The Year 2014 In Prog (So Far) - Disappointed or Satisfied?

[Mladen]

I've only heard four prog albums released this year and I'm rather satisfied overall. Transatlantic's Kaleidoscope is my favorite of the bunch, being that it's completely what I expected from them. It also features the title track, one of their best songs in my opinion. The album will probably end up as one of my albums of the year.

I'm enjoying the new Yes album quite a bit and I'm very surprised by all the negative reviews it's getting. It's certainly softer and less progressive than their most famous albums, but that's the sound they're going for right now - they're in their 60s, so they're sounding a bit more content and laid back. It still features their signature beautiful melodies, I find some of the songs extremely infectious.

One of the more obscure and experimental releases of the year is Peter Hammill's collaboration with Gary Lucas entitled Other world. It's a bit too ambient sounding for my taste, but I keep returning to the ''real'' songs, such as This is showbiz, Black ice and Spinning coins.

The only disappointment of the year is Ian Anderson's Homo erraticus. I liked the opening song, but he lost me right afterwards. I'm not really an IA or JT fan, but knowing that I liked TAAB2, I kinda had expectations with this record. Oh well.

[Jaq]

I haven't really felt very proggy this year, to be honest-hell, I still haven't heard the new Transatlantic, though I know it's good-so really the only prog album I can safely comment on is the new IQ. But that's a borderline AOTY for me, so...

[PROGdrummer]

Well, lets see

Albums that have come out that I very much enjoy/am satisfied with

Animals As Leaders - The Joy of Motion
Devin Townsend - Casualites of Cool
Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails
KXM - KXM
Save Us From The Archon - Thereafter
Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope


Albums that disappointed me

Anathema - Distant Satellites
Yes - Heaven and Earth


Albums that I haven't heard yet/am still looking forward to

Opeth - Pale Communion
The Contortionist - Language
Trioscapes - Digital Dream Sequence
Flying Colors - unannounced


So overall, meh. What has come out already isn't at all bad, but the amount we've gotten is kind of underwhelming compared to the ridiculously high number of incredible,  high quality albums we've gotten each year over the past few years.

2014 is a bit of a slow year. But there's some left to enjoy.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Very satisfied on the strength of Thoughts Factory's incredible debut album, Lost.

Transatlantic's latest is superb as well.

[Crow]

I haven't gotten a single 2014 album yet
I want Casualties of Cool but the availability of physical copies is being an issue
Will get Opeth's when they release it too

[Scorpion]

Based on recommendations in this thread, I have gotten Orvam: A Song for Home and it is completely awesome. Anyone who likes progressive metal in the vein of Fates Warning, that is, not very wanky, but incredibly atmospheric with some great keyboard work and some awesome vocals should not hesitate to check this one out. And if my recommendation doesn't hold much weight, then perhaps lonestar's recommendation does.

[Lolzeez]

Nope,very disappointing year FOR PROG so far. (Great year for so many other genres though. Prog snobs should explore other genres.  ) Keep in mind that none of these albums are like 9/10 worthy. In fact there's only one 8/10 record here.

Prog Albums I Liked So Far

Trophy Scars with Holy Vacants. This was a very unique record since it combines Post Hardcore with Blues Rock and adds a bit of prog. It's not primarily prog rock but imho it's more prog than bands like Transatlantic who just imitate. This is my fav prog album of the year.

Murmur with their self titled. This was a very cool album since it combined Black Metal with Progressive Rock. There were other bands who tried to do that this year but imo Murmur was the one who nailed it.

Anathema with Distant Satellites. Although a little disappointing after two of their best albums ever,DS was a nice addition to their discography. The second half of the album wasn't as good as the first but i still really like how they tried to do something different.

IQ with The Road Of Bones. I can't believe it. This band has been active for so long yet they still sound fresh and new. This was a really nice record really.

Albums That I Disliked So Far

Cynic had a new record this year and honestly,my favorite track was the one they released before the album. Holy crap was the album boring.

Yes had a new album out couple weeks ago but honestly,except from Adrenaline Mob,Yes released by far my least favorite album of the year. There are NO redeeming qualities at all. The vocals are dime a dozen,the guitar lines are boring,the keyboards sound like they're from a super nintendo and the drumming is uninteresting. I never am this mean to an album but seriously,fuck this record.

Ian Anderson released an album but I don't even remember its name but it was like "Homo Eroticus" or something. Well,the lyrics made me cringe more than BC&SL ever did and the music was just boring. Shame really cause I loved TAAB2.

And last but not least,Transatlantic's borefest. Yes I just called it a borefest. I don't want to talk about this record honestly. All I wanna say is that it bored the shit out of me.



And I'm not sure about Opeth's new album. It's good and all but it's kinda bland. I'm 6 listens in and I guess it will go up from here.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

The edge here is truly scarring.

 

I really do need to check out the new Anathema record though. And the band in general, since I've yet to really delve into them.

