10 Greatest Prog Rock Bands

Metal seemed to be in a bit of a transitionary period at the start of the '90s. With thrash metal getting more mainstream attention and the hair metal sound becoming incredibly stale, the idea of prog making a dent in the metal scene seemed almost unthinkable. Around the same time that grunge was finding its footing in Seattle, a band out of New York rose to prominence with some of the most concentrated musicianship in rock.

Just the name Dream Theater tells you that you're going to be in for something epic. From the first time you hear one of their songs, the band's master of their craft is beyond anything most other bands could dream of, with John Petrucci being a combination of every genre of guitar player moulded into one heroic guitar god. The solos may be to die for, but every member from Mike Portnoy to Jordan Rudess can play circles around any other band regardless of what genre they play.

8-minute songs are practically a walk in the park for this band, with their more ambitious tracks sometimes lasting over 30 minutes and riffs that grab you by the jugular. These guys are always about the integrity of the song, but their actual finesse on their instruments have made them the musicians' favourite prog band.