Progressive Metal 2010s Albums

Empath gathers the heaviness, pop instinct, ambience, extreme-metal intensity and humor of Devin Townsend’s work into one large emotional journey.

Distance over Time returns Dream Theater to a tighter, more concentrated form of progressive metal after the expansive scale of its previous project.

The Verdict condenses Queensrÿche’s hard-metal drive and progressive-rock shading into a notably focused set of songs.

Queen of Time expands Amorphis’s blend of melodic death metal, progressive shape and Finnish shadow into its most cinematic scale to date.

Ømni gathers Angra’s fast metal, Brazilian rhythmic identity, classical harmony and progressive construction inside a science-fiction narrative.

Cast in Stone gathers Royal Hunt’s symphonic keyboards, progressive movement and powerful choruses into a focused fourteenth album.

A five-track mini-album that compresses Fuki’s commanding vocals and the Gacharic Spin players’ virtuosity into a heavier, sharper modern loud-rock attack.

Architecture of a God weaves progressive development and classically colored guitar into Labyrinth’s power-metal drive.

The seventh studio album, built around themes of illness and time. Its opening track "Sultan's Curse" won Best Metal Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards, and the album was nominated for Best Rock Album.

In Sequence combines Amoral’s complex structures, heavy guitar work and melodic vocals in a record that resists simple genre labels.

Transcendence lets Devin Townsend move freely between massive guitar sound, layered choirs and quieter emotional expression.

The Astonishing by DREAM THEATER: track list, Spotify player, music videos and English liner notes on METAL BOOST.

The Holographic Principle joins orchestral-style arrangements, choirs and heavy guitar riffs inside large-scale compositions.

Theories of Flight raises Fates Warning’s progressive-metal tension through complex rhythm, fluid guitar and introspective vocals.

Magma keeps Gojira’s massive riffs and unusual rhythmic identity while moving into quieter, more inward-looking territory.

Under the Red Cloud gathers Amorphis’s heavy riffs, Nordic melody and folk-like color into dense melodic metal.

Captivity & Devourment frames Armageddon’s melodic-death urgency with sharp riffs and fluent guitar melody.

Condition Hüman brings Queensrÿche’s progressive-metal tension forward through heavy riffs, alert rhythms and shadowed melodies.

Devil’s Dozen layers Royal Hunt’s grand keyboards, hard guitar riffs and dramatic vocals to explore a classical-metal world in depth.

Underworld connects Symphony X’s progressive-metal rhythm complexity and traditional heavy-metal weight to dramatic vocal melody.

Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows crosses Amoral’s heavy guitar weight with delicate, introspective melody.

Secret Garden joins Angra’s progressive construction, Brazilian rhythmic sense and classically shaped melody.

Z² unfolds Devin Townsend’s enormous sound density, pop melody, eccentric humor and deep emotion as two contrasting sides of one project.

The Quantum Enigma joins Epica’s orchestral scale, heavy guitar riffs and dramatic vocals with meticulous control.

The sixth studio album, and the band's highest US placing at number 6 on the Billboard 200. "High Road" was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards.

Circle naturally weaves together heavy riffs, Nordic shadow, folk-shaped melody and progressive movement.

The self-titled Dream Theater joins complex rhythm, precise ensemble playing and dramatic melody inside a heavy sound world.

Darkness in a Different Light builds complex rhythm, hard-edged guitar and introspective vocal melody inside a quiet field of tension.

Through Our Darkest Days combines Mercenary’s sharp melodic-death-metal riffing with power-metal-sized vocal melody.

The self-titled Queensrÿche places sharp riffs, dramatic vocals and tense arrangements in the foreground, restating the band’s traditional progressive-metal identity.

A Life to Die For uses classical-leaning keyboards, layered choruses and dramatic vocals to build Royal Hunt’s grand progressive-metal world.

Epicloud fuses Devin Townsend Project’s massive choirs, thick guitars, electronic texture and surprisingly accessible melodies into one wide-screen sound.

The debut album in which Fuki and the four Gacharic Spin instrumentalists pack metal, hard rock, progressive turns and vivid pop color into ten songs.

Requiem for the Indifferent uses orchestral weight, heavy guitars and the contrast between clean and harsh vocals to frame social concerns on a large scale.

L'Enfant Sauvage uses low, rolling riffs, precise rhythm and guitar textures with an unusual sense of space to create metal that is both massive and reflective.

XI: The Days Before Tomorrow uses heavy guitar, shadowed melody and restrained vocals to create mature hard rock.

Beneath lets Amoral move between heavy-metal riffs, hard-rock songcraft and progressive turns.

The Beginning of Times wraps Amorphis’ mythology-rooted atmosphere in melancholy melody, weighty guitar and soft keyboard color.

Deconstruction packs Devin Townsend’s extreme heaviness, complex turns, humor and unease into one ambitious work.

Ghost uses acoustic guitar, soft vocals and ambient-like sound to create Devin Townsend’s quieter, open-air side.

A Dramatic Turn of Events is a turning-point album for Dream Theater, introducing Mike Mangini through intricate meters, precise ensemble work and large-scale melody.

The fifth studio album, which reached number 10 on the Billboard 200. "Curl of the Burl" was nominated for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards.

Metamorphosis layers Mercenary’s heavyweight guitar, melodic leads and clean-to-harsh vocal contrast to show the band’s strength amid change.

Dedicated to Chaos uses dark sound, irregular rhythm and electronic texture to move Queensrÿche somewhat away from a conventional metal template.

Show Me How to Live reunites Royal Hunt with D.C. Cooper, reconnecting André Andersen’s grand keyboards, melodic guitar and dramatic vocals.

Iconoclast joins Symphony X’s low, heavy guitar riffs, complex rhythm and Russell Allen’s powerful vocals to push the heavier side of progressive metal.

Aqua uses a water-themed concept to connect Angra’s Brazilian rhythmic feel, progressive turns and melodic power-metal lift.

Return to Heaven Denied Pt. II carries the spirit of Labyrinth’s earlier classic through ornate guitar, grand melody and detailed power-metal construction.

X shows Royal Hunt’s symphonic and progressive metal strengths through dramatic keyboards, hard guitar and shadowed melody.

Origins layers Shaman’s Brazilian-metal passion, symphonic color and emotional melody.