I'm assuming if you are a metalhead you have listened to and enjoyed Opeth. Those guys went from death metal to prog death metal to straight up prog, so I think the most helpful suggestions would be from the guys who really influenced Opeth. And if you haven't listened to Opeth, they are the perfect place to start to get a taste for prog. Ghost Reveries is probably the first thing you need.

If, however, you have already gone through all that, then here's a couple albums to get you going:

Camel - Mirage
King Crimson - Red
Rush - A Farewell to Kings (I was about to agree with the 2112 rec up top but as far as accessibility while still being balls deep in their prog phase, this is the place to start)

If you want something more contemporary, you can't go wrong with

The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

I'm surprised nobody has suggested ELP to him yet, that's the true test for somebody listening to prog.

The Canterbury Scene is a goldmine for prog, but its unique style is not for everybody, then there is the German Krautrock scene from the same era......... **** where should Batlord start:D

You know he would ****ing hate ELP.
As do I.
A recommendation in itself perhaps? ;)
Nah, they were just over-egotistic show offs.

To this day I still struggle to enjoy ELP. Tarkus is pretty good, but I never understood why Brain Salad Surgery is heralded as such a prog masterpiece. Still...You Turn Me On is pretty good, but the rest is ridiculous keyboard noodling.

Exactly how I feel about them, except I also hate Tarkus. Boring, boring, boring, look at me how great I am, I can stick knives in my keyboard! Yeah, Keith, great stuff! :rolleyes:

I'd recommend a sampling by the very biggest prog bands as the place to start and from there branch out.

Genesis- Foxtrot
Genesis- Selling England by the Pound
Yes- Yes Album
Yes- Fragile
Yes- Close to the Edge
KC- In the Court of the Crimson King
KC- In the Wake of Poseidan
(I would only listen to Red if listening to the two other albums that came just before it Larks and Starless)

Tarkus is normally the album that metalheads are supposedly meant to dig.

We were talking about Supertramp the other day, why not give Crime of the Century a shot? It's not on YouTube, or I'd post a video. I have a feeling you're going to hate it, but oh well.

I wouldn't suggest to him, who has the attention span, to quote himself, of a gnat, an album on which one of the songs is over twenty minutes long! :rofl: Even if it is a classic. I'd go for "Trespass" or maybe "Nursery cryme". I feel songs like "The return of the giant hogweed", "The musical box" and "White mountain" would be more likely to engage his attention, if at all...

That's one killer album. You won't find ANY Supertramp on YT. I know, cos I've looked. Their music distributor kill everything that's put up. Your best bet is Roger singing their songs on his solo material.

lol @ the Genesis recs.