjoyable and interesting vid and we need to respect our likes and dislikes. Unlike yourself I tend to prefer instrumentals but not to exclusion of vocals where they are talented and add to the music eg Ian Gillan and Chris Cornell. Having said that, surprised Rush didn't make your list. La Villa Strangiato, yes, any time Geddy is involved vocally, pass. On the other hand I understand your criticism of ELP,ie whimsical and bombastic, but Greg Lake is one of the greatest Prog vocalists IMHO, and the talent of Palmer and Emerson make this a definite "Supergroup". There were a couple of bands on your list that I wasn't familiar with, so will check out. Thanks again

Can’t love everything.

Please allow our crew to try to change your mind on Marillion! ru-vid.comucIXjdpVppo?feature=share

Animals as Leaders, to me, is just a vehicle for Tosin and Matt (and Javier, to a less flashy extent) to showcase their technical ability. I've seen them live and it was truly awe inducing how incredible these guys were. But I never have any urge to listen to their albums. It's like watching an F1 race. I wasn't emotionally moved, but I was hyped to fuck. So, if you readjust your expectations, they have a lot to offer.

I cannot get into Radiohead and XTC. I like The Seer. I listen to The Seer once every 1,000 days.

Agree with all. Throw in Gentle Giant and I'm a happy chappy! Good vid thanks'

Why is this guy trying to sound like James Mason

I'm so with you for the Flower Kings 🤣😂... but for Marillion, I really like all the Fish era, I understand the comparison with Genesis, but Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws are so so good. For the H era it depends, I'm having a hard time with his vocal on some songs (don't know why exactly, it's like he's trying too much) but Seasons End, Brave and Marbles are probably my favorites of this era. Also, really like the song Gaza for some reason...

I chuckled a bit when you mentioned the sometimes drawn out openings of ELP tracks because it made me remember how every single time ‘Bitches Crystal’ starts I think the ice cream man is coming. I do like ELP a lot, though, including those long openings. Absolutely love the opening to ‘Pirates’ where there’s about three mins of epic music before the vocals kick in. At the same time there’s other ELP tracks that I rarely listen to as they just seem a bit too whimsical.

I´m totally with you on Roine Stolt´s vocals. I can not stand them, and I soo wish he would´ve kept quiet in Transatlantic.. As for Flower kings, I do like a lot of what´s going on musically, and you could just try out the tunes where Hasse Fröberg sings..

I am a huge prog fan, but I have never able to get into Genesis. Every album is just a snooze fest to my ears.

My bad opinion . . . I don’t like Yes.