My love for music....good music borders on the obsessive.  I rarely listen to the radio because most of the stations in my area (D.C. metro) only play stuff by trendy, annoying, relatively talentless bands that are "here today, gone tomorrow" (at least, we can hope they're gone tomorrow)  Although I enjoy a wide variety of music (mostly rock, but some blues, classical, jazz, and a tiny bit of country), the music that appeals to me the most is usually categorized as "progressive rock" or "progressive metal."  The qualities that typify "prog-rock" are a little nebulous, but generally include longer songs (10 minute songs aren't uncommon), odd time signatures, more frequent time changes, highly skilled musicians, good thought-provoking lyrics, and generally more complex songs.  A bit of classical, jazz, or other influence can frequently be heard, although the overall sound is definitely rock.  Basically, a rock- or metal-based band that wants to stretch the boundaries of those genres, and has the talent to do so.

Some of the more well-known bands that typify this genre include Dream Theater , Rush , Fates Warning , Queensryche , and Yes .  If you like any of these bands, you'll find others here that you'll like as well.  Below is a table of a bunch of bands, my recommendation for which of their CDs to get first, a web site or two about them (often with sound clips), and  where to get their music.  That last part is usually key.  Unfortunately, this type of music has very little support from the music industry, even though most fans of generic rock music love this stuff....if they ever get a chance to hear it.

Of the bands listed below, my favorites (at the moment, at least) are Pain of Salvation, Enchant, Dream Theater, and ARK.  Click on the band name to go to a web page about them (some are mine, some are elsewhere) or click on the "Best CD" entry to go to a site or description of where you can get the disc.

The Rating column is my personal opinion of the CD indicated, on a 1-10 scale (10=Best), and the Consistency column is my feeling for how consistently good they are (some bands, like Queensryche, have great albums and terrible albums).  An entry of "n/a" means I only have one of their CDs, so can't rate consistency.  Pain of Salvation needs special mention, because while they're extremely consistent in terms of music quality, their four CDs (to date) are vastly different in terms of overall sound.  Their debut "Entropia" has a more aggressive sound overall, their latest two discs ("The Perfect Element, Pt. 1" and "Remedy Lane") have a wider range of styles (and less "metal" songs), and "One Hour by the Concrete Lake" is somewhere in-between (and is the most amazing concept album I've ever heard...the lyrics are beyond incredible).
 

Band /Web Site	Best CD/Where To Buy	From	Rating	Consistency
Pain of Salvation	Any - start with " The Perfect Element, Pt. 1 "	Sweden	10	10
Enchant	"Break " or "Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 "	San Francisco, CA	10	9
Dream Theater	"Images & Words " or "Awake"	New York, NY	10	9
Power of Omens	"Eyes of the Oracle "	San Antonio, TX	9	9
Fates Warning	"A Pleasant Shade Of Gray " or "Parallels "	USA	8	8
Vanden Plas	"Beyond Daylight " or "The God Thing "	Germany	9	8
Superior	Younique	Germany	8	n/a
Zero Hour	"Zero Hour "	San Jose, CA	9	8
Altura	"Mercy"	USA	7	n/a
Conception	"Flow " or "In Your Multitude "	Norway	9	9
ARK	"Burn The Sun "	Norway/USA	10	9
Spock's Beard	"V " then "The Kindness of Strangers "	USA	9	9

I'll add more later, when I have time.  Eventually, I hope to add a few sound clips, as well as more in-depth band and CD reviews.