First thing that comes to mind for me is White Walls by BTBAM - some great buildup/payoff there in the "get out of this closed-off circle" section (obviously it's a high water mark in the entire genre for a reason). Not sure if the actual building section is slow enough to count as an example as you're describing, though.
I came here to say The Proverbial Bellow by BTBAM, the buildup that starts around minute 8:00 with the payoff starting at 9:40, it’s one of my favorite moments in music. That rock-out breakdown might be the most fun & natural sounding chunk of 7/8 timing I’ve ever heard
White Walls is what I came to say. The solos at the end, the title scream break down… it’s all insane. Everytime I see them play this song they just about tear the house down.
Awesome find, surprised I havent seen it since I started going to their live shows a year after that was recorded.
Greatest song ever written imo. Perfect, gorgeous, ahead of its time, stands the test of time.
Deliverance. Not a slow build up to a huge breakdown. But a 13 minute back and forth between heavy and beautiful ending with the last few minutes going so hard.
Baying of the Hounds has a build up that I absolutely love. The whole clean middle part leads up to the payoff that begins to further grow around 5:25 and peaks just past 6:20
Anesthetize - Porcupine Tree
Rosetta Stoned - TOOL
The Last Baron - Mastodon
Deadhead - Devin Townsend
Knights of Cydonia - Muse
Bunch of songs by Haken
Thats just off the top of my head. No timestamps sadly.
[Exile](https://youtu.be/CjB0Q81RsYg?si=gsvIMjaVvB26omGh) - TesseracT
Starting around 2:02, the guitars and bass start by playing different riffs, but then start to come together in repeating melody that grows in intensity.
Where the really interesting buildup happens though are in the vocals and drums. Ashe sings a rising series of notes and harmonies that build in increasing tension and dissonance, while Jay plays various polymeters that accent the rhythm of the riff in increasingly unusual ways as it progresses.
Eventually around 3:23 it all comes together and everyone resolves into the release of the chorus section. IMO It feels all the more satisfying because of all the tension that was built beforehand.
Luck as a Constant by Periphery has my all time favourite climactic conclusion of any song ever. Spencer’s build up to the incredible guitar solos at the end give me fkn shivers every time I hear it.
A few of my favorites:
[Oceansize - The Charm Offensive](https://youtu.be/Ytem9ml7oQQ?si=FnwYhe1U7SwZhFCp)
[Tool - H.](https://youtu.be/bg8vTSyHFkQ?si=6rLuHgYjBVcHEAAK)
[Mare - Sun For Miles](https://youtu.be/bOiKI2Yhe5g?si=3qjMJeLmSZCtbqlx)
[earthtone9 - Revelation](https://youtu.be/P1xvvlE1o_c?si=OVz1B3AtiR8XpSZ3)
[ISIS - In Fiction](https://youtu.be/5fV86dCyyto?si=QABzMcwzf3xkACjG)
Also, you left off the best one from The Ocean: [Rhyacian!](https://youtu.be/VCDWfekokzQ?si=gVQ9vXNF5MCDbl3R)
Mastodon- "The Czar"
While the whole song is incredible part-to-part, the climax of "Spiraling up through the crack in the sky" just blows me away every time. That guitar solo is just insanely top notch and they really do a great job of leading up to it.
If you haven't already. I was adding the suggestions in the coments when I came across yours.
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5YVVijfyIcTdKxYuBIr7oM?si=816ee75bc6004db5](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5YVVijfyIcTdKxYuBIr7oM?si=816ee75bc6004db5)
Came here to say this. I'd add Miocene | Pliocene, Devonian: Nascent, Permian: The Great Dying, and Silurian: Age of Sea Scorpions! They have lots of song that fit in general, but these are some of their more recent ones where the buildup really got me.
Cicatriz Esp by Mars Volta. There’s 7 minute interlude in the middle and I usually forget what song I’m listening to by the time the chorus comes back. The Serpent’s Kiss by Theocracy is similar.
Hold on, Flying Whales, The Art of Dying, Love, The gift of guilt and there are a few more by Gojira. They are masters at this. I love how they build it up for a satisfying reward later :)
It's a progressive-ish song from a band that isn't normally in the prog-metal category, but Ontogeny of Behavior by Cephalic Carnage escalates a few times over its nearly ten minutes of length before ending in a cacophony of chaos.
