New Prog

New Prog

Progressive rock, aka prog rock or prog, is a rock music subgenre that originated in the United Kingdom, with further developments in Germany, Italy, and France, throughout the mid-to-late 1960s and 1970s. Developing from psychedelic rock, progressive rock originated, similarly to art rock, as a British attempt to give greater artistic weight and credibility to rock music. Bands abandoned the short pop single and used instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz or classical music in an effort to give rock music the same level of musical sophistication and critical respect. Songs were replaced by musical suites that often stretched to 20 or 40 minutes in length and contained symphonic influences, extended musical themes, fantasy-like ambience and lyrics, and ample, rich sounds and productions. Critics sometimes labeled the concepts as "pretentious" and the sounds as "pompous" and "overblown."

Progressive rock saw a high level of popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in the middle of the decade. Bands such as The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) were among the genre's most recognizable acts. Prog started to fade in popularity by the second half of the decade as the rawer and more minimalistic punk rock grew in popularity. Progressive rock bands achieved commercial success well into the 1980s, albeit with changed lineups and more compact song structures.

A revival, often known as new prog, occurred at the turn of the 21st century and has since enjoyed a cult following. The genre has influenced styles such as krautrock and has fused with other forms of rock music to create such sub-genres as neo-classical metal and progressive metal.