Punk is dead. Hurrah! And, with it, the prescriptive notion that all popular music should to conform to a tuneless, three-minute template of rebellion.
Which means that new acts with progressive tendencies have been thriving in the 21st century. But where should you start if you haven’t sampled a new band since the glory days of Yes, Genesis and King Crimson? Here are some suggestions.
The best modern prog rock bands
1. Dream Theater
The big daddy of modern American prog-metal bands who have been perhaps too prolific for their own good, Dream Theater began as Majesty in 1985 and have successfully worked their way up to arena headlining status in the UK.
Combining incredible musicianship with grand concepts on such masterpieces as their fifth studio album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, Dream Theater have undergone several personnel changes over the years, notably the departure of talismanic drummer Mike Portnoy in 2010 (though he returned in 2023) but have always retained the services of John Petrucci – one of the best guitarists of modern times.
Key track: Pull Me Under (1992)
2. Marillion
Marillion like to joke that to the outside world they are a 'Scottish heavy metal band'. In fact, they’ve never played metal and the only Scot in the band was charismatic vocalist Fish, who left in 1988 and has since retired from the music industry. Fronted since 1989 by Steve Hogarth, they’ve pursued an idiosyncratic path sustained by a loyal army of crowdfunding fans, who permit them to take plenty of risks.
2016’s Fuck Everyone and Run (F.E.A.R.) is the best example of this, being a howl of frustration at an increasingly self-centred world which has only grown in relevance since the album’s release. It reached number four in the UK, their highest chart placing since 1987.
Key track: The New Kings (2016)
3. Opeth
Swedes Opeth started out as a bog-standard death metal band, but their driving force, singer/guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt, always had more progressive ambitions, which surfaced on early albums like My Arms, Your Hearse (spot the reference to Comus, one of the best little-known 1970s bands?) and Still Life. By the time of 2011’s Heritage, prog rock had eased out death metal altogether, with plenty of Mellotron passages to delight old-school prog fans.
Since then, Opeth have continued to er, progress, with the occasional return to their death metal roots, their latest release being The Last Will and Testament, featuring a guest appearance by Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson.
Key track: Windowpane (2003)
4. Steven Wilson
Wilson’s band Porcupine Tree kept the prog spirit alive from 1987 to 2000 before going on hiatus for around a decade, during which he established himself as a chart-toping solo artist. He’s also renowned for his Dolby Atmos remixes of classic prog albums from the likes of Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Caravan and Yes, although he has yet to be let loose on the Kate Bush catalogue.
As a solo artist, Wilson has occasionally ventured into poppier territory, which has alienated some hardcore prog fans. However, his latest release The Overview, comprising just two 20-minute tracks, marked a return to conceptual prog territory and reached number three in the UK album charts.
Key track: The Raven That Refused to Sing (2013)
5. Anathema
Now sadly disbanded, Liverpool’s Anathema managed to pack 11 studio albums into their 30-year career. The last of these, 2017's The Optimist, won wide critical acclaim and even entered the UK top 40, a relatively rare feat for a prog album. Founded by brothers Vincent and Daniel Cavanagh, Anathema started out as a doom metal outfit, but quickly branched out into prog territory with 1999's accomplished Judgement – the first album to feature Lee Douglas, who was to become Anathema’s third lead vocalist. A string of increasingly impressive albums followed before they stunned fans by calling it a day in 2020.
Key track: Can’t Let Go (2017)
6. Haken
British prog-metallers Haken really hit their stride with 2013’s eclectic The Mountain album. Since then, they’ve recorded four studio, the latest of which is 2023’s Fauna. Despite being plagued by personnel problems, they remain one of modern prog’s brightest hopes.
Key track: Cockroach King (2013)
7. Riverside
Atmospheric Polish proggers Riverside were charting a steady upward trajectory at the time of the sudden death of guitarist Piotr Grudzinski in 2016. This tragedy threw them off course for a while but they decided to continue as a trio before recruiting Maciej Meller in 2020. Busy frontman and main composer Mariusz Duda has his finger in many musical pies, including ambient music and art rock, which also bleed into the distinctive Riverside sound.
Key track: Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened by a Hat?, 2015)
8. Rosalie Cunningham
The former frontwoman of Purson (and, before that, pop band Ipso Facto), Rosalie Cunningham struck out on a solo career 2017 and really deserves to be better known and more successful than she is. Her music is diverse and inventive, with roots in 60s/70s rock, psychedelia and prog, but her defiantly independent approach occasionally works against her in finding the larger audience she richly deserves.
Key track: Ride On My Bike
9. Spock’s Beard
A none-more-prog band name taken from the ‘Mirror Mirror’ parallel universe episode of Star Trek is all the introduction you need to this fabulous LA group, whose history stretches back to 1992. Co-founder Neal Morse left in 2002, immediately after converting to Christianity, and was replaced as frontman by drummer Nick D’Virgilio, who was in turn replaced by Ted Leonard in 2011.
None of this upheaval seems to have affected the band’s momentum, and they retain a loyal audience for their distinctive brand of prog, which is firmly rooted in the sound of pioneers like Yes and Gentle Giant.
Key track: The Light (1995)
10. The Pineapple Thief
The best thing to come out of Yeovil since... er, I’ll get back to you on that, The Pineapple Thief started out on the tiny indie Cyclops label in the 1990s. Fronted by the charismatic Bruce Soord, they found their feet after graduating to the Kscope label and have gone on to win a loyal audience with such excellent albums as Magnolia, Dissolution and, most recently, It Leads to This. The addition of drummer Gavin Harrison to their line-up also cemented their position as one of modern prog’s leading lights.
