Listening to programs on Auralmoon (like Richter Scale, Interzone, Gagliarchives) has made me aware of variations on progressive music such as progressive metal, progressive gothic metal/rock, symphonic rock, etc.
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Originally Posted by Rick and Roll
Anyway, a question... I do think a lot of hard rock has progressive elements - and my theory is that people who dislike heavy music are reluctant to see that - so how do you think Metallica fits? Is it just because of the orchestra?
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I feel that the Metallica work has one foot (or at least toes) in progressive metal and one foot in hard rock. It is the mix of melodies, rhythyms, lyrics, and energy. These qualities make their music stand apart from other heavy metal bands for me. It is not a continuous wall of blasting music.
The orchestra is not it. The orchestration of their songs (the assembly of musical ideas, the flow and connection between pieces of a song, the nuances, the way the instruments are played) is the key.
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Originally Posted by Rick and Roll
For me, a song like "And Justice For All" has all of the prog definitions. Layers of sound, a complicated structure, many changes, a mellow midsection, plus other things. I find the most progressive Metallica to be the longer earlier pieces...certainly not something wrapped in an orchestra.
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I agree with your assessment.
The Black album was probably not a good suggestion. But to me, it represents maturation of their music and themselves.
I mentioned the S&M album because of the melding of two groups of artists (Metallica and SFS) and the effect. S&M has layers of sound, a complicated structure, a robust quality, and "atmospheric" episodes. You can drill down into the performance and pick out those progressive passages.
Cheers,
Ion