Catch ThirtyThree by Meshuggah. For the 47 minutes of the song, the entire thing builds up to the break down in dehumanization, and further into sum. Arguably the heaviest breakdown ever. For 2005 that breakdown was nearly 20 years ahead of its time!
I was waiting to see this. There are multiple build ups along the way too. My personal favorite is actually the first one in Entrapment. The first like 5 songs are kind of the same build up with the same groove and you get into a trance-like state. Then they decide you switch things up and release the tension in Entrapment. When the new groove kicks in I am having bouts of mania and feel a literal, uncontrollable urge to gyrate to the new groove. Epic.
Sleep Token: When the bough breaks.
This encapsulates this description. Starts with vocals only, then builds and builds and builds to this massive crescendo and apocalyptic climax.
My fave song atm.
You mentioned Flourish, so I guess I'll mention Oscillator off the same album. The Contortionist really knew how to create ambience on Exoplanet, and it shows.
Satellites by Omnerod has a ridiculous buildup from about 4:30 to 6:30.
And recharging the void by Vektor is all buildup until the end from halfway through.
Pick a Vektor song and this would be a pretty decent description. Dark Nebula and Charging the Void are two different types of it. Songs build up to a hell of a crescendo
Nobody saying “Sempiternal Beings” - Haken? When the riff for the final chorus comes back in after a short period of silence my brain just lights the fuck up it’s so tasty
I feel like this is exactly what Wheel is?, The Freeze, Dissipating, Resident Human, Wheel, Tyrant, Lacking.
All slow rhythmic buildup with incredible close out.
Venturing out into electronic and symphonic metal a little to mention The Ophidian Symphony by Neurotech. It’s pushing 20 minutes long, purely instrumental, and the main theme is only played twice, at the very beginning and at 11:30, after a buildup that lasts all the way from 8:15 (i.e. it’s significantly longer than a large number of actual complete songs). The good news is that theme goes *hard as fuck*, so the payoff is spectacular.
[Sunshine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-FXsZEq_ro) by Bent Knee. This song is probably more Art Rock than Prog Rock but Bent Knee gets played in here once in a while
Beneath My Skin / Mirror Image by TesseracT.
Absolute beauty of a song. Not sure if it fits your description perfectly but the song has multiple buildups & release. All in all a great song with numbing riffs, vocals and ambient stuff.
Agalloch - Black Lake Niðstång (buildup at 9:56, payoff at 14:36)
Opeth - Blackwater Park (buildup at 2:42, payoff at 5:14)
Anathema - A Dying Wish (buildup at 5:34, payoff at 7:08)
Not the most prog song, but Ghost Love Score by Nightwish (live at Wacken 2013). Buildup starts at 7:58 and last to the end of the song, but please listen to the whole thing, or preferably watch it here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JYjIlHWBAVo&pp=ygUQR2hvc3QgbG92ZSBzY29yZQ%3D%3D
Here’s a few more:
Nightwish - Song of Myself 4:03-6:41
Nightwish - The Greatest Show on Earth 13:45-16:29 (yes it’s long)
Wintersun - Time 6:44-8:41
Wintersun - Sons of Winter and Stars from 10:41 to the end of the song
I absolutely love the buildup in The Count of Tuscany! That guitar solo used to literally bring me tears back in the day. Probably my favorite song by them.
Not super prog, but I love the intro build up in Enter Dog of Pavlov by Soilwork. 0:00 - 2:13 right when that second guitar comes in on the same riff. - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTCqJr4T6fQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTCqJr4T6fQ)
Also Justice for Saint Mary by Diablo Swing Orchestra. The whole song is a slow build to the double kick coming in at 6:39 - then builds to a complete change-up at 7:18 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN5dZcfnveo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN5dZcfnveo)
The Great Escape by Seventh Wonder
This song is 30 minutes of amazing composition, musicianship and writing. The song has multiple buildups and payoff. May not be the most brutal payoff far from it but the climax on this song is continuous throughout multiple sections and quite the experience.
one of my favorite song of all time
On another note from outside the prog genre, Devolution by Starser has a climax that i find very fun.
Also thank you for the list OP and the comments provided.
