Progressive Metal

Broadly a fusion of heavy metal and progressive rock, this sub-genre  emerged in the Eighties (Queensrÿche, then Dream Theatre) and became popular in the 1990s. Largely a product of the US heavy metal scene, it uses a rock base but interpolates elements of jazz-rock, classical composition or even non-Western music to create a multi-hued hybrid. Obviously, such a brief givers birth to a huge diversity of bands and sounds, ranging from the technical intensity of Tool to the art rock tendencies of Dream Theatre.

Later progressive metal bands include Muse, Opeth, Tesseract, and The Mars Volta, yet it is fascinating to think how it all began with King Crimson’s "21st Century Schizoid Man" in 1969.