The first songs called post-progressive date from the mid-1980s. Most prog rock in the years that follow can be characterized as such. So, you can expect ‘post-prog rock’ to have a high degree of diversity. Differences exist over time, by group and within albums too.
Among others, the groups Rush and Marillion illustrate the transition from neo- to post- progressive rock. As for Rush, an album like ‘Presto’ (1989) is characterized by its emphasis on atmosphere and simpler structure. ‘The pass‘ from this album is a simple song, introspective in nature and has meaningful lyrics. In its early years, Marillion embodies the characteristics of the neo-progressive period through its use of synthesizers and dramatic lyrics. Gradually, the emphasis shifts to conveying emotion, creating atmosphere and topical themes, typical of post-progressive rock.
Below, I will I list seven characteristics and give some examples of each[1] . I have embedded an example in the text and added references to other examples as hyperlinks to YouTube. Many characteristics apply to most songs. The emphasis in this episode is on watching and listening. The explanatory texts have therefore been kept short.
1. Focus on atmosphere and texture
The emphasis is on creating a rich, atmospheric soundscape. The intimate approach is well heard in Porcupine Tree’s song ‘ Trains ‘, from the album ‘Arriving somewhere’. ‘Living with the big lie’ by Marillion from the album Brave is also an emotional song, which goes far beyond a simple ballad due to its layering. You can listen to this song here.
2. Interaction with alternative rock
Elsewhere, I have dwelt at length on ‘alternative’ rock. This style and prog rock have common elements. Both genres set themselves against ‘mainstream rock music’ in the late 20th century. Both are experimenting. Prog rock does so with complex structures, unusual time signatures and is influenced by many other genres including classical and jazz. Alternative rock’s song structure tends to be simpler and influenced by post-punk. At the same time, there is great variation within the genres. Radiohead is a band that can be counted as belonging to both genres, consider the album OK computer'(1997) from which you can listen to ‘Paranoid Android’ here.
3. Minimalism through repetition
Parts are sometimes drawn out for a long time, which can have a hypnotic effect. An example is Radiohead’s ‘Pyramid Song’ (2001). The emphasis is on atmosphere and emotion in a minimal but compelling arrangement
This also applies to the track ‘Untouchable, parts 1 & 2) from the album ‘Weather systems’ (2012) by Anathema, an English rock band from Liverpool. This two-part song embodies the emotional content and atmospheric timbre characteristic of much post-progressive rock. It starts with a powerful acoustic melody and evolves into a grand orchestral climax. You can listen to it here:
4. Less emphasis on displaying virtuosity
The emphasis is no longer on individual solos, but on contribution to a collective sonic experience. An example is the song ‘ Lateralus ‘ by the band ‘Tool’ (2014). It has complex time signatures (7/8 and 9/8) and is about spiritual and philosophical growth. The technically high-quality playing expresses its emotional side.
5. Introspective and social themes
Lyrics are personal, philosophical or socially engaged and often have a melancholic or subdued undertones.
The first example is ‘ Anesthetize ‘ by Porcupine Tree from the album ‘Fear of a blank planet’. For 17 minutes, it addresses topics such as technology and alienation. From a musical point of view, it consists of an alternation between atmospheric and heavy guitar-driven parts. Steven Wilson and his Porcupine Tree are at the heart of the (contemporary) post-progressive movement.
The group Marillion also occupies a central position in post-progressive rock. The track ‘Care’ from the album ‘An hour before it is dark’ (2022) is an atmospheric composition with socially-conscious lyrics, including climate change. You can listen to it here:
6. Broad influences and cross-genre experimentation
I already referred to the interfaces between post-progressive and alternative rock. In many songs categorized as post-progressive, its creators have deliberately used elements from other genres. Therefore, one of the main characteristics of post-progressive rock is its eclectic nature.
Dream Theater is an example of fusing post-progressive characteristics and hard rock. This is evident in the song ‘Through her eyes’ on the album ‘Live in London’ (2020), but also, for that matter, in most of the band’s other songs. The band is heavily influenced by prog rock bands like Rush, Yes and Pink Floyd, but equally by heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
A song like ‘Take the veil cerpin taxi’ by the group ‘Mars Volta’ adds influences of punk, jazz and Latin American music to a prog rock base.
Again, I refer to the group Marillion. The song ‘The party’ from the album ‘Holidays in Eden’ (1991) is almost a pop song. It is accessible, melody plays an important role, and the structure is simpler than most of Marillion’s other songs.
Finally, the group ‘Talking Heads’ combined (post-)punk influences with the more refined sound of progressive rock. This group was a model for many a band. Listen to ‘Life during wartime’ here
7. Dynamics and contrast
Dynamics and contrast are essentially features of prog rock in general, but in the case of post-prog rock they are more subtle and emotionally charged.
As a first example, listen to Porcupine Tree’s song ‘The start of something beautiful’ from the album Arriving somewhere but not here’ (2006).
The second example comes from Marillion, namely the song ‘Neverland’ from the album โOut of seasonsโ (2009). A highlight of the band’s career, it combines melodic style and layered structure.
Finally, I refer to the song ‘From silence to somewhere’ from the group Wobbler’s album ‘From silence to somewhere'(2017). This album ranks as the highest on Prog rock archives’ database in the period 2001 – 2020. You can listen to it here:
I make a preliminary assessment. In the preceding episodes, the characteristics of prog rock, neo-progressive and of post-progressive rock have been discussed. In each case, I showed numerous examples, which incidentally revealed not only differences but also similarities between these periods.
The main similarities are complexity. layered structure, dynamics, rich lyrics, personal character and virtuoso playing.
The main differences are summarized in the table below.
| Aspect | Progressive Rock | Neo-Progressive Rock | Post-Progressive Rock |
| Complexity | High technical complexity and long songs. | Less complex, focus on melody. | Complexity is in atmosphere and texture, not technique. |
| Influences | Classical music, jazz, and psychedelics. | Synthpop, new wave, melodic rock. | Alternative rock, post-rock, ambient, minimalism. |
| Instrumentation | Virtuoso and bombastic (Mellotron, organ). | Synthesizers and modern rock setup. | More experimental, mix of electronic and organic. |
| Texts | Philosophical, mythical, epic. | Emotional, introspective, often dramatic. | Personal, socially critical, introspective. |
| Dynamics | Grand contrasts, theatrical outbursts. | Slightly simpler, but still dynamic. | More subtle, atmospheric dynamics. |
| Public | Niche, music lovers of complex structures. | Broader, often hit-sensitive. | Eclectic audience, including fans of alternative styles. |
In summary, progressive rock was characterized by technical complexity, epic themes and classical influence. Neo-progressive rock is more accessible, more focused on appealing melodies and the use of synthesizers plays an important role. Post-progressive rock mainly seeks atmosphere, within the layered structures of the genre.
It is more the rule than the exception that bands evolve and the nature of their music changes, as the diagram above indicates. The transitions are then fluid and each band put its own stamp on it.
In the development of styles, several musicians have played a role beyond the creative power of individual bands, who largely create their songs themselves. In the next instalment, I briefly consider four of these trailblazers: Rick Wakeman, Peter Gabriel, Mike Portnoy and Steven Wilson. In doing so, I looked at their qualities as musicians and those of the bands they played in, the extent to which their compositions broke new ground, their influence on other bands and musicians and social activities.
[1] This post is based on an analysis of articles in Wikipedia (Eng.) and recordings on YouTube. ChatGPT was used as an aid in structuring the information.
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