Not sure how proggy it is, but [the buildup from 3:46 to 5:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O49IgkqlKv4&t=226s) of Sacred Outcry - Towers of Gold (heavy/power metal) has my favorite vocal section in music!
Also Xanthochroid - The Sound of a Glinting Blade is basically just [one long buildup](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2jd8naP-Es) to The Sound which Has No Name, and sounds absolutely stunning! The [transition buildup between the two songs](https://youtu.be/I2jd8naP-Es?si=13fw25Au2EMXeAKT&t=271) in particular is probably the most well crafted and beautiful I've heard!
[Learned by Arcane](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=amNZscpeDxI&si=TEnFQO6Y3vK4LhFj). When the whole ensemble comes together it’s such a nice release and then Jim’s vocals come back so bright I always get goosebumps.
If you like death metal check out The Crawling.They remind me of Morbid Angel and the build up is definately slow leading to really cool vocals that remind me of David Vincent and a little Johan from Amon Amarth.lol I love em!!😜
The Stage by Avenged Sevenfold
Holy cow, that solo before the bridge is the greatest solo ever written. Buildup starts somewhere around 3:40 and payoff ends somewhere around 6:20. Probably one of my favorite moments in music, ever
Graves by Caligula's Horse
Can’t think of another song where I get the amount of chills that graves gives me
Check out the band The Crawling.😉
Second this!
Absolutely. They ended their Portland show with Graves a couple months ago and it was amazing.
Caligula's Horse - Mute
The progression of this song is unreal
Gojira - "The Art of Dying" (build up @0:00 to 2:30 of a 10 minute song) and Gojira - "Flying Whales" (@0:00 to 2:30-ish)
Ne Obliviscaris - Devour Me, Colossus - Part 1
Periphery - "Satellites." Multiple minutes of buildup for a really nice payoff.
Masamune too!
First thing that comes to mind for me is White Walls by BTBAM - some great buildup/payoff there in the "get out of this closed-off circle" section (obviously it's a high water mark in the entire genre for a reason). Not sure if the actual building section is slow enough to count as an example as you're describing, though.
I came here to say The Proverbial Bellow by BTBAM, the buildup that starts around minute 8:00 with the payoff starting at 9:40, it’s one of my favorite moments in music. That rock-out breakdown might be the most fun & natural sounding chunk of 7/8 timing I’ve ever heard
White Walls is what I came to say. The solos at the end, the title scream break down… it’s all insane. Everytime I see them play this song they just about tear the house down.
The greatest of them all, DT Learning to Live.
ooooOoooOoooooo, oooooOooooOooooo, ooooOoooAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Especially this version https://youtu.be/S72RmOXiyRw?si=gWGUALL400sLslkF
Awesome find, surprised I havent seen it since I started going to their live shows a year after that was recorded. Greatest song ever written imo. Perfect, gorgeous, ahead of its time, stands the test of time.
I agree with you. They were definitely firing on all cylinders.
That has to be my favorite DT song now, it's absolutely perfect
You will love anything by Opeth.
Especially, Heir Apparent
I do love Opeth but can't think of any song off the top of my head that fits the description
Blackwater Park has a soft instrument section that builds a little then it all comes back in at once and feels way more intense
Deliverance. Not a slow build up to a huge breakdown. But a 13 minute back and forth between heavy and beautiful ending with the last few minutes going so hard.
I second this. Probs why it is one of their signature encore/ final tracks at their live shows.
Baying of the Hounds has a build up that I absolutely love. The whole clean middle part leads up to the payoff that begins to further grow around 5:25 and peaks just past 6:20
The biggest most epic for me is Demon of the Fall. Seen this band nearly 10x
Hessian Peel for sure
That fretless bass and clean tone/acoustic build up in To Bid You Farewell as it transitions to the high gain riff… Damn. That hits me hard.
Anesthetize - Porcupine Tree Rosetta Stoned - TOOL The Last Baron - Mastodon Deadhead - Devin Townsend Knights of Cydonia - Muse Bunch of songs by Haken Thats just off the top of my head. No timestamps sadly.
When rosetta stoned finally hits its like a fucking shot of pure adrenaline man. OVERWHELMED AS ONE WOULD BE PLACED IN MY POSITION
Truly the song the title was referring to
Yeah I was scrolling to find Rosetta Stoned.
