recommendations for well produced metal/prog albums

If you want it to be current rather than than from the traditional progmaisters (in which case ELP [Tarkus or Brain Salad Surgery], VDG/Peter Hammill [Pawn Hearts], Moody Blues [Every Good Boy Deserves Favour], King Crimson [Larks Tongue in Aspic] and Barclay James Harvest [And Other Short Stories and Octoberon], Atomic Rooster [Death Walks Behind You and In The Hearing Of] are the bands I'd go for - if you consider Caravan as Prog then they are as good as any - ELO are of course wonderful, but you asked for well produced which they are, but not so well recorded).

But I think you what something up to date from a band that are still evolving and doing it today.

Well these three stand out bands may just fit. 

Nightwish are beyond reproach: perfect recording, great sounds, marvellous vocals. You can't go wrong. Century Child, pictured below, is great and probably their best, but they have produced 6 remarkably good albums to date and it it is hard to pick only one.

Lest metallic, but quite progressive and one of the finest instrumental bands ever has to be the Ozric Tentacles. Now I like vocals, but with this lot I can forsake them. As you want well recorded I'm going to plump for The Yum Yum Tree. This is a real return to form for the Ozrics not that they really lost much form. 

And very metal, but with an increasingly psych/prog slant are Cathedral. As you want it progressive with top notch production then I'm going to suggest the Guessing Game. They start out trying to be Black Sabbath II and then fortunately realised they were better than that. Nothing wrong with the Masters of Reality, but we didn't need imitations. Cathedral are now more adventurous than ever without sacrificing their doom metal heritage. Although Lee Dorian has left the grindcore, well and truly behind.  

As for Opeth: didn't like their early albums all that much I have Morning Rise from that period, but their output this century is is much better, especially Blackwater Park from 2001, They are much better than most of the Scandinavian metal bands I've heard: many of which seem to just like to make an unpleasant noise (Entombed, Mayhem). 

Anyways there are four good bands to have a listen to. 

If you just want something adventurous rather than metallic then Blackmore's Night are quite sensational, Secret Voyage is a super record. 

All the best, Guy.

King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King

THE fundamental record for prog.

This pressing is wonderful.

http://www.burningshed.com/sto...on/product/313/2348/

Stu

If you want some King Crimson, but wanted a cross section then I'd thoroughly recommend The Young Person's Guide To King Crimson. I have it as a double vinyl record; the only track I'd want on it that is not is Schizoid Man, but I've got that on the album above, an Island sampler, several live versions and two version by Emerson, Lake and Palmer so YPGTKC is good for me. 

YPGTKC has a great version of Talk To The Wind with Judy Dyble on lead vocals. 

Spock's Beard have made some good albums IMO. Not sure if they are available on vinyl.

The Light and Don't Try This At Home(live) i can recommend 

Tool

+1 for Spocks Beard.

There last album was on double vinyl and is rather good..

This is my most played though.

Stu

Thanks for all the great replys

BTW, where do you upload you URLs from, I'm useless when it comes to this .....

Album covers from amazon work.

This might also help?

From the FAQ section on the bottom  bar on the right of every page.

https://forums.naimaudio.com/di...ent/1566878604821902

Stu

+1 - Lateralus is epic.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS7CZIJVxFY