Experimental / Post Metal

This group represents bands which belong to neither of the first two groups and achieve their progressiveness by being substantially more experimental and/or artistic than their peer ... including the whole movement of Post Metal.

Experimental Progressive Metal
Obviously this style is related to the style “Avant-Garde Progressive Metal” defined in the second group (Extreme/Tech Progressive Metal). The main difference is that the bands listed here are less technical/quirky and generally more calm/mellow than the Avant-Garde bands. Some are very close to Post Metal – an obvious example is MAUDLIN OF THE WELL who later turned into KAYO DOT who can be described as the Post Metal counterpart of SIGUR RÓS (Post Rock).

Art Metal
These bands all are more artistic than their peer. They're all experimental to a certain extent, but not as openly as the bands of the previous style. Some, but by no means all of them are sticking closer to traditional, non-prog forms of metal, but the level of sophistication in their music is much higher than that of their non-prog peer.

Post Metal
This style is the metal counterpart to the style of “Post Rock”. One common definition of Post Rock is “Music which uses Rock instrumentation for Non-Rock purposes”. This also applies to Post Metal: The heavily distorted guitars – which are a trademark of Metal – are often use for texturing/layering rather than riffing, creating calm and mellow music. This doesn't mean that there is no traditional riffing at all ... but even then it happens at a slow pace and is often interspersed with extended calm and mellow parts.

Post Sludge Metal
The first bands who successfully implemented the style originated in a genre called “Sludge Metal”, which could also be called “Post Hardcore”. Typically these bands feature extremely aggressive vocals (usually in the “growling” style) combined with extremely reduced and mellow music ... still the use of heavily distorted guitars and the slow and drawn out riffing known from “Stoner Metal” and/or “Drone Metal” make this a sub genre of Metal.

Eclectic Post Metal
Eventually other sub styles emerged ... some bands simply removed the vocals and thus the “Sludge” component (RED SPAROWES), others added Jazz elements (KAYO DOT, CALLISTO).

http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=44

Experimental/Post Metal 20 key studio albums

4.33 TOOL Lateralus (2001)	4.32 INDUKTI S.U.S.A.R. (2005)	4.28 GREEN CARNATION Light of Day, Day of Darkness (2001)	4.29 ANATHEMA Alternative 4 (1998)
4.53 DARK SUNS Existence (2005)	4.28 ANATHEMA Judgement (1999)	4.19 TOOL Ænima (1996)	4.32 KAYO DOT Choirs Of The Eye (2003)
4.38 IN THE WOODS... Omnio (1997)	4.18 TOWNSEND, DEVIN Terria (2001)	4.38 ISIS In The Absence Of Truth (2006)	4.22 DEADSOUL TRIBE A Murder Of Crows (2003)
4.15 ORPHANED LAND Mabool - The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven (2004)	4.28 DEADSOUL TRIBE A Lullaby For The Devil (2007)	4.16 ANATHEMA A Fine Day to Exit (2001)	4.20 ISIS Panopticon (2004)
4.39 MAUDLIN OF THE WELL Leaving Your Body Map (2001)	4.18 GATHERING, THE How to Measure a Planet? (1999)	4.14 TOWNSEND, DEVIN Ocean Machine - Biomech (1997)	4.09 OSI Office of Strategic Influence (Regular Edition) (2003)