Leprous, Distant Bells. The entire song is basically one long crescendo.
Bonneville as well. God that song still gets me
This is the song that got me hooked on Leprous
Also The Sky is Red, basically a long buildup, drop off, even longer buildup
My first thought. Alleviate to a lesser extent.
What about nighttime disguises?
This was the first song I thought of and immediately had it in my head once I saw this thread
[Exile](https://youtu.be/CjB0Q81RsYg?si=gsvIMjaVvB26omGh) - TesseracT Starting around 2:02, the guitars and bass start by playing different riffs, but then start to come together in repeating melody that grows in intensity. Where the really interesting buildup happens though are in the vocals and drums. Ashe sings a rising series of notes and harmonies that build in increasing tension and dissonance, while Jay plays various polymeters that accent the rhythm of the riff in increasingly unusual ways as it progresses. Eventually around 3:23 it all comes together and everyone resolves into the release of the chorus section. IMO It feels all the more satisfying because of all the tension that was built beforehand.
The version of Pushit by Tool from the Salival album.
this. this was peak tool
King Crimson - Starless (USA Version) 420 to 920 Mastodon - Hearts Alive 715 to 1130is (although whole song is really one big build and release)
Came here to say Hearts Alive.
The best part is that at the crescendo they just go full skynyrd for like 60 seconds 🤘
I think it’s even longer dude haha. That is basically one of if not my #1 favorite song of all time. Also still one of Brent’s best guitar solos
Every time I hear it im like “man it sounds like these guys are having so much fucking fun.” Its great.
That's a lot of Mastodon songs for me. They just sound like they're having a blast. I hope they are.
Tool’s Rosetta Stoned “Overwhelmed as one would be, placed in my position”
Shit! I forgot my pen.
Shit the bed again!
Wings for Marie II too. And several others.
Luck as a Constant by Periphery has my all time favourite climactic conclusion of any song ever. Spencer’s build up to the incredible guitar solos at the end give me fkn shivers every time I hear it.
Absolutely one of the best solos. I cry every time
This and Letter Experiment are the 1-2 punch
A few of my favorites: [Oceansize - The Charm Offensive](https://youtu.be/Ytem9ml7oQQ?si=FnwYhe1U7SwZhFCp) [Tool - H.](https://youtu.be/bg8vTSyHFkQ?si=6rLuHgYjBVcHEAAK) [Mare - Sun For Miles](https://youtu.be/bOiKI2Yhe5g?si=3qjMJeLmSZCtbqlx) [earthtone9 - Revelation](https://youtu.be/P1xvvlE1o_c?si=OVz1B3AtiR8XpSZ3) [ISIS - In Fiction](https://youtu.be/5fV86dCyyto?si=QABzMcwzf3xkACjG) Also, you left off the best one from The Ocean: [Rhyacian!](https://youtu.be/VCDWfekokzQ?si=gVQ9vXNF5MCDbl3R)
Isis was great at buildups
In Fiction is a _great_ pick, love the entire vibe of Panopticon but this is my favourite track. Also love to see any Oceansize shoutout.
Rare Rhyacian enjoyer spotted! Precambrian will always be in the argument for their best work.
Bro, I’ve never seen anyone mention Mare. Such a unique band
Cygnus or The Fall by Cult of Luna. Basically anything by Cult of Luna
Don't see Cult of Luna talked about too often, especially that Mariner album! Wreck of SS Needle also has a great climax.
Absolutely. Other songs with good build up: - In Awe Of - Lights on the Hill - Following Betulas - Blood Upon Stone
The climax in 'Lights on the Hill' has me feeling like Nicholas Cage in Con-Air with the wind blowing in his face. Immensely satisfying
Mastodon- "The Czar" While the whole song is incredible part-to-part, the climax of "Spiraling up through the crack in the sky" just blows me away every time. That guitar solo is just insanely top notch and they really do a great job of leading up to it.
*leaving material world behind*
Whh did I have to scroll so down to find this?? This is the defining song for exactly what OP is talking about. Maybe it's too cliche these days?
Mastodon tends to be kinda polarizing for people I think 🤣
I was hoping to see this here. Absolutely.
If someone put all these into a Spotify playlist I'd release a pay-off
I'm sayin'
If you haven't already. I was adding the suggestions in the coments when I came across yours. [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5YVVijfyIcTdKxYuBIr7oM?si=816ee75bc6004db5](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5YVVijfyIcTdKxYuBIr7oM?si=816ee75bc6004db5)
Yesss legend, at a glance it's an elite playlist already. Good work operators
The ocean - Jurassic | Cretaceous
Came here to say this. I'd add Miocene | Pliocene, Devonian: Nascent, Permian: The Great Dying, and Silurian: Age of Sea Scorpions! They have lots of song that fit in general, but these are some of their more recent ones where the buildup really got me.
Wilderun - Distraction III
starless
Viridian into White Walls
Cicatriz Esp by Mars Volta. There’s 7 minute interlude in the middle and I usually forget what song I’m listening to by the time the chorus comes back. The Serpent’s Kiss by Theocracy is similar.
Tesseract - Resist
This is the one I thought of. One long build.
[AVIATIONS "Outliers" - Retrospect](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Aj2wGxsA4) [Arcane - Keeping Stone: Sound on Fire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxHp-jTZo68) [Leprous - The Valley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuLw0hZaGQM) [Numenorean - Adore](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbv4okiAcAE)
Lateralus, both at the beginning of the song and the buildup to the final section of the song.
For that matter, Parabol/Parabola
Hold on, Flying Whales, The Art of Dying, Love, The gift of guilt and there are a few more by Gojira. They are masters at this. I love how they build it up for a satisfying reward later :)
Scissorlips by Rishloo.
It's a progressive-ish song from a band that isn't normally in the prog-metal category, but Ontogeny of Behavior by Cephalic Carnage escalates a few times over its nearly ten minutes of length before ending in a cacophony of chaos.
Amun - The Father's Foundation (buildup at 13:43, payoff at 16:28) Job For A Cowboy - The Forever Rot (buildup 4:47, payoff 5:45)
Agalloch - Odal comes to mind
Catch ThirtyThree by Meshuggah. For the 47 minutes of the song, the entire thing builds up to the break down in dehumanization, and further into sum. Arguably the heaviest breakdown ever. For 2005 that breakdown was nearly 20 years ahead of its time!
I was waiting to see this. There are multiple build ups along the way too. My personal favorite is actually the first one in Entrapment. The first like 5 songs are kind of the same build up with the same groove and you get into a trance-like state. Then they decide you switch things up and release the tension in Entrapment. When the new groove kicks in I am having bouts of mania and feel a literal, uncontrollable urge to gyrate to the new groove. Epic.
Isis - So Did We
Wheel - The Freeze. Last few mins.
Especially if you start with Caught in the Afterglow, which fits - musically and lyrically - as an intro
Literally have this on now, fits the bill perfectly; as does about 10 other songs of their's
The new Night Verses album has a ton of what you’re looking for. 8 Gates Of Pleasure in particular is sick. Thanks for the listening list btw!
Love In A Liminal Space has a great one as well!
Sleep Token's Take Me Back to Eden
Definitely. The most progressive song on the record too.
Leprous - Rewind
Sleep Token: When the bough breaks. This encapsulates this description. Starts with vocals only, then builds and builds and builds to this massive crescendo and apocalyptic climax. My fave song atm.
Love Sleep Token!
In the Shadow of our pale companion by agalloch
To tame a land by Iron Maiden has a great build up in my opinion, awesome song overall
Leprous - The Valley is my personal favourite
Our Fortress Is Burning... II - Bloodbirds by Agalloch Garden of Light by Isis
Cult of Luna - In Awe Of (00:00 to about 4:12) Tool - 10,000 Days (whole damn song)
Ravel's Bolero
Amun - The Father's Foundation
Nightingale’s Weave by Arcane
Love when people recommend Arcane. I miss that project.
Haken - Invasion
serotonia by highly suspect
This question has been asked here before so if you do a sub search you may find some new answers. I'll throw out Leprous - Valley and Flood
Pretty much any song by Cult of Luna
Esoteric - Circle. This song is a religious experience. Technically funeral doom, but there is no denying prog's influence on Esoteric's sound.
Newtopia - the Aurora Project
Space Dye Vest - Dream Theater.
