Recommendations

So I'm relatively new to metal, though I've been listening to Stryper and Tourniquet for about 12 years. I never really looked into more metal than that until about 3 years ago.

In recent months I've discovered I really like Progressive Metal. I'm a classically trained trumpet player so I can appreciate the complexity (as long as there's no wankery:x ). I really like Darkwater and 7Days' sound but lyrically, Darkwater is very negative and 7Days second album just doesn't make sense to me. I enjoy the poetry of it but I'm never sure what Markus is trying to say with the lyrics.

Anyway, any recommendations for good Prog metal that has "Christian" lyrics that sounds like 7Days or Darkwater, or even Dream Theater and Symphony X?

If you like Dream Theater and Symphony X (both excellent bands!), you NEED to check out the band Menahem. Unfortunately, their one and only album "Angels and Shadows" is difficult to come by in physical form, but the band themselves offered the album up for free download, so it's easy to find out on the web. Stylistically, it's a good midpoint between DT and Symphony X, and vocalist Leann Van Ranna has a great voice.

Another band you might enjoy is Timesword - their "Chains of Sin" debut is solid, though flawed. Still, it's fairly good for a debut. I'd look into early Veni Domine as well. Their first 3 albums are progressive metal, though later material drifted into more doom metal territory (though still good stuff). But both "Fall Babylon Fall" and "Material Sanctuary" are killer, as is the follow-up "Spiritual Wastelands".

"Drifted into more doomy metal territory", are you kidding me? "Material Sanctuary" is as about as doomy as it gets!

In the sense that much of the progressive metal aspect they had on the first 3 albums was almost totally overshadowed by the time "IIII: The Album of Labour" came out. They've always had a doom element to their music, but I feel like the progressive element was as strong, if not stronger, on the first 3 records.

Can't agree, I think the power metal aspect began to wane on "IIII", and was gone by "23:59." They still retained the prog elements, just wrapped in a different blanket. As for the doom, "Material Sanctuary" was by far the the doomiest of them all. In fact Torb said they made a conscious effort to move away from that on "Spiritual Wasteland", for fear of being pigeon holed in that genre.

Might check out Theocracy. Also, Zero Hour though not a christian band per se they have some themes that fit. Start with Towers of Avarice.

Callmethebreeze wrote:Might check out Theocracy.

...might?!

Callmethebreeze wrote:YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY check out Theocracy.

Fixed

Silent Lapse has a really good album, which is free for download. Also try Harmony, Incrave and Neal Morse

BTW, all Veni Domine lp's are "must listening music!"

fragile wrote:BTW, all Veni Domine lp's are "must listening music!"

Agreed

Through The Dark Radio wrote:

fragile wrote:BTW, all Veni Domine lp's are "must listening music!"

Agreed

Yes, I will agree to not split hairs on this topic

BTW, what a silly goose I am for not immediately suggesting Theocracy

Can't believe I didn't remember Theocracy. They're one of my favorite bands ever... Also can't believe - I got all of Veni Domine's from a buddy and have just never put them on my mp3 player yet!

Thanks for the suggestions. I've checked out Menahem and I'm going to try to get my hands on theirs. And I'm going to upload Veni Domine to my mp3 player and check them out.

Wow!

MetalFRO wrote:If you like Dream Theater and Symphony X (both excellent bands!), you NEED to check out the band Menahem. Unfortunately, their one and only album "Angels and Shadows" is difficult to come by in physical form...

You ain't kidding! Never heard of this before, was there any buzz here when it first came out?

Faith Factor is another band worth checking out!

fragile wrote:

MetalFRO wrote:If you like Dream Theater and Symphony X (both excellent bands!), you NEED to check out the band Menahem. Unfortunately, their one and only album "Angels and Shadows" is difficult to come by in physical form...

You ain't kidding! Never heard of this before, was there any buzz here when it first came out?

Very little because it was a 100% indie release (I have a copy, it's a self-printed CD-R with a well-done self-printed booklet), and because the band is from Brazil and didn't promote it internationally as much as they could have. I found out about it somewhat by accident and then hungered for it after hearing a couple tracks on Myspace. I downloaded the whole album when I saw the band offered it for free, then eventually scored a physical copy.

Why hasn't anyone signed these cats and picked this up?!

MetalFRO wrote: I downloaded the whole album when I saw the band offered it for free...

Any links for this?

Ascension Theory
Eterna
Fall of Echoes
Grimmark (Solo album by Carl Johan Grimmark, guitarist for Narnia)
Pursuit
Scream of the Guillotine
Shadow Gallery