Not everyone’s music taste aligns with what is played on the radio. A lot of people find niches in music that do line up very well with their taste of music. In rock and heavy metal, there are too many different sub-genres to dive through, so here are some great albums that you should give a listen if you want to find some new, unique music to listen to. This list goes from more familiar, “radio-friendly” music to less familiar, obscure music.
- Apocalyptic Love – Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators
The famed top-hat wearing guitar player Slash is still alive and well, creating more music for his fans to enjoy. This album, released in 2012, is Slash’s first full album with this new group, called the Conspirators. They have released 1 other record, called “World On Fire”, and are expected to at least begin writing their 3rd record sometime in the foreseeable future.
- Fortress – Alter Bridge
The singer from the previously mentioned album, Myles Kennedy, is the front-man of Alter Bridge. Bolstered by many creative riffs by the amazing Mark Tremonti, this in-your-face 2013 release keeps your attention from beginning to end, finding a great middle ground between heavier instrumental sections and soaring melodies.
- Synchestra – The Devin Townsend Band
One of Devin Townsend’s earlier releases 2006, Synchestra is the first album on this list that illustrates more of the Progressive genre. Generally speaking, this is a more uplifting and happy album, which is something unique to the genre, making this an album definitely worth listening to. This is one of two albums on this list that include screaming vocals, but these are much more spread out, the clean vocals dominate on this record.
- Images and Words – Dream Theater
Dream Theater had to find their way onto this list, as they do on most metal lists. This album is commonly referred to as the fan favorite. Dream Theater did a 25th anniversary tour in 2017 to commemorate the release of this record, as it was their first commercial album release. Digging farther down the Progressive rabbit hole, the band makes common use of odd time signatures and very long, intricate instrumental sections.
- Periphery III – Select Difficulty – Periphery
Definitely the heaviest and possibly the most Progressive album on this list, this 2016 release is for sure not the weakest on this list. Periphery also uses odd time signatures and long instrumental sections, this album combines heavy, djent guitar sections with aggressive vocals to ambient sections with beautiful melodies and hooks.
All of these albums are available for streaming on YouTube and Spotify. Many members of these bands have their own side projects, so if you like a particular album, feel free to dig deeper and find more music to expand your musical vocabulary. Happy Listening!