As for other genres this year, I suppose an obvious one to check out would be the new Swans album. Just about everyone smileed over it so there might be something there, though Soundtracks for the Blind wasn't exactly the most impressive thing ever to me.

[Zantera]

Swans is not a band for everyone. But if you have a good taste in music you'll love them. If not, you always have prog.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Soundtracks for the Blind wasn't a bad album at all. There were a lot of great tracks on it, but also a few that I didn't care for. Somewhat of a mixed bag so to say, though I'll surely give it more listens to see if any of those other songs grow on me. It certainly did feel as though the second disc in particular dragged on just a tad bit.

Either way, I'll probably check out To Be Kind soon, and some of their older stuff as well. Don't worry, it's not like prog is the only music listen to but this is practically a prog music forum.

[MoraWintersoul]

Great year for so many other genres though. Prog snobs should explore other genres. 

Swans is not a band for everyone. But if you have a good taste in music you'll love them. If not, you always have prog.

Middle school called, it wants its siqq burns back. At least a half of the people posting here aren't even nearly prog snobs.

[ColdFireYYZ]

Yeah, I really don't see how any posts in this thread scream "prog snob". I mean, I guess I can see how my post earlier in this thread where I listed a bunch of more obscure albums could lead someone to assume that I only listen to prog, but that's far from the case. I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm sure most of the posters here probably listen to other genres too.

[Zantera]

Actually it was more of a common denominator since we're all on DTF and we all have prog in common, I would guess that's a safe genre to assume most of us love.

[ariich]

Actually it was more of a common denominator since we're all on DTF and we all have prog in common, I would guess that's a safe genre to assume most of us love.

Which is presumably why this thread exists at all. We have pretty regular general threads covering favourite albums of the year, etc.

[Sacul]

I've mostly listened to old albums this years but I've loved what Anathema, Destiny Potato (best female-fronted djent band ever) and Dream the Electric Sleep have released. I tried The Road to Bones and it was so boooring. Vocally it reminded me of early Fates Warning (), but musically it goes nowhere - and the songs are too long. But anyways, I'm quite satisfied in general.

[PROGdrummer]

Well, lets see

Albums that have come out that I very much enjoy/am satisfied with

Animals As Leaders - The Joy of Motion
Devin Townsend - Casualites of Cool
Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails
KXM - KXM
Save Us From The Archon - Thereafter
Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope


Albums that disappointed me

Anathema - Distant Satellites
Yes - Heaven and Earth


Albums that I haven't heard yet/am still looking forward to

Opeth - Pale Communion
The Contortionist - Language
Trioscapes - Digital Dream Sequence
Flying Colors - unannounced


So overall, meh. What has come out already isn't at all bad, but the amount we've gotten is kind of underwhelming compared to the ridiculously high number of incredible,  high quality albums we've gotten each year over the past few years.

2014 is a bit of a slow year. But there's some left to enjoy.

Well, this post was made about 3 months ago.
Since then, Pale Communion, Language, Digital Dream Sequence, and Second Nature have all been released, and have all been GREAT albums in my opinion. 

The Contortionist's Language might be album of the year, with Opeth's new record coming in second.

AND I still have Devin Townsend's Z2 to look forward, which I didnt even think was coming to come out before the end of this year (what a workhorse that guy is). And that's technically two albums still.

2014 has shaped up to be a pretty good year overall, I suppose.

[Zantera]

Anyone who is into Progressive Metal owe it to themselves to check out The Contortionist - Language. I'd say it's the best progressive metal release by far this year, and really quite something special. 

[PROGdrummer]

Anyone who is into Progressive Metal owe it to themselves to check out The Contortionist - Language. I'd say it's the best progressive metal release by far this year, and really quite something special. 

this 

[ariich]

How does it compare to their previous album? I heard that one but didn't think it was especially exciting.

EDIT: In fact, turns out I've heard both their first two albums, and didn't think either were very good.

[Zantera]

I only heard their second album before and didn't think much of it. But a new singer, new direction and the new album was a home run IMO.

[PROGdrummer]

How does it compare to their previous album? I heard that one but didn't think it was especially exciting.

EDIT: In fact, turns out I've heard both their first two albums, and didn't think either were very good.

I think their first two albums are garbage.
This new one, however, is absolutely glorious. If the other albums were 4 or 5's at best, this is a definite 10/10.

[adace]

I like Intrinsic a lot, but Language is still better imo.

[ariich]

How does it compare to their previous album? I heard that one but didn't think it was especially exciting.

EDIT: In fact, turns out I've heard both their first two albums, and didn't think either were very good.

I think their first two albums are garbage.
This new one, however, is absolutely glorious. If the other albums were 4 or 5's at best, this is a definite 10/10.

I only heard their second album before and didn't think much of it. But a new singer, new direction and the new album was a home run IMO.

Wow, will definitely have to check it out then!

[Xenon]

Most prog albums I was waiting for dissapointed me this year.
Very good year for Non prog music, though.

