Wow, this thread turned out way better than I expected it to. Some great recommendations to search for. I much more enjoy searching in record stores than ordering on line. Many mentioned, I already have. I think of those listed that I don’t have, I am going to start looking for Renaissance, Porcupine Tree, The Pineapple Thief, Godley & Creme, and the Marilyn Manson suggestions. They might be obtainable locally. Thanks again for the great posts.
Please do yourself a favor, and DON’T ignore the Italian bands!
Some of the best prog ever, came from (and still does) Italy.
PFM - Storia di un Minuto, Per un Amico, and L’isola di niente are as good musically as any of the better known Brits.
Same with, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - S/T, Darwin!, Io Sono Nato Libero
Plenty of others are right up there, too.
Il Balletto di Bronzo - YS / This is considered an acquired taste, due to being a bit dark and intense, but it is also brilliant. With a keyboardist as good as any of the Brits.
Museo Rosenbach - Zarathustra
Arti e Mestieri - Tilt / This is an incredible album, that kind of straddles the line between beautiful prog and fusion.
Le Orme - Uomo do Pezza, and Felona e Sorona
As much as I like Porcupine Tree and Pineapple Thief, for my tastes, they are a bit ’watered down’, maybe a bit too close to the mainstream for my tastes. I like Steve Wilson’s first 3 albums (Grace for Drowning, The Raven That Refused to Sing, Hand Cannot Erase) better then any Porcupine Tree albums.
For modern bands, check out:
Riverside (Poland)
All Traps on Earth (Sweden) Only 1 album, but it’s pretty amazing.
Echolyn (USA) I like their earlier stuff (Suffocating the Bloom, As The World) than their later stuff. Great complex vocal harmonies, quite complex, world class musicianship.
After Crying (Hungary) Kind of chamber-prog sort of stuff, with amazing melodies and musicianship.
Anglagard (Sweden) Uncompromising, full on prog, with some Genesis, Gentle Giant and King Crimson influence. Quite complex, lots of dynamic contrasts, lots of changes. Despite the 70’s influences, they make it sound fresh. This is the band most often credited with beginning the 2nd golden age of prog, beginning in the early 90's.
Anekdoten (Sweden) Began life in the 90’s a King Crimson cover band, so their first 2 releases are in that vein. But then they went in their own direction. Went a bit in ambient-prog direction for a while, but their latest from 2015, Until All Ghosts are Gone, is more intense.
Deus ex Machina (Italy) One of the best Italian bands from the more recent era. Ridiculous musicianship. The lead vocalist has a 5 octave range, and great intonation, but can be a bit of an acquired taste. They also can lean a bit toward the avant-garde side every once in a while, so, YMMV. But they are not trying to pander to the mainstream side of prog. Just pure, no holds bared, prog.
Have you ever checked out the site: Gnosis2000
Great site for searching out great prog by year.