Progressive, short for Progressive Rock, has always been categorized as the genre for musical "nerds". The length of a typical song varies from 5-10 minutes, the music is more concerned about the instrumentation rather than the mere appearance, and the performers are usually the best of their class. Pink Floyd, Genesis, Queen (at times), and Rush are a few of their earliest shining stars. However, while the genre did magnificently well in the late 60s to mid-70s, the genre was getting to generic, the passion seemed drained, and much of the experimentation of early bands went much away... and re-emerged in the punk scene.
However, amidst the lack of prog bands in the 80s, much of the heavy hitters transitioned to post-punk/new wave (King Crimson, Yes) and many were influential in other genres, including Thrash Metal. Also, many bands emerged making a hybrid sound of prog with heavy metal, namely Queensryche and Dream Theater. Through these newer bands, as long as old bands returning to their original sound/energy, the genre returned with newer bands taking the helm.
Now, much like previous blogs, there are some songs by these bands that are at least spiritually influenced. These songs are more overt, and one song in particular has language that might distract the spiritual influence.
1) Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Now, this is the song which contains the bad language. In spite of this, the music is heavy, dense, and has virtuosity. In spite of the language, the song is actually a great song which depicts the clear errors of modern day society. Addictions to video games/drugs, pre-marital sex, the glorification of violence, and pornography are all discussed, and not in a way which glorifies them, but rather in a way which paints them in a way which shows them as errors of human society and things in which should be fled from. It's almost like a sermon, kinda, but in a way which is depicted by a first-person account of a teenager which, like with much of the world, accepts these immoralities as normal. The need for something more is referenced, which although not mentioned (or maybe not intended in the frame of reference of Steven Wilson, the lyricist) is where the spirit comes into play.
2) The Spirit Caries On - Dream Theater
This is one of Dream Theater's more "classic prog" songs, with the instrumentation sounding vaguely similar to "Dark Side of the Moon"-era Pink Floyd. Now, I have to let ya know, while this song clearly has a lot of spiritual aspects to it, the main theme of the song, along with all of the songs of this album, is the idea of reincarnation. However, looking into a gospel-tinged lens, this can kinda apply to when we die... that is, when our spirits arrive to the spirit world. (Plus, it can allude to the pre-mortal life, but again that is a stretch given the initial theme of the album... and the idea of only our spirits going to heaven is entirely heretical...)
3) As Cities Burn - Our World is Grey
To sum up, I'll take a more Christian-influenced prog band, As Cities Burn. Yes, they have been listed earlier under the Indie Rock post, but this comes from their more prog-inflected album "Come Now Sleep". In addition to the vast landscapes this musically covers and the eccentric rhythm/guitar parts, this is lyrically profound. This asks one question, "Amidst all of the garbage many people do under Your name, amongst all of the struggles we encounter, why do You (Heavenly Father) still love us and, if so, why do we have to encounter all this evil and sorrow in our lives?" In addition, they mention people who replace God with material possessions, asking "What have we done?" It's profound because, while we know in the scriptures that all experience is "for our learning and our benefit", there are still times where we have to ask God why. The answer isn't easy, and this allows us to be humbled enough to come to Heavenly Father in prayer and ask for revelation.
More coming soon...
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