Falling Into Infinity took forever to come out, and I remember being at Best Buy where I was working at the time, and while I enjoyed it, I was a little underwhelmed with such high expectations.
To compare, earlier in the year, Fates Warning had released A Pleasant Shade of Gray, which I remember really liking, but also not looking at Fates Warning as good as my favorite bands like Rush and Dream Theater. But as I came to realize, it was a masterpiece, and their greatest masterpiece.
I do recall being really sad though as learning both Joe DiBiase and Frank Aresti had left the band and being incredibly depressed about that, along with Kevin Moore's departure from Dream Theater not that long before also hitting me hard. And oddly enough, it was not long after I became a fan of both bands.
Anyway, looking at the rest of 1997, Soundscape's album Discovery I enjoyed when I heard it, but in truth, became more of a fan in the subsequent years. Pain of Salvation's debut album Entropia I didn't hear then but years later; but it has become one of my favorites of theirs, debut albums, and progressive metal albums, etc.
Royal Hunt, Savatage, Angra's live album, Big Wreck, The Tea Party, Mew's debut, Godspeed, Devin Townsend's debut, etc..a lot of good stuff or artists who put out albums early in their careers of course. A lot of Prog Metal as the mid and late 90's it was being made in large numbers, and on my radar. And frankly, while much of it sounded a lot like Dream Theater, it seemed still enjoyable and unique in some ways. I dunno, it didn't seem as watered down as it became and has been the last 10 or 15 years. But maybe some of that has to do with nostalgia.
I think 1997 was a year that was in the midst of a lot of terrible mainstream music, and got looked down on by the prog scene, but maybe has aged relatively well over the last 2 decades.
1. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
2. Soundscape - Discovery
3. Pain of Salvation - Entropia
4. Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity
5. Savatage - The Wake of Magellan
6. Pat Metheny - Imaginary Day
7. Royal Hunt - Paradox
8. Marillion - This Strange Engine
9. Magellan - Test of Wills
10. Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of...
11. Enchant - Time Lost
12. Angra - Holy Live
13. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞ (1995-1997)
14. Ocean Machine - Biomech
15. Eternity X - The Edge
16. Conditioned Response - Pavlov's Dogs
17. The Tea Party - Transmission
18. Mew - A Triumph for Man
19. The Flower Kings - Stardust We Are
20. Galactic Cowboys - The Horse that Bud Bought
21. Yes - Keys to Ascension 2
22. Live - Secret Samadhi
23. dredg - Orph [EP]
24. Faith No More - Album of the Year
25. MagellanMusic - A Strange Traffic of Dreams
26. Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
27. The Quiet Room - Introspect
28. Tiles - Fence the Clear
29. IQ - Subterranea
30. Queensryche - Hear in the Now Frontier
![Daftpunk-homework.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9c/Daftpunk-homework.jpg/220px-Daftpunk-homework.jpg)
Daft Punk - Homework
rel January 20, 1997
![Untitled](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/93bc2a4619884b5bac5a19783ad19cc9.jpg)
Niacin - Niacin
rel February 13, 1997
![LiveSecretSamadhi.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1b/LiveSecretSamadhi.jpg/220px-LiveSecretSamadhi.jpg)
Live - Secret Samadhi
rel February 18, 1997
![Beyond the Missouri Sky.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7a/Beyond_the_Missouri_Sky.jpg/220px-Beyond_the_Missouri_Sky.jpg)
Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny - Beyond the Missouri Sky
rel February 25, 1997
![front](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/af513cf5f6826fe8cc0eb14d370fd149.jpg)
h - Ice Cream Genius
rel February 27, 1997
![MarillionTSE.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/56/MarillionTSE.jpg/220px-MarillionTSE.jpg)
Marillion - This Strange Engine
rel March 9, 1997
![Queensryche - Hear in the Now Frontier cover.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8e/Queensryche_-_Hear_in_the_Now_Frontier_cover.jpg/220px-Queensryche_-_Hear_in_the_Now_Frontier_cover.jpg)
Queensryche - Hear in the Now Frontier
rel March 25, 1997
![Cover flow.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b8/Cover_flow.jpg/220px-Cover_flow.jpg)
Conception - Flow
rel April 1, 1997
