“A lot of metalheads wind up finding prog – but it’s in a lot of their favourite bands already”: Progressive metal has never been healthier, and here’s why

Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer.

The progressive metal genre is currently undergoing a radical shift, with many extreme metal bands embracing their inner prog, and groups with an undeniable prog element playing bigger shows than ever. Members of Jinjer, Blood Incantation and Rivers Of Nihil explain what’s going on.

Progressive metal is evolving at a rate of knots. Four decades on from the pioneering efforts of Savatage, Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, the ostensible divide between progressive rock and heavy metal has been bridged like never before, resulting in some of the most mind-bending and deliriously imaginative heavy music ever committed to tape.