“They asked Kate Bush, ‘Why do you write about this stuff?’ She said, ‘Well, I’m not very interesting!’ It’s the same with us”: What Sylosis learned from prog stars including Opeth, Tool and Rush

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 03: Josh Middleton of Sylosis performs at SF Masonic Auditorium on April 03, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images).

In 2014, Sylosis frontman Josh Middleton discussed how he and his bandmates, uninspired by many of their peers, turned to prog stars including Kate Bush, Tool, Opeth and Rush for inspiration instead.

“When I was young I was obsessed with Tool, and I was a huge fan of really heavy death metal. I remember getting into Opeth around the time of Blackwater Park, and reading interviews with Mikael Åkerfeldt turned me on to check out 70s prog rock.