When progressive metal didn't even have a name yet, Rush was already showing the way

[JoãoCarvalho]

 

 

 

The choice of “Xanadu” to open the new tour led us to revisit an article written by Malcolm Dome for Metal Hammer magazine, originally published in February 2013. Based on this material, RushBrasil.com revisits the role of the Canadian trio in shaping a musical language that, years later, would be developed by bands like Dream Theater, Tool, Meshuggah, and many others.

 

https://rushbrasil.com/en/rush-e-o-metal-progressivo/

[New_World_Man]

Rush were not really an early prog metal but but more like proto prog metal. They had a huge influence on the genre but the genre of prog metal didn't really exist until the 80s with Fates Warning, Queensryche and then finally Dream Theater who made the genre official. 

[PurpleHayes]

On 8/8/2026 at 10:24 PM, New_World_Man said:

Rush were not really an early prog metal but but more like proto prog metal. They had a huge influence on the genre but the genre of prog metal didn't really exist until the 80s with Fates Warning, Queensryche and then finally Dream Theater who made the genre official. 

 

I think Rush were definitely the first progressive metal band. They didn't sound anything like other actual prog bands like Floyd, Genesis, King Crimson, Yes, Can, Jethro Till, Gentle Giant, etc.

 

In fact, fans of those bands probably didn't like Rush anyway, although they likely listened to all the bands I just mentioned.

 

By-Tor was their first dip in the prog waters, followed by The Necromancer before the full-on 2112, AFTK, and Hemispheres.

 

I don't think true prog fans accepted Rush until those last two...what's ironic is that Rush made the jump to mainstream commercial success before any of them did with PW and MP (not including Floyd of course).

Edited August 13 by PurpleHayes

[New_World_Man]

2 hours ago, PurpleHayes said:

 

I think Rush were definitely the first progressive metal band. They didn't sound anything like other actual prog bands like Floyd, Genesis, King Crimson, Yes, Can, Jethro Till, Gentle Giant, etc.

 

In fact, fans of those bands probably didn't like Rush anyway, although they likely listened to all the bands I just mentioned.

 

By-Tor was their first dip in the prog waters, followed by The Necromancer before the full-on 2112, AFTK, and Hemispheres.

 

I don't think true prog fans accepted Rush until those last two...what's ironic is that Rush made the jump to mainstream commercial success before any of them did with PW and MP (not including Floyd of course).

I don't want to say you aren't entitled to your opinion because you are but I just don't agree with it. THere were other heavy bands adding prog elements to heavy rock and heavy elements to prog rock. Rush did both but were never metal imo so that's why I disagree. Also, they typically aren't considered the first prog metal band usually because they aren't even metal. I'm ok with them being proto prog metal but they aren't even the first to do that since a band before them called Uriah Heep beat them to it. You also had Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and if they weren't heavy enough you had Black Sabbath. I still stand by Uriah Heep being a better example than those bands as a band that beat Rush to the label of first prog metal if anyone was but I don't really think Rush or UH were true metal anyway. 

[BastillePark]

6 minutes ago, New_World_Man said:

I don't want to say you aren't entitled to your opinion because you are but I just don't agree with it. THere were other heavy bands adding prog elements to heavy rock and heavy elements to prog rock. Rush did both but were never metal imo so that's why I disagree. Also, they typically aren't considered the first prog metal band usually because they aren't even metal. I'm ok with them being proto prog metal but they aren't even the first to do that since a band before them called Uriah Heep beat them to it. You also had Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and if they weren't heavy enough you had Black Sabbath. I still stand by Uriah Heep being a better example than those bands as a band that beat Rush to the label of first prog metal if anyone was but I don't really think Rush or UH were true metal anyway. 

I agree that Rush wasn't and isn't metal. They have some metal-like stuff here and there, but not nearly enough to be in a metal category. As for progressive, they have more of that than they do metal, but IMO, they were given that label and it stuck, but they aren't nearly as progressive as lots of other bands. When I first started listening to them about 1978, I'd never even heard of prog music and was drawn to them because they were hard rock.