[bosk1]

Pretty disappointing year for prog, I suppose.  Transatlantic is the only prog album I have purchased, and I don't see anything else in the genre out this year that looks interesting.  I guess if you were to consider Flying Colors to be prog, and you included the live release from DT, it's not quite as bleak.  But it feels like this has been a VERY slow year for music in general.

EDIT:  Looking at the release list, I think I will have only purchased a total of 7 new studio albums this year (Transatlantic, Within Temptation, KXM, Epica, Flying Colors, Lacuna Coil, and Pink Floyd).  It has indeed been a VERY slow year in music.

[Zantera]

I think it's also the current state of Prog. There hasn't really been a huge breakthrough in a few years, a band like Porcupine Tree, Mars Volta or another new band appearing out of nowhere and really adding something new to the mix. Many of the bands in the genre right now are either doing what they have been doing for years, or following in the 70's prog revival. Whether you like that "style" or not is of course 100% subjective, but every few years a band comes along that invokes a big change and alters the shape of the genre, and in my opinion we haven't had a band like that in a few years. That doesn't mean we haven't had good prog albums, but nothing completely out of left field that has changed the game.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I think it's also the current state of Prog. There hasn't really been a huge breakthrough in a few years, a band like Porcupine Tree, Mars Volta or another new band appearing out of nowhere and really adding something new to the mix. Many of the bands in the genre right now are either doing what they have been doing for years, or following in the 70's prog revival. Whether you like that "style" or not is of course 100% subjective, but every few years a band comes along that invokes a big change and alters the shape of the genre, and in my opinion we haven't had a band like that in a few years. That doesn't mean we haven't had good prog albums, but nothing completely out of left field that has changed the game.

I'll agree to an extent, but it's really unlikely to be able to innovate a genre without people wanting to call it something else entirely if it deviates too much from the original concept. Even Steven Wilson was on the fence about calling Porcupine Tree's body of work "prog".

[Zantera]

Yeah I think part of what it takes to be innovative is to include elements of other genres into what you're doing, fusing it together into a new sound, like nothing heard before. Just playing long and technical songs following the traditional odd time signatures in itself is not groundbreaking, it all depends on execution. And on the other side of the coin, some bands don't want to break new ground or be on the forefront. Some just enjoy making the kind of music they like, such as bands making 70's prog rock styled albums today. So not all of the bands want that role, and that's fine.

[YtseJamittaja]

I'm really disappointed. DT's live dvd and AAL's The Joy of Motion are the only enjoyable ones. Others have been just meh. Really few good bands even released/will release an album this year.

[Xenon]

Yeah I think part of what it takes to be innovative is to include elements of other genres into what you're doing, fusing it together into a new sound, like nothing heard before. Just playing long and technical songs following the traditional odd time signatures in itself is not groundbreaking, it all depends on execution. And on the other side of the coin, some bands don't want to break new ground or be on the forefront. Some just enjoy making the kind of music they like, such as bands making 70's prog rock styled albums today. So not all of the bands want that role, and that's fine.

There is some bands that brought new things to the mix but in middle of this 70s revival they got lost in the middle.

[Mosh]

It has indeed been a VERY slow year in music.

In prog maybe but music as a whole? Nah. There have plenty of other genres with lots of great music coming out. Metal, for example.

I think the problem is just that all the good prog bands released music last year or late 2012. Dream Theater, Haken, Spock's Beard, Rush, SW, the list goes on. There were a ton of great prog coming last year so it's only natural that this year is rather slow. I imagine the pace will be picked up quite a bit next year.

[Newmz]

I saw the Contortionist on their tour with periphery in Syracuse, NY. the show was phenomenal and the album is also excellent.

I personally really enjoyed Opeth's release as well, and I am looking forward to Haken's release at the end of the month. Actually, I'm REALLY looking forward to Haken.

Also, I believe Haken is writing/has written material for their fourth album? I imagine that will come out next year.

[bosk1]

It has indeed been a VERY slow year in music.

In prog maybe but music as a whole? Nah. There have plenty of other genres with lots of great music coming out. Metal, for example.

I think the problem is just that all the good prog bands released music last year or late 2012. Dream Theater, Haken, Spock's Beard, Rush, SW, the list goes on. There were a ton of great prog coming last year so it's only natural that this year is rather slow. I imagine the pace will be picked up quite a bit next year.

Well, I'm not really a "prog" fan in general, and I other than DT, I don't really care for any of the bands on your list, so I'm definitely not limiting myself to prog at all.  As for metal, I guess it just depends on the type of metal.  My issue is that very few of the bands I like or would buy music from, prog, metal, or otherwise, have put out albums this year. 

[SoundscapeMN]

I gave the Contortionist record a go, and while I liked some of it, I also couldn't help but think they remind me of 2 other recent bands. 1 being Cynthesis and especially the band Being.

[PROGdrummer]

I gave the Contortionist record a go, and while I liked some of it, I also couldn't help but think they remind me of 2 other recent bands. 1 being Cynthesis and especially the band Being.

Will have to check them out then