In the grand scope of the music scene, there are multitudes of genres and subgenres that coincide with the overall sound of a genre. One genre is not defined by the average sound that is brought in. There are a plethora of different genres that don’t nearly get enough attention as Pop, R&B, or Rap, which have their subgenres.
One genre that isn’t entirely understood is metal. The genre is misinterpreted as heavy guitar, distorted bass, and intense, powerful vocals. Non-fans of the genre mistake metal for loud with deep, indecipherable, screaming vocals, leading the whole genre to be defined as something casual listeners wouldn’t want to listen to.
This metal view is a combination of a few other metal subgenres like heavy metal, thrash metal, and death metal. Many different subgenres of metal give the genre a different sound, one being progressive (prog) metal. This subgenre has a metal aspect along with a fusion of progressive rock. Some bands will also take this another step further and implement other genres into this sound.
An up-and-coming prog metal band that does this is Sleep Token, an anonymous British metal band. A simple Google search of the band will say that they are a rock band. Their album “Take Me Back to Eden”, released in May 2023, incorporates sounds of R&B, funk, electronic, and pop into the overall metal sound. The album has heavy drums from the drummer ll (two) and deep heavy set vocals from the anonymous lead singer Vessel.
Where this differs from many people’s misinterpretation of the metal genre is that the vocals are done in what is called “clean singing”, which a majority of the prog metal genre is sung in. In a select few songs off of “Take Me Back to Eden,” the lyrics are sung in what is called “death growl”. Where the vocalist does deep, slightly screaming vocals. A common misconception for what metal is as a whole.
Another prog metal band that incorporates “death growl” and “clean singing” into their music is the band Spiritbox. A Canadian metal band where vocalist Courtney LaPlante includes “death growl” vocals that the metal genre is known for. This mix of vocals and genres creates a different sound for both new and older metal fans. The unique fusion of sound makes it more accessible for people who dislike or don’t understand metal as a genre.
In the metal community, prog metal is seen as a subgenre that is not entirely accepted. Due to the fusion of different sounds and ways of performing vocals, it can be seen as “not metal”, even though the building blocks are fundamentally the same. This is a common thing that happens in the metal community where certain subgenres of metal are not seen as “real” metal. Metal is a genre that experiments with different sounds and ways of performing music, And metal bands try out new and different styles to see how their audience reacts to it, something that Spiritbox has done in the past.
There are many bands that people listen to that they don’t realize are metal. Metallica is frequently mistaken for a rock band when they are, in fact, metal. The band is a pioneer in the metal genre that is seen today. More well-known bands with a prog metal sound are Iron Maiden, Tool, and Rush. Though Rush is technically a progressive rock band. Many well-known metal bands are commonly mistaken as rock or progressive rock.
This misunderstanding about many famous metal bands allows all kinds of listeners to enjoy the metal sound without entirely knowing it. Without a band like Metallica, the metal genre wouldn’t be where it is today. With more prog metal bands on the rise, more listeners are drawn into genres who otherwise wouldn’t have thought about listening to metal. With the fusion of different genres and sounds, a wider range of music can attract new listeners ready to hear something different.
