Album Reviews
Movie Reviews
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Time Wasters
Contact Us

If Pink Floyd, Dream Theatre, and the Moody Blues merged in one of your strangest dreams this is the music you’d hear just before it catapulted you out of sleep with a burst of hard rock rage erupting out of a gentle melody. 

If you’re not a progressive rock fan, you may have trouble appreciating all of this album. 

Three of the disc’s tracks are more than nine minutes long, so you’ve got to want to strap in for the ride. It’s not verse, chorus, repeat, lead solo, verse, chorus, fade. Anything but. 

It is an epic musical journey across varied terrain: tripping over psychedelia here, scraping across heavy metal there--visiting sounds both contemporary and sentimental--rarely landing in one place long enough for you to get comfortable. Lilting vocal harmonies, haunted by the Moody Blues (and even the Beach Boys), ooze into Black Sabbath episodes which drift off into Floydian outer space.

There is a thread of hyperactive, erratic discomfort that stabs its way in and out of this band’s sound and lyrics. Dark corners and disturbing edges lurk about. It’s cynical and smart, puzzling and fractured, poetic and jarring.

The final product is often compelling and powerful, sometimes sweet and beautiful. If you haven’t guessed, I really like it.

Track standouts include “Shallow,” a wonderful bit of hard edge raving and “Lazarus,” as its polar opposite, mellow, thoughtful and sweet, with this catchy verse:

"Follow me down to the valley below You know Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul Come to us Lazarus It's time for you to go" 

UK’s Steven Wilson is the band’s primary human energy, piloting this prog-rock spaceship as vocalist, writer and musician. Wilson may not amaze you with great technical vocal talent but he is strong enough; and, when the harmonies come out, they elevate what may be his otherwise too-plain style. He is handling most six-string guitar work as well as piano, keyboards, hammered dulcimer and some bass guitar. His guitar solos, instead of being all speed and technique, are tastefully etched into place as if they belonged there. 

Richard Barbieri adds mystic touches with additional keyboard and synthesizer. Colin Edwin glues pieces together with his bass work and Gavin Harrison shows off with serious drumming skills throughout. 

Where does God fit into Porcupine Tree’s repertoire? 

I’m not sure I know. There’s no profanity on this album, with the exception of “damn,” which is used once. It is pretty adult, with some harsh imagery. Still , I don’t get the sense that its intentions (if an album can have intentions) are to draw you into some icky, hopeless abyss; rather I think it is pointing out darkness, touching it to the surface of your skin and letting you decide whether you wish to play with it (I found I didn’t). 

God is all over the song “Halo:”

God is in my fingers 
God is in my head 
God is in the trigger 
God is in the lead…

I liked this CD “right out of the box” literally, and I see it continuing to grow on me. 

So far, I don’t feel the need to scrape it off. 

The band’s media-intensive site http://www.porcupinetree.com will give you a great picture of their style as well as some links to audio and video that may have you wanting to search your local music store for a copy of this CD.

I’m recommending you do.

Jim Wormington 10/26/2005