![Mewatriumphforman.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5b/Mewatriumphforman.jpg)
Mew - A Triumph for Man
rel April 1, 1997
![Untitled](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/732734824ebe4f309cd9b14fbe8e33f9.jpg)
Tiles - Fence the Clear
rel April 15, 1997
![The Mind's I album cover.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/The_Mind%27s_I_album_cover.jpg/220px-The_Mind%27s_I_album_cover.jpg)
Dark Tranquillity - The Mind's I
rel April 21, 1997
![A pleasant shade of gray.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/A_pleasant_shade_of_gray.jpg/220px-A_pleasant_shade_of_gray.jpg)
Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
rel April 22, 1997
![Untitled](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/01403d32006a46dcc6dd6268adb5036e.jpg)
Angra - Holy Live
rel April 25, 1997
![Visions - Stratovarius2.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b9/Visions_-_Stratovarius2.jpg/220px-Visions_-_Stratovarius2.jpg)
Stratovarius - Visions
rel April 28, 1997
![Stardust We Are.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Stardust_We_Are.jpg/220px-Stardust_We_Are.jpg)
The Flower Kings - Stardust We Are
rel April 1997
![Curiouscorn.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/74/Curiouscorn.jpg/220px-Curiouscorn.jpg)
Ozric Tentacles - Curious Corn
rel May 1, 1997
![Test Of Wills.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b0/Test_Of_Wills.jpg/220px-Test_Of_Wills.jpg)
Magellan - Test of Wills
rel May 6, 1997
![FishSunset001a.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/50/FishSunset001a.jpg/220px-FishSunset001a.jpg)
Fish - Sunsets on Empire
rel May 9, 1997
![Toad the Wet Sprocket-Coil.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2d/Toad_the_Wet_Sprocket-Coil.jpg/220px-Toad_the_Wet_Sprocket-Coil.jpg)
Toad the Wet Sprocket - Coil
rel May 20, 1997
![No-Man - Dry Cleaning Ray.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/ff/No-Man_-_Dry_Cleaning_Ray.jpg/220px-No-Man_-_Dry_Cleaning_Ray.jpg)
No-Man - Dry Cleaning Ray
rel May 1997
![Shadow of the moon.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/98/Shadow_of_the_moon.jpg/220px-Shadow_of_the_moon.jpg)
Blackmore's Night - Shadow of the Moon
rel June 2, 1997
![Fnm aoty.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Fnm_aoty.jpg/220px-Fnm_aoty.jpg)
Faith No More - Album of the Year
rel June 3, 1997
![TheGathering-Nighttimebirds.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cf/TheGathering-Nighttimebirds.jpg/220px-TheGathering-Nighttimebirds.jpg)
The Gathering - Nighttime Birds
rel June 6, 1997
![Ween-TheMollusk.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b8/Ween-TheMollusk.jpg/220px-Ween-TheMollusk.jpg)
Ween - The Mollusk
rel June 24, 1997
![Galactic thehorse.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c9/Galactic_thehorse.jpg/220px-Galactic_thehorse.jpg)
Galactic Cowboys - The Horse that Bud Bought
rel July 15, 1997
![Biomech.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/26/Biomech.jpg/220px-Biomech.jpg)
Ocean Machine - Biomech
rel July 21, 1997
![Spastic Ink - Ink Complete.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Spastic_Ink_-_Ink_Complete.jpg)
Spastic Ink - Ink Complete
rel August 12, 1997
![Voivod - Phobos.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f1/Voivod_-_Phobos.jpg/220px-Voivod_-_Phobos.jpg)
Voivod - Phobos
rel August 12, 1997
![A dark maroon cover with a small rectangular black-and-white photograph of a water tower in the center.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e1/FsharpAsharpInfinity_vinyl.jpg/220px-FsharpAsharpInfinity_vinyl.jpg)
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞ (1995-1997)
rel August 14, 1997
![Transmissionalbum.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Transmissionalbum.jpg/220px-Transmissionalbum.jpg)
The Tea Party - Transmission
rel August 19, 1997
![PainOfSalvation-Entropia.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/PainOfSalvation-Entropia.jpg)
Pain of Salvation - Entropia
rel August 21, 1997
![The God Thing cover.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/aa/The_God_Thing_cover.jpg/220px-The_God_Thing_cover.jpg)
Vanden Plas - The God Thing
rel September 5, 1997
![Untitled](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/6e9bfae91df54051c02e5dd26c97bd65.jpg)
Eternity X - The Edge
rel September 7, 1997
![Incubus Science.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4f/Incubus_Science.jpg/220px-Incubus_Science.jpg)
Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
rel September 9, 1997
![The-Tories---Wonderful-Life-Front-Cover-3251.jpg](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/17d4214c9ce9ac649e3cfae95088b61f.jpg)
The Tories - Wonderful Life
rel September 9, 1997
![Wake of the magellan.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/Wake_of_the_magellan.jpg/220px-Wake_of_the_magellan.jpg)
Savatage - The Wake of Magellan
rel September 15, 1997
![Buenavistasocialclubalbumcover.jpeg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Buenavistasocialclubalbumcover.jpeg/220px-Buenavistasocialclubalbumcover.jpeg)
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
rel September 16, 1997
![Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity Album Cover.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/df/Dream_Theater_-_Falling_into_Infinity_Album_Cover.jpg/220px-Dream_Theater_-_Falling_into_Infinity_Album_Cover.jpg)
Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity
rel September 23, 1997
![Royal Hunt - Paradox (front).jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Royal_Hunt_-_Paradox_%28front%29.jpg/220px-Royal_Hunt_-_Paradox_%28front%29.jpg)
Royal Hunt - Paradox
rel September 23, 1997
![Tone soul evolution cover.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3e/Tone_soul_evolution_cover.jpg/220px-Tone_soul_evolution_cover.jpg)
The Apples in Stereo - Tone Soul Evolution
rel September 30, 1997
![Enchant Time Lost.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/87/Enchant_Time_Lost.jpg/220px-Enchant_Time_Lost.jpg)
Enchant - Time Lost
rel September 1997
![IQ album cover Subterranea.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/93/IQ_album_cover_Subterranea.jpg)
IQ - Subterranea
rel September 1997
![InLovingMemoryOf.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8f/InLovingMemoryOf.jpg/220px-InLovingMemoryOf.jpg)
Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of...
rel October 7, 1997
![PMG - Imaginary Day.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d2/PMG_-_Imaginary_Day.jpg/220px-PMG_-_Imaginary_Day.jpg)
Pat Metheny - Imaginary Day
rel October 7, 1997
![In-Flames Whoracle.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/In-Flames_Whoracle.jpg/220px-In-Flames_Whoracle.jpg)
In Flames - Whoracle
rel October 15, 1997
![Porcupine tree coma divine.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Porcupine_tree_coma_divine.jpg/220px-Porcupine_tree_coma_divine.jpg)
Porcupine Tree - Coma Divine: Recorded Live in Rome
rel October 1997
![KeystoAscension2slipcase.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d0/KeystoAscension2slipcase.jpg/220px-KeystoAscension2slipcase.jpg)
Yes - Keys to Ascension 2
rel November 3, 1997
![Jane's Addiction-Kettle Wistle.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/10/Jane%27s_Addiction-Kettle_Wistle.jpg/220px-Jane%27s_Addiction-Kettle_Wistle.jpg)
Jane's Addiction - Kettle Whistle
rel November 4, 1997
![Image result for martyr - Hopeless Hopes last.fm](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/300x300/1cc27a5a381a405fba627500ddf1bedc.jpg)
Martyr - Hopeless Hopes
rel November 7, 1997
![Self - Feels Like Breakin Shit.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f6/Self_-_Feels_Like_Breakin_Shit.jpg/220px-Self_-_Feels_Like_Breakin_Shit.jpg)
sElf - Feels Like Breakin' Shit
rel November 1997
![Untitled](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/b215692e12340ef17a724bfdb036ab34.jpg)
Conditioned Response - Pavlov's Dog
rel 1997
![Orphfront.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e5/Orphfront.jpg/220px-Orphfront.jpg)
dredg - Orph [EP]
rel 1997
![Untitled](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/82ca7adf161943cdaff0c5a4db693fe8.jpg)
MagellanMusic - A Strange Traffic of Dreams
rel 1997
![Untitled](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/dfd3006f1c454111c19592edb5735285.jpg)
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - En concert à Paris
rel 1997
![Front.jpg](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/091ded879fc7d40221767b48bf153958.jpg)
The Quiet Room - Introspect
rel 1997
![Untitled](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/329caf18b09c47e8a2b89cb8cb1148db.jpg)
Soundscape - Discovery
rel 1997
![front.jpg](https://lastfm-img2.akamaized.net/i/u/770x0/58d2ae271fd255b56aab6b9b29018581.jpg)
Sinkadus - Aurum nostrum
rel 1997