Key track: The Final Thing on My Mind (2016)
11. Big Big Train
A fabulous, very English prog band who really hit their stride with 2009’s The Underfall Yard album. They kept up the momentum with such impressive releases as Grand Tour and Common Ground, and have seen such talents as former XTC man Dave Gregory pass through their ranks.
The tragic death in 2021 of frontman David Longdon, who once auditioned for the role of singer with Genesis, could have put paid to the band, but they carried on under co-founder Greg Spawton and recruited former PFM singer Alberto Bravin. He made his debut on the band’s well-received The Likes of Us album in 2024.
Key track: Victorian Brickwork (2009)
12. Blood Ceremony
Every band with progressive tendencies that features the flute prominently must be compared to Jethro Tull. It’s the law. Fortunately, there’s a great deal more to Toronto’s purveyors of self-styled 'flute-tinged witch rock' Blood Ceremony – and plenty that should appeal to proggers with a taste for the heavy. Fronted by vocalist/flustist Alia O'Brien, they’ve released six albums of top-quality occult rock to date.
Key track: Lord Summerisle (2013)
13. Transatlantic
Comprising members and former members of Marillion (Pete Trewavas), Spock’s Beard (Neal Morse), The Flower Kings (Roine Stolt) and Dream Theater (Mike Portnoy), this international prog supergroup allowed its member to indulge their grand, long-form ambitions. Scheduling was always a challenge given the members’ other commitments, but they managed to release five excellent studio albums between 2000 and 2021.
Key track: All of the Above (2000)
14. IQ
Part of the neo-prog movement that most famously spawned Marillion, IQ announced their arrival with the Tales From the Lush Attic album in 1983. Frontman Peter Nicholls’ distinctive vocal style meant that they were plagued by comparisons to Genesis in the early years. Nicholls left temporarily in 1985, during which the band flirted with a more mainstream sound – but he returned five years later, after which IQ redoubled their commitment to prog. Sustained by a loyal audience, they operate as a cottage industry these days, releasing a new album, Dominion, in 2025.
Key track: The Darkest Hour (1993)
15. Mostly Autumn
If ever a prog band seemed poised for massive crossover mainstream success, it was surely Mostly Autumn. But founder Bryan Josh has never signed to a major label, preferring to keep control of the band’s musical direction and release records independently, which has surely hampered their commercial prospects.
Those who find their way to Mostly Autumn, however, are rarely disappointed. Josh’s heavily David Gilmour-influenced guitar style and the exquisite female vocals supplied variously by Anne-Marie Helder, Heather Findlay and Olivia Sparnenn-Josh maker for a unique combination that should appeal to all old-school prog fans.
Key track: Heroes Never Die
Honourable mentions....
Ghost
Swedes with a penchant for the dressing-up box, Ghost must have known that they couldn’t retain their anonymity forever. It’s now known that their frontman is a chap named Tobias Forge, who served time in several minor death metal bands. Ghost are a different beast altogether, with Forge adopting a variety of stage names – including Papa Emeritus, Cardinal Copia and Papa Perpetua – while the others remain Nameless Ghouls (which presumably means he can hire and fire them at will).
Musically, they run the gamut from prog to melodic rock and have developed an impressive stage act giving a Satanic twist to the Catholic Church, which has caused a certain amount of controversy.
Key track: He Is
Leprous
Norwegian prog-metallers who are distinguished by the extraordinary vocals of Einar Solberg. They’ve dialled down the metal on recent releases, making them more palatable to prog frans. With eight albums under their collective belt, the latest of which is 2024’s splendid Melodies of Atonement, they’re ripe for discovery by the more adventurous prog enthusiast.
Key track: The Price
Pure Reason Revolution
An impressive English band who straddle the boundaries between alternative rock and prog, Pure Reason Revolution came to prominence with 2006’s The Dark Third album, which quoted Pink Floyd’s Echoes on the epic ‘The Bright Ambassadors of Morning’. They split in 2011 but reconvened eight years later. The band’s sixth album, Coming Up to Consciousness, was released in 2024.
Key track: The Bright Ambassadors of Morning (2006)
Coheed and Cambria
Often described as an ‘emo’ band, which is a category error if ever there was one but has brought them a much younger audience than most prog-metal bands, these New Yorkers are led by guitarist/vocalist Claudio Sanchez, who also comes up with virtually all of the lyrics. The vast majority of these are part of a science fiction concept called The Amory Wars, which has spawned a comic book series and even a novel.
Key track: Welcome Home
7. Frost*
Fascinating, isn’t it, the link between pop and prog? Nick Beggs of Steven Wilson’s band started out in Kajagoogoo. And Frost* founder Jem Godfrey earns a presumably healthy crust writing, producing and performing variously with this likes of Blue, Atomic Kitten and Ronan Keating. Which presumably helps to fund his parallel career in prog.
Frost* is a spectacularly talented modern supergroup whose line-up includes guitarist John Mitchell, of It Bites fame, drummer to the stars Craig Blundell, and Level 42 bassist Nathan King. They made quite a splash with their 2006 debut Milliontown, which boasted a 26-minute title track, and have found time in their busy schedules for four hugely impressive studio albums since then.
Key track: Day and Age (2012)
Main pic: Ross Jennings, Haken
Pics Getty Images