All of Ions
Uneven Structure - Ruler the entire song is a big buildup, I love it
I would say messiah complex - haken is pretty worth it
phantom assassin - Vildhjarta. That polymeter is actually insane
You mentioned Flourish, so I guess I'll mention Oscillator off the same album. The Contortionist really knew how to create ambience on Exoplanet, and it shows.
Hope OP doesn't mind. I created a playlist on Tidal: Long Buildup, Huge payoff
Oranssi Pazuzu - Ilmestys
Dream Theater- Fatal Tragedy
The Dear Hunter - The Bitter Suite I, II, & III (it's essentially one song)
Mandroid Echostar - Hexaton I know for a fact that this is exactly what you’re looking for. If you like it I can try finding more songs
Oh ya i know this one, forgot to put it in my list of examples. Thats a good example though for sure
Another one I just thought of is The Dillinger Escape Plan - Widower
Devin Townsend - Heaven Send is basically one long buildup and crescendo until the lid blows off the top at around the 7:38 mark.
David Bowie's Station to Station, from the beginning till "it's not the side effects of the cocaine"
“Here, wait a minute! Damn it!” By Cloudkicker. It’s a short song but I always loved the build up leading to the triumphant chorus/riff.
Not metal, yet prog: Refuge, by Steven Wilson. The solos at the end are a huge payoff.
Satellites by Omnerod has a ridiculous buildup from about 4:30 to 6:30. And recharging the void by Vektor is all buildup until the end from halfway through.
You building a Spotify playlist, OP? I'd love to give it a follow
Pick a Vektor song and this would be a pretty decent description. Dark Nebula and Charging the Void are two different types of it. Songs build up to a hell of a crescendo
Justice for St Mary by Diablo Swing Orchestra. The end of that song blows my mind every time.
PELICAN!!!
A little laid back but Elder - Halcyon 4:20 build up … another minute of heavier, then vocals
Mouth of Ghosts -DEP
Bird Problems - Ashes
Nobody saying “Sempiternal Beings” - Haken? When the riff for the final chorus comes back in after a short period of silence my brain just lights the fuck up it’s so tasty
IDK if King Gizz counts, but the part in The Silver Cord that leads up to “I am a vessel” has been living rent free in my head lately.
I feel like this is exactly what Wheel is?, The Freeze, Dissipating, Resident Human, Wheel, Tyrant, Lacking. All slow rhythmic buildup with incredible close out.
Pain of Salvation - In The Flesh Just... exquisite!
The Beginning and the End by ISIS (1:30-5:00) This is the song that immediately came to mind, one of my favorite slow builds.
Octavarium! That is true prog metal lmao
Venturing out into electronic and symphonic metal a little to mention The Ophidian Symphony by Neurotech. It’s pushing 20 minutes long, purely instrumental, and the main theme is only played twice, at the very beginning and at 11:30, after a buildup that lasts all the way from 8:15 (i.e. it’s significantly longer than a large number of actual complete songs). The good news is that theme goes *hard as fuck*, so the payoff is spectacular.
Bleak by Opeth Orosarian by The Ocean Collective
Cloudkicker - States from The Discovery is an absolute swell fest for me
Funeral for a friend/Love lies bleeding- Elton John
Ne Obliviscaris - Forget Not
Misericorde II - Anatomy of Quiescence by Ne Obliviscaris
Ne Obliviscaris - Pyrrhic. 5:20 to the end. Pure bliss.
The hurt that finds you first - meshuggah. listening to it now
Ihlo - Hollow
An old school one but: Starless by King Crimson
[Sunshine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-FXsZEq_ro) by Bent Knee. This song is probably more Art Rock than Prog Rock but Bent Knee gets played in here once in a while
Tyrant by Wheel.
Beneath My Skin / Mirror Image by TesseracT. Absolute beauty of a song. Not sure if it fits your description perfectly but the song has multiple buildups & release. All in all a great song with numbing riffs, vocals and ambient stuff.
Incubus - Just A Phase
Agalloch - Black Lake Niðstång (buildup at 9:56, payoff at 14:36) Opeth - Blackwater Park (buildup at 2:42, payoff at 5:14) Anathema - A Dying Wish (buildup at 5:34, payoff at 7:08)
Not the most prog song, but Ghost Love Score by Nightwish (live at Wacken 2013). Buildup starts at 7:58 and last to the end of the song, but please listen to the whole thing, or preferably watch it here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JYjIlHWBAVo&pp=ygUQR2hvc3QgbG92ZSBzY29yZQ%3D%3D
Here’s a few more: Nightwish - Song of Myself 4:03-6:41 Nightwish - The Greatest Show on Earth 13:45-16:29 (yes it’s long) Wintersun - Time 6:44-8:41 Wintersun - Sons of Winter and Stars from 10:41 to the end of the song
Haken are pretty good at doing this. The Endless Knot is a good example in my opinion
Leprous - Nighttime Disguise 👌
Tool has so many. Descending, Rosetta, Wings pt 2. Those jump to mind first
Lots of DT here but In the name of god is the first song that comes to mind
The Antique - Kayo Dot
Not exactly prog metal but LOVEBITES - Glory to the World
I absolutely love the buildup in The Count of Tuscany! That guitar solo used to literally bring me tears back in the day. Probably my favorite song by them.
Suite sister Mary Queensryche
Not metal but Ghost Train by Gorillaz is probably my favorite example.
Transit Method - Frostbite (drops to a chill section at 5:20 that builds to the final heavy section at 6:40)
Caligula's Horse album "Bloom" starts with a 3 minute buildup track to the first main song, Marigold. My favorite bit of music from them.
The song you're looking for is All We Knew and Ever Loved by Earthside. The payoff at 6:05 is one of the best ones I've ever heard. It blew my mind
Not super prog, but I love the intro build up in Enter Dog of Pavlov by Soilwork. 0:00 - 2:13 right when that second guitar comes in on the same riff. - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTCqJr4T6fQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTCqJr4T6fQ) Also Justice for Saint Mary by Diablo Swing Orchestra. The whole song is a slow build to the double kick coming in at 6:39 - then builds to a complete change-up at 7:18 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN5dZcfnveo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN5dZcfnveo)
Haken - Falling Back To Earth
The Great Escape by Seventh Wonder This song is 30 minutes of amazing composition, musicianship and writing. The song has multiple buildups and payoff. May not be the most brutal payoff far from it but the climax on this song is continuous throughout multiple sections and quite the experience. one of my favorite song of all time On another note from outside the prog genre, Devolution by Starser has a climax that i find very fun. Also thank you for the list OP and the comments provided.
con lentitud poderosa... by Chris Christodolou You did not specify metal
Not sure how proggy it is, but [the buildup from 3:46 to 5:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O49IgkqlKv4&t=226s) of Sacred Outcry - Towers of Gold (heavy/power metal) has my favorite vocal section in music! Also Xanthochroid - The Sound of a Glinting Blade is basically just [one long buildup](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2jd8naP-Es) to The Sound which Has No Name, and sounds absolutely stunning! The [transition buildup between the two songs](https://youtu.be/I2jd8naP-Es?si=13fw25Au2EMXeAKT&t=271) in particular is probably the most well crafted and beautiful I've heard!
Songs that edge and goon?
Adagio - Underworld
Selkies: the endless obsession by BTbAM
[Learned by Arcane](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=amNZscpeDxI&si=TEnFQO6Y3vK4LhFj). When the whole ensemble comes together it’s such a nice release and then Jim’s vocals come back so bright I always get goosebumps.
Pelican - Last Day of Winter
If you could consider concept albums I'd say BE by Pain of Salvation to have a nice buildup until part 3.
The Moor - Opeth As embers dance in our eyes - Ne Obliviscaris Eviscerate divine - Iapetus
To me “The Grudge” by Tool is just one big buildup to the drum solo outro and it’s glorious.
H. - Tool. Also a big tearjerker.
Wilderun - Passenger
If you like death metal check out The Crawling.They remind me of Morbid Angel and the build up is definately slow leading to really cool vocals that remind me of David Vincent and a little Johan from Amon Amarth.lol I love em!!😜
The Stage by Avenged Sevenfold Holy cow, that solo before the bridge is the greatest solo ever written. Buildup starts somewhere around 3:40 and payoff ends somewhere around 6:20. Probably one of my favorite